it is right there with plastic flowers stuck in the grass, cheap undersize vinyl shutters, plastic coverings for dining chairs and pink flamingoes in Alaska

Do you have gas to your house? You can always have a direct vent gas fireplace installed.

an electric fireplace in a basement with a 55" tv on top is not the same as an electric fireplace in your upstairs family room with a 55" tv on top. whats the rest of the basement look like? do you entertain others down there, or just family? i've learned to let my husband have his way sometimes on things that don't matter so much and then i get to have my way on things that i care about. your mileage will vary.

(and yes, i think they are tacky. but sometimes there are things even worse than tacky).

I think in your basement it will be fine. My friend has a nice looking one in her bed room. And really, it is the cabinet design to look for, as how often will it REALLY be turned on for fire ambiance?

I don't think you need the fireplace , just get a proper stand for your TV with lots of storage and be done with it. A fireplace should be a focal point and putting a TV over it detracts from that .

Thanks for all the responses. Actually, I've looked on Houzz and found some great looking spaces with electric fireplaces by Dimplex, and I'm going to check theirs out. Seems that the electric fireplace I remember from 3 decades ago is (thankfully) gone, and the modern ones are not so horrible. I'll post a pic if I get one; and, to maintain peace in our home, I may decide to give in on this one.

If you need a heater in the room, that would be one thing, but otherwise buy a nice credenza for the TV, and forget the electric fireplace.

I think if you find one that you think looks nice and you can live with and he really enjoys it or the idea of it, then go for it.

Another great thing about the modern electric fireplaces, as long as you don't take the cheap route, is that they incorporate heating and fans, so you are actually getting something out of them besides decor. This could be nice in a space that can sometimes feel a bit cold and damp. Check the ratings on various brands before you purchase to avoid trouble.

Yay! Judy G. The newest electric fireplace designs are beautiful. Can be a great choice and a needed focal point in a home. Everybody loves the warmth of a fire.

Judy, where is that fireplace from? I cant find an electric fireplace that looks like that!

We love our electric fireplace for short term heating.

Did you end up installing an electric fireplace? I'm having the same dilemma.

I'm wondering what it might look like to have our upright piano in the place where a fake fireplace would be.

I think the one in the pic looks soo gorgeous

i would go for it but my husband just hate the idea

We have no gas to the house and no way to put in a wood burning fireplace, so my husband made this surround and I bought this vintage style funky electric fireplace for cheap but it actually is kinda nice to use! It even makes a crackling sound

Ps for about 1k you can get an opti myst electric fireplace that uses cool steam/mist to make realistic-ish flames

I think the ones of the past are slightly tacky but wow, the new ones are stunning and are found in high-end homes. Just take a look on Houzz and see the pics of the new ones.

I remember when gas fireplaces were considered "fake" and tacky.

Attitudes about such things change as product performance, quality, and appearance improve and new ideas become common place.

Hi, I think I can help you. If you are going to buy an electric fireplace, then probably you have already looked at many forums. I used to do that too until I found one site. Read, maybe you will find some useful information.

Electric fireplace is cool, in no way is tacky!

It’s not horrible looking right? I just put this one in my family room. I’m not a fan of electric fireplaces. But they are “in” right now.

70” tv and 60” fireplace

Another point is we have BEEN having them for decades. If it's NOT a wood burning fireplace, then it's gas logs or electric. SAME. THING.

Sorry, it's beyond tacky. At least with a gas fireplace you have an actual FLAME! The idea of an electric (and I've seen many in person as I was considering one then changed my mind) is good if you want one maybe for a basement, but if you have a beautiful living room with high end furnishings, and a lot of thought put into your space and then finish it off with some tacky fake flame "fireplace", you ruin the whole thing... like putting up a fake Xmas wreath (if you enjoy the scent of pine needles). Why bother.

like I said. Electric fireplaces are “in” right now even in high-end installs, depends on the owners preference.

