Happy 2021! I think we were all ready to see 2020 come to a close! But, let’s start 2021 by talking about all things cozy! Today I’m joining my Cozy Living friends to share some hygge ideas for January! This monthly series is hosted by my friend, Jennifer at Town and Country Living! This month, I’m sharing all about our cozy fireplace in the living room!
**This post contains some affiliate links. Please see my full disclosure statement.
cozy fireplace with electric insert
I’ve had the faux fireplace mantel in our living room for many years, but it is purely decorative. Then, last winter I noticed a few bloggers on Instagram that had installed an electric fireplace in their homes. One, was Brooke at Nesting with Grace. She actually built out a mantel for the electric fireplace! And, then Lauren McBride installed an electric fireplace into the existing mantel in her home. So, I wondered if it would be possible to add an electric fireplace insert to our existing mantel.
I was so shocked to see that the same fireplace insert used by both Brooke and Lauren was also available in a smaller size that would fit our mantel opening perfectly! It was an easy Amazon Prime purchase and arrived a few days after ordering it. We did have to remove the existing fireplace metal box that was on our mantel in order to insert the electric fireplace, but, that was it! It fits perfectly and just needed to be screwed in place and plugged in! And, now we have a cozy fireplace for the winter months!
The electric fireplace insert comes with a remote control to turn it on and off. And, it is also used to control some of the fireplace features: the flame, sound, and heat. There are also controls on the fireplace itself that are covered by a hidden panel, shown in the photo below.
electric fireplace flame
There are three different flame types. The first is a high flame that is the most intense and has some blue mixed into the orange flames. Then, there is a medium flame and a low flame. I actually prefer the low flame with the glowing embers because I think it’s the most realistic.
electric fireplace sound
You can also adjust the sound with the remote control. There is a crackle sound that is an imitation of wood cracking in a real fire. The loudest option is pretty intense and very fake sounding. Then, there is a medium and low crackle sound. I like the lowest setting and sometimes prefer to have the sound option off.
Electric fireplace heat
And, finally, you can turn on the heater and fan with the remote. There are two levels of heat: low and high. Pretty simple. I usually keep the heat on low and it really warms up our small living room on a cold winter day! I made a short video to show the different flame heights and so you can hear the different crackle sounds.
The hum you hear on the video is actually Daphne’s sound machine, ha, ha! She was here and was taking a nap when I recorded the video! And, I would also like to mention that the glass on the front of the electric fireplace doesn’t get hot. This is a great feature if you have little ones who like to explore and touch things!
Overall, I’m very pleased with the addition of the electric fireplace insert! The glowing flame and embers, along with the heat feature, makes our living room extra cozy! Now, let’s see what cozy ideas my friends are sharing this month!
Vinyet Etc. / Creative Cain Cabin / Hymns and Verses
A Stroll Thru Life / Duke Manor Farm / Town and Country Living
And, visit this post from last January where I shared 30 Hygge Ideas for the Winter Months!
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What a great addition to your living room! I hope you have many cozy days in this room under a throw enjoying the fire.
Linda
Wow! It looks so beautiful & realistic! I love it!!! What a fantastic idea & no fuss, no mess!! Enjoy it! I just might be transforming my fireplace now!
Marty
How fun is that. I didn’t know about the inserts. This looks amazing and the added ambiance and heat are great additions to any room.
Debbie L.
I was just telling my husband that I wanted to do something with our fireplace. I cannot burn real logs anymore because my Mom has respiratory issues.
The new fireplace looks so nice and I agree that the lower flames look much more realistic.
Amazing you can enjoy the crackle sounds and adjust the heat with a remote.
Thank you so much for sharing and as always your home is so beautiful and cozy!
Jennifer @ Town and Country Living
Never would I have thought to do this! I’ll have to check and see if there’s an electric insert that fits my mantel. I love this idea! I’ll use your affiliate link if I end up buying something. 😉
Dawn
Doreen, I need this. We live in a log home and when we built I opted for no fireplace, because I didn’t want the mess, but as the years have passed it’s something I’ve regretted. I’m going to have to check into this, it looks so real and I bet the heat it gives off is so cozy. Great post!
Marilyn
It’s very pretty. I’d love to have something like that, but live in a very small space. This did start us looking at options, though, so thank you! We found that Woodstock Soapstone Company makes a Mini Franklin Gas Stove, which might work for us (though MUCH more expensive than your option!) It’s TINY though!
Also, I LOVE your rocking sheep! Do you have a link for that? Thanks again, Doreen. Happy New Year!
Laurie @ Vinyet Etc
I love this idea, we have a mantel upstairs in our bedroom, this would be a perfect addition to our sanctuary.