Types of Fireplaces to Cozy Up to This Winter
The dancing flames of a glowing fire and your favorite football game on the big screen – a decorative console with a built-in electric fireplace topped with a 72-inch TV stand is just one of the types of fireplaces Mor Furniture for Less carries to help you dial up the cozy factor on snowy afternoons.
Safe around children and pets and easy to control, electric fireplace inserts can bring your living room, den, family room, even your master bedroom new life this winter. We offer a range of colors and styles - from farmhouse to modern – in consoles that accommodate large screen TVs. Here are a few different types of fireplaces to choose from:
- TV Console with Built-In Fireplace
We offer a range of consoles that accommodate 68- to 72-inch TVs and include cord and cable management holes and additional storage space for TV electronics, discs, books and video game consoles. What a way to make your favorite family gathering place warmer and cozier, without the hassle of a wood or gas-burning fireplace. And tidier to boot! All you need to do is set your TV on top or mount it to the wall above the console and connect your components.
The sleek contemporary style of our Morado Bay Fireplace Console in Gray is a showstopper, with a beautiful built-in fireplace and the right dimensions for a 72-inch TV. Our slightly smaller profile Manning Console w/ Fireplace Insert has charming farmhouse-style with “barn door” storage cabinets that slide open on rustic wrought iron hardware.
- Media Center with Fireplace Insert
Our contemporary Enterprise Fireplace Console is ready to lull you to sleep or start the party. In addition to a fireplace, its high-gloss black, 72-inch frame houses an integrated sound bar with four main speakers, two tweeters, rear-facing bass ports and a powered subwoofer. This console also offers Bluetooth, and smoked glass cabinets with added space for storage.
- Fireplace Insert with Mantel
Transform your master bedroom into a romantic sanctuary by adding a fireplace insert with an elegant built-in mantel. Our Artesian Mantel w/ Fireplace Insert comes in white and black birch veneer with room for showcasing art, photos of your family or stacks of art books on the mantel.
Things to Consider When Shopping for A Fireplace
Proportion
The width of standard consoles with built-in fireplaces is between 64 inches and 72 inches and the height can be 30 inches to 40 inches (our Artesian Mantel w/ Fireplace is 43 inches high), so measure carefully to ensure you have enough space in the place of honor you’ve selected and that your current TV will fit above. Keep in mind that your TV should be placed or wall-mounted at or just below eye level to minimize neck strain.
Warmth
Electric fireplace inserts typically use either infrared or forced-fan heating. If you’re mainly interested in ambiance over warmth, you won’t need to worry too much about wattage. But if you are planning to use the fireplace as a heat source, you’ll want to have some idea of the number of BTUs the fireplace will have to generate to heat your room.
A rule of thumb is 10 watts of energy is required to heat one square foot. So, begin by multiplying the square footage of your room by 10 to get the number of BTUs necessary to heat the space. For a 10-foot by 12-foot room (120 square feet), your fireplace should generate 1,200 BTUs. If the room has high, vaulted ceilings you may need 1,500 BTUs to compensate for rising heat.
Our Wright 3 Piece Entertainment Center infrared fireplace can put out 5,200 BTUs, providing zone heating for up to 1,000 square feet! Forced air heaters can only heat up to 400 square feet, but that may be sufficient for closed floor plans, where only the living room needs heat.
Storage
What kinds of cabinets, drawers and shelves do you need for your video game consoles, DVD player, speakers, discs and other family entertainment items? Adjustable shelves will give you the most flexibility when it comes to storing electronics that vary in size. If that’s not an option, most of our consoles include a mix of drawers, shelves and generous cabinets with solid or frosted doors or glass inserts that will show off what you’re storing. Make a plan for where everything will fit before you shop.