Home is where the Hearthfall is

(Originally published in the November 11, 2005 issue of USA Today on the front page of section D.)

So a fire in the fireplace isn't doing it for you anymore? How about adding a waterfall?

Hearthfalls, a less-than-year-old company in Little Rock, offers just that: a patented design that sends recycled water cascading in front of your fire, log or gas. "You get the same ambience of a fire plus you get the sound of a stream," says Hearthfalls' inventor and president, Jerry Wheeler.

Units, which either stand alone or can be retro-fitted over existing fireplaces, come in everything from wood ($1,899) to blue lapis ($13,799).

"It's selling itself," says Wheeler, who thinks the device is perfect for condos and hotel suites. "People see it and they want it."

You don't even need a fire, says Hearthfalls' spokeswoman Vicki Parker: "You just plug it in."

Beats stacking wood.

— Craig Wilson