I have one used a wood stove for years to heat my home could always see the fir it is a oak mantle matching kitchen cabinets which can be seen from the living room because the kitchen is open to the living room I live in a manufactured home in a trailer park my place looks like a little house not a trailer I rent so putting a real fire place or even a gas fire place in was not a option a friend made a trade with me for it he brought it over in his pickup carried it in moved a desk plugged it in turned it on and it looks great especially when the sun goes down it's not a real expensive one but I enjoy it and it is a very nice addition to my living room everyone else says it looks nice so it's truly up to you I am glad I got mine now like to turn it on and sit and enjoy it or when company comes over it does have a heater in it so it alsoo puts out a little heat but I have it mostly for visual affects it has a beautiful oak mantle that alone was a nice addition to my living room and gets better when I turn it on it doesn't crackle like some do but I think it was a great addition to my living room some are made better than others so shop around like I said the Mantle it is in wass a nice addition in it's self and turning it on it just gets better we just walked it in set it on the floor against the was where I wanted it plugged it in turned it on and it looks great it looks really nice from a little distance so you don't want one in a cramped room if the room is nice and open it will have a very nice visual affect and if you move you can unplug it and take it with you can't do that with a real fire place or wood stove or put it any where there is a plug electric heaters can be expensive to run I use mine mostly for a visual affect it makes the place feel cozy even though there is not a true fire burning but no stacking fire wood or shoveling ash no dust they have come a long way mine was used and I love

I have one used a wood stove for years to heat my home could always see the fir it is a oak mantle matching kitchen cabinets which can be seen from the living room because the kitchen is open to the living room I live in a manufactured home in a trailer park my place looks like a little house not a trailer I rent so putting a real fire place or even a gas fire place in was not a option a friend made a trade with me for it he brought it over in his pickup carried it in moved a desk plugged it in turned it on and it looks great especially when the sun goes down it's not a real expensive one but I enjoy it and it is a very nice addition to my living room everyone else says it looks nice so it's truly up to you I am glad I got mine now like to turn it on and sit and enjoy it or when company comes over it does have a heater in it so it alsoo puts out a little heat but I have it mostly for visual affects it has a beautiful oak mantle that alone was a nice addition to my living room and gets better when I turn it on it doesn't crackle like some do but I think it was a great addition to my living room some are made better than others so shop around like I said the Mantle it is in wass a nice addition in it's self and turning it on it just gets better we just walked it in set it on the floor against the was where I wanted it plugged it in turned it on and it looks great it looks really nice from a little distance so you don't want one in a cramped room if the room is nice and open it will have a very nice visual affect and if you move you can unplug it and take it with you can't do that with a real fire place or wood stove or put it any where there is a plug electric heaters can be expensive to run I use mine mostly for a visual affect it makes the place feel cozy even though there is not a true fire burning but no stacking fire wood or shoveling ash no dust they have come a long way mine was used and I love

I know this is a very old thread but i just installed an electric and my fear was that they are tacky or pretentious like a giant plastic plant. My house was built in 92. I had my wood burning fireplace checked a few months ago and it was deemed no longer safe and it needed to be a full replacement. I was told it would have been $14,000. Due to being a cheaper fireplace that was installed it cannot be repaired. They told me $4,000 for them to install an electric. I was against an electric but they told me they have come a long way and really recommend this. I was curious and later asked if the one they installed had WiFi control and they said it did not. It turns out they were going with a lower end one and most of that money was towards the install. I found the Orion 36 through modern flames that had app support. I asked my local company about installing the Orion it and they said it would be about double or $8,000! The cost of the fireplace was alone was expensive, close to $3600 with the trim. After speaking to modern flames sales rep he said it can be a DIY Project. The idea is that it can just go right into the existing fireplace and there is no cutting of the tile. I just had to cut away the metal of my old one to give it room to fit. I had to have an electrican upgrade my electrical panel and add a 220 volt line to hard wire it which total cost me $5,500! my wife says it looks fake, but it is, but not tacky. it looks really good in pictures. It also has crackling sounds. The living room it is in has always been cold, this should help a lot!