EBK...A recessed gel based unit is not only aesthetically pleasing but because of customization, the unit, once installed, is a higher level of design & therefore distinctively realistic in it's application. The unit below is a wall mounted electrical unit due to masonry wall & BUILDING CODE restrictions & was not our Clients first option. Output approx. 600 thermal units & only looks real if you are walking by quickly. Hope this helps!

Forgot to mention gels last several hours where as electric will last so long as you pay the bill.

Careful choosing a fireplace when the look is the key element. Fireplaces are not that efficient for heating so it is a luxury heat not an efficient heat. People forget that if they love the look but hate the heat then need to order the right type of fireplace with the right burn rate.

Not all fireplaces are created equal. Some need tons of gas to make a large flame. The photo above at the start would be one smoking hot fireplace. It's looks great but I doubt you could keep it on very long.

My Town and Country fireplace has a great flame and is remote controlled. We can keep it low for looks or crank it up to heat up the living room on cold days.

If you do not want a chimney or have the fireplace be a permanent part of construction HearthCabinet Ventless Fireplaces might be the best option for you, allowing you to have a real, gorgeous flame. They use alcohol gel fuel cartridges that give off water vapor, so there's no need to vent. The fireboxes are completely self contained, just slide them into a prepared opening and you're good to go. HearthCabinet Ventless Fireplaces are handcrafted in the U.S. and offer custom-tailored fireplaces in size and style. Speak with one of our Design Associates or visit us online for more information. 212.242.1485 (www.HearthCabinet.com)

Olivia D that you have a beautiful place! We are debating on having two French Doors or big windows and 1 patio door. My set up looks very similar to yours! I'd love to see more of it:)

inserted looks more realistic than wall mounted

You all have made some great points. Thank you so much for your help.

Spyemen I wondered about the depth of them. I better make sure my wall is deep enough. EBK thanks that is helpful.

John that's good to know. I didn't think about that.

Kelley I do agree!

Know that fireplaces are very expensive in terms of wasting energy. I know a family that recently got a gas fireplace which was on almost every morning when it got chilly. Now that we are in a deep freeze, it is never on. I guess they got a very expensive gas bill.

I do agree a fireplace looks good, but functionally, it is a dud.

http://www.ecosmartfire.com/bioethanol-fireplace-products/fireplace-inserts/available-models/page-1200ss

Hi - I've used this particular brand of Eco fireplace in many renos and new builds and love the product (as do my clients).

The model I think you're looking for is 1200SS - you simply cut a hole in the wall to fit the insert and done (requires 0 clearance). It runs on denatured ethanol and the flame and heat are adjustable.

They also have moveable fireplaces - very modern - so if you wanted to, you could move from Living Rm, to Dining Rm. to Bed. Bath Rms....

Have a look at all their products - they're quite unique. Link above.

If you need extra depth for an inserted fireplace, you can do a bump out on the wall. Will maybe make it more interesting too as opposed to one large flat wall?

Basically.....

Inserts are definitely more desirable, and wall mounts are simply a substitute for when it can't be inserted.

So....... go for "the real deal look"..... insert it (even if it's not "real".

Thank you all those all look very nice. Thanks for energy advice.

Our cat seems to prefer the fireplace insert!

Carolins I thought about a bump out also! Maybe you could do a bump out instead of stone or brick. Would you do some type of texture?

I just finished this basement and installed an electric fireplace with heater. It works well and looks good. There are different colour flames and stones or logs which ever is your preference.

Olivia D I just saw the cat post! Haha that would totally be our dogs. We have 2 roll around fireplace heaters right now in our transition and the dogs are always by them!

Poshky; this unit that I put into the wall was removed from a cabinet and I had a metal frame made at a welding shop so I could remove it as necessary to change glass beads, rocks or logs or if there is a warranty issue. The frame is held in place by strong earth magnets. All you need is a 2X4 depth in the wall plus a plug installed (separate circuit) behind the unit. As well you need to find a insert fireplace that the heater blows out not up if you have a overhang as I did. I hope this will help you in your decision making process.

Fire place

I'd go for inserted rather than mounted.

One option is an ethanol fireplace. Its ventless and no chimney or cleanup required. If there are further inquiries we would be glad to assist.

I am surprised at how many folks here are chiming in on electric or ethanol fireplaces. They are great solutions if you don't have a choice . . .

A wall mount will look two-dimensional, whereas a full-size built-in firebox will give you some depth and will be more likely to look like an architectural feature than an accessory piece.

Gas can be very heat-efficient as well as beautiful. You'll have many more (and better) options if you can do something vented, although many on here seem to be leaning unvented.

Talk to a local fireplace professional to find out your options. If you are in the USA, you can find one here: http://nficertified.org/pages_consumers/consumers-1.cfm

Best wishes with your project. Here are a few of ours:

Thank you all for your help on the fireplace information. Now time to figure out what size? I have 4.5 ft wall to put one on with 65in Windows on each side. What size would look good in this space? Thanks for all of your help!

Poshky

Can you take a picture of the area ? That would be very helpful.

Our builder selected a 42" wide x 21" high gas log fireplace which we love. This particular one is vented. Houzz has an excellent selection of photos of ribbon fireplaces that I researched when shopping for these consoles flanking the fireplace.

Here is another ribbon fireplace adjacent to patio doors by the same builder. I like the modern lines of the ribbon fireplace.

