Electric fireplace for a living room: pros and cons

When thinking about the interior designs of a living room, everyone wants to make it fresh, stylish, and cozy. To make the decoration look the best, not only the right choice of color scheme per se matters. Furniture, accessories, and other functional and decorative elements are very important as well.

Today, more people tend to return to traditions of the past, so a living room is presented as a comfortable space, where the whole family can sit in front of a fireplace and get warm during cold winters. However, many people doubt whether such an element as a fireplace is really necessary and functional. Let's consider its main functions, together with the pros and cons.

What a fireplace can do?

A fireplace is a special structure, which contains a fire. It might be made of bricks, MDF, metal, stone, wood, and even glass. Modern variations can be decorated with luxurious materials, for instance, diamonds or pieces of mirror.

The main functions of a fireplace are to create a cozy atmosphere in the room and to provide warmth. While in the past, their key idea was solely to make a house warm, modern models work mostly as an additional source of heat. Their primary function in modern houses is to make a relaxing and cozy ambiance.

Fireplaces can be used not just in the house but also outside them. With their help, people create amazing areas for relaxation on their house territory, where they can gather with friends and relatives to have a barbecue or spend a wonderful evening in a tight circle.

Types of hearths

Among the existing types of fireplaces, we can mention:

• Gas. These fireplaces are perfect alternatives to traditional wood-burning constructions. They are affordable and very efficient. For the work of a fireplace, natural gas is used.
• Wood. Such variations work when the wood is burnt. They are able to create an incomparable atmosphere due to the variety of experienced feelings. People can smell the wood, hear cozy and pleasant sounds of crackle, and feel the real warmth of a fire.
• Electric. These are simple and cost-effective options for any home or apartment. Such fireplaces don't require any difficult installations. They don't use any kind of fuel to work. The fire they provide might be called artificial. However, it looks very realistic. Electric fireplaces are diverse and can offer additional functions, such as burning wood sounds.
• Ethanol. They are eco-friendly items, which burn ethanol to provide heat. They produce no smoke, so no ventilation is necessary compared to gas or wood fireplaces. At the same time, these fireplaces are not very effective in terms of heating.

Fireplaces can differ based on their design:

• Built-in
• Free-standing (usually, portable)
• Open
• Outdoor
• Wall-mounted.

Fireplace will be a stylish addition regardless of its style

The benefits of an electric fireplace

Fireplaces, which work on electricity, are the most common choice of modern people. We sell only this type. Such items have a wide range of benefits compared to other variations of hearths:

• They are efficient and able to produce enough energy to heat the room
• They have low maintenance cost due to the specific consumption of electricity (the latest depends on a selected model, though)
• They are easy to use and adjust (just use special buttons or remote control to turn it on/off or choose a desirable option)
• They are diverse in terms of design and available functions
• They are easy and fast to install (such fireplaces don't require any ventilation or chimney)
• They are environmentally friendly (they don't produce smoke because they don't actually burn anything)
• They are affordable (the price for an electric fireplace depends on its functions and design. There're quite cheap items. Besides, they don't require anything to be additionally set)
• They don't occupy much space
• They are safe (there're no risks of smoke & ash inhalation, carbon monoxide poisoning, or fire)
• They offer a comfortable remote control and a display with temperature and other settings
• They look realistic enough and can offer various color themes
• They enhance the interior decoration.

Surely, it's required to say about a few drawbacks of an electric fireplace:

• It produces less heat than gas
• It can't be used without electric power
• It can't provide natural fire smells.

How to choose a fireplace for a living room?

When selecting a nice fireplace, consider a few aspects:

• Available space (for small living rooms, it's better to choose fireboxes or portable items, which won't occupy much space; for larger spaces, wall-mounted fireplaces are a good option)
• Suitable design (modern electric fireplaces can offer minimalistic fireboxes or hearths with adorable mantels in various finishes)
• Desirable functions (consider, whether you want to change colors, hear the natural sounds, etc.)
• Productivity (think of an area you need to heat and choose suitable characteristics).

A fireplace might become a wonderful addition to your living room. With electric items, you can create an additional source of heat and make your home feel cozier and more welcoming.