Electric Fireplace
A fireplace that uses electronic fuel takes a very old idea and turns it into a very new idea. That is because in reality, electronic forms of fireplace presentation are not really fireplaces at all. They are a combination of a high tech video and audio presentation and a space heater. But what you give up in authenticity, you get back in modern design and the ability to get very creative with your fireplace.
There is something uncontrolled and primitive about a conventional, wood burning fireplace. Because you are creating a small forest fire in a small brick box in your living room with the opening to the room, there is always a sense of excitement because that fire is not and cannot be directly controlled as it consumes the wood. But because you do control the size of the fire and the way the wood is added, you do keep it under control. Perhaps that is the pleasure of that kind of fireplace because it reinforces our mastery over nature.
Well, mastery over nature has to yield to a different kind of mastery now that we are going into the new century. That is the mastery over décor, design and technology. And a fireplace that uses electricity instead of wood allows you to design a fireplace to fit your modern décor and that can blend in with your design in ways that were otherwise unimaginable.
The technology of a fireplace with electricity as its core fuel is elegant in its simplicity. The coils of the fireplace are heated until they glow by the flow of electricity. Those coils then emit warmth the way a fire does. Now, if that was all there was to the device, it would resemble a simple foot warming heater unit. But what gives this unit the feel of the fireplace is the addition of "logs" and artificial movement that take that glow from the coils and turn it into a moving and living fireplace experience.
Some might object that such a fireplace is not genuine. But in every respect, this kind of fireplace fulfills the same need that a conventional fireplace serves. Your fireplace with electronic flames does provide heat and it does provide an esthetic of being in the presence of flames, which is soothing and conducive to social interaction. The fact that the flames are fabricated does not diminish the value of the fireplace. And what increases the value of the technological flames is that there is no mess or fuss, no danger of embers flying out, no clean up and no problem starting or killing the "fire" with the flick of a switch.
There are so many fun and interesting designs to how you can use this approach to putting a fireplace in your home that you should take time to "shop" for the right approach. You can use your traditional firebox or get a freestanding fireplace unit or even a unit that mounts on the wall like a big screen TV. The one thing is for sure that whether you are decorating to a traditional style or to create the very modern new century look, a fireplace that uses electricity will be able to add something great to your design.