OliviaD thank you so much. Those are very pretty! They look to be a good size still:)

Decklir I'm still waiting on my Windows to be put in so its just a blank wall right now. The windows were supposed to have been here yesterday, but only one came!

Here is the most updated photo I have. That small window will not be there. The white door will be a single patio door and the big windows are framed out just waiting for windows to be put in.

no pics came up. Sorry

This app sometimes doesn't post the pic! Maybe this works. Thanks! Also would you know if I need any type of lighting above the fireplace?

Poshky

You have approx. 54 inches to work with, you need to trim out your windows, at least 2-1/2" on each inside of the 2 windows, which now leaves you with 49" of open space. Are you going to bump out the fireplace wall section or will it be flush with windows? If you leave it as a flush wall you should have a minimum space for proper effect of 6" on each side of the fireplace there fore you can us a 36" wide fire place. If you bump out the wall 8" you could use a approx. 40" to 46" unit and have a 12" deep hearth raised off the floor. Remember if you are going to use an electric unit make sure it has it's own separate circuit, and if you are planning to place a TV above separate power circuit there as well. This is just my opinion take it for what it is. Any other questions just please ask.

That gives me some to think about! I guess I was thinking it would be bumped out some, but not enough to have a hearth I don't guess.

Oh and I was not planning on a tv above it. The wall to the right perpendicular to it that I'm standing by is around 20ft long and I planned on putting the tv on it. The fireplace wall faces out the back of my house towards a lake and large porch.

If the TV is going to be adjacent to the fireplace, you will probably have a large piece of artwork over the fireplace--maybe the same size as the fireplace opening. If that's your plan, I recommend two eyeball lights in the ceiling in front of the fireplace.

Olivia D thank you so much! I need help with the whole room so I probably need to start another thread! Thanks again!!!

Not sure if Olivia D means recessed lighting, which looks a bit like an eyeball up inside the ceiling, or if she actually means two balls hanging down from the ceiling.

Recessed lighting above the fireplace -- a pair of fixtures built into the ceiling -- would be a good idea.

It's also possible to create the equivalent of a cornice in the ceiling to hide your light fixtures so the fireplace gets light without your actually seeing the fixture.

Suezbell ya I wasn't positive which one. I guess I was assuming just recessed! Thanks for the other idea to hide them.

Eyeball lights are half recessed in the ceiling. They can be adjusted in the round socket to focus on objects. We have recessed lighting throughout the living area that illuminate the area directly below the light and two eyeballs focused on the wall above the fireplace.

We have a fireplace mantel similar to this one that is directly embedded on the wall. It is available in both electric and gas burner, depending on your preference.You can check out our catalog here: Omega Flames

Do check how much heat your fireplace will put out. I have friends with one of those fabulous looking modern fireplaces, but it puts out so much heat, that they can only have it on very briefly. And frankly, when it's off, it's not that special to look at!

Thank you both so much I will check it out!

Drdeb if I didn't put a fireplace there, I don't know what else would look right! Suggestions?

Poshky, post some pictures of the space you're looking to fill. (If they're somewhere in this thread I didn't see them).
In general though:
Space-needing-to-be-filled + fabulous art = great looking room!

Thanks it's about 12 post up. I just posted a picture of where the windows will be and that wall. The windows are framed out with about 4 foot space between them.

Oooohh, poshky, you're still in the design/construction phase. I'd definitely be punching above my weight class if I tried to muster up some advice about this. Time to appeal to the pros!
P.S. I didn't mean to throw a wrench in the works, but when we were putting in a new built in and considering replacing our builder basic fireplace, those same friends told us about their concerns, and I was v grateful to find that out!

Also, I didn't mean to suggest no fireplace. I love fireplaces. But for instance, the one in your original inspiration picture looks like it would turn that room into a sauna in about 2 minutes!

Yes it would! I thought I wanted a big one like that on the wall that I'm standing by but I changed my mind and thought about a smaller one like this.

That one looks very nice! And it's quite small so it probably wouldn't be too hot at all. I think you can find out exactly how much heat it puts out and then decide

Poshky

Most of all the electric fireplaces have a switch or a remote control which turns on and off the heater/ fan, and a switch which turns on and off the flame display. this way on a cold or chilly day/night you can have the heat on. Other days or nights you may only want the display of flames for effect. With the heat on you should be able to take the chill out of the air in a 500- 1000 sq/ft room give or take depending on how good the heater/ fan is. Some units also have a thermostat which will also control the heat level. over heating the room will never be an issue with an electric unit, natural/propane units are a different story as they can produce a tremendous amount of heat especially in a smaller space and if it has an additional fan unit a 36" fireplace can heat a 2000 sq/ft area with no difficulty. With this type of unit you can fool home furnace thermostat into thinking it is hot enough in your whole house therefore not turn on and other areas such as basement or second story levels will or could be very chilly or down right cold.... Watch where you have your furnace thermostat located, it should never be in direct sunlight or near your fireplace.

This is just my opinion and should be a rule of thumb when building or adding a fireplace to an area/room.

Also with regards to having lights above the fireplace; it would be great to bath the area above, just don't let the light be to bright and take away from the fireplace. The movable eye balls are a great touch and can be aimed on artwork or such, above the mantle and I would suggest a mantle to breakup the flat wall, but your ceiling looked finished and therefore would be some extra $$ to have an electrician in to install wire and pot light cans (2). But if you could get this done (if there is access above) then have at it.

Hope this helps some what.

Have a great time it's your dream not ours.