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12 Electric Fireplace Ideas That Will Look Realistic, Cozy

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decorating ideas for electric fireplace

Do you have an electric fireplace that you’re trying to make look more realistic? It can be somewhat of a challenge to have an electric fireplace not seem tacky, but take it from me, it can be achieved! Use these electric fireplace ideas to help you create a cozy space in your home while giving off the appearance of a traditional hearth.

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Electric Fireplace Ideas

There’s something classic about a fireplace in your home. It rings back to olden times when fire from the hearth was used for warmth and lighting during the evening hours. Not to mention for cooking!

Personally, I love a watching a fireplace at night, especially in the winter months when it’s colder outside.

electric fireplace insert in basement with built in, mirror
via Flickr

In our modern times, we can replicate this same effect with electric fireplace inserts. So even if your space doesn’t have a traditional fireplace or even contains a non working fireplace, you can still get the same glow and warmth.

The only thing about electric fireplace inserts is that they can seem a bit tacky or fake if you don’t style them well. This is especially true if you have an older electric fireplace.

Electric Fireplaces w/ Mantel, Surround

Newer models have come a long way. It can be hard to tell the difference between some electric fireplace inserts and a real wood fire!

Let’s take a closer look at some electric fireplace insert ideas for living rooms, bedroom, family rooms, etc. and how best to style them.

Fireplace Surrounds for Electric Fireplace Inserts

electric fireplace in living room with plants, mantel

One of the best ways to make an electric fireplace insert look realistic is to enclose it in a traditional fireplace surround. What is a fireplace surround? Without getting into all of the technical components, you can think of the surround as the piece that “frames” the fire.

Most surrounds have two vertical “legs” and a mantel piece across the top. If your room already has a built in fireplace, then you already have a surround to use for your electric fireplace insert.

Fireplace Surrounds

No surround in your room? No worries. You can buy a fireplace surround that can be placed against just about any wall in your home for an instant fireplace.

There are tons of realistic looking fireplace surrounds on the market that will give you the feel of having a real fireplace with a mantel. You can also buy fireplace surrounds that contain an electric fireplace insert.

Wall Mounted Electric Fireplaces

electric fireplace on wall with mantel, bench

What if you don’t want to use a fireplace surround in your space? You can still get the warm glow of a fire by using a wall mounted fireplace instead.

Wall mounted electric fireplace inserts are similar in size to an LED TV monitor and are fully enclosed. The slim profile of these fireplace inserts makes them ideal to use on a wall in a living room, bedroom, basement den, etc. where you don’t want the bulk of a fireplace surround.

Wall Mounted Electric Fireplaces

You can still get the look of a mantel with a wall mounted electric fireplace insert by installing a shelf above it. A bench with plants, lanterns, books and other decor placed beneath wall mounted electric fireplace helps give the feel of a hearth.

Colorful Chimney Breast Wall With Electric Fireplace

electric fireplace with green chimney breast wall, built in

If you have a non working fireplace in your space, you might already have a chimney breast. What is a chimney breast? This is a part of the chimney that projects into the area from the wall to contain the fireplace.

Many people don’t like the chimney breast because it takes up a lot of space and can be hard to decorate around. On the other hand, a chimney breast can make for a great focal point in a space.

Electric Fireplace Inserts

If your fireplace is unusable and contains a chimney breast, consider placing an electric fireplace insert inside the non working fireplace. See what you can do to make the chimney breast more stylish instead of being an eyesore.

Bold paint colors, tile or wallpaper applied to a chimney breast can really make it stand out and become an accent wall for the room. Built in bookcases on either side create storage and allow the area to be used more efficiently. If you’re handy, consider building out a chimney breast for your electric fireplace insert.

Corner Electric Fireplace Ideas

Who says your electric fireplace has to be flush against one wall? If you’re going to create a fireplace surround for your electric fireplace insert, consider placing it in a corner of the room.

Corner fireplaces can work well if you don’t want to place a TV above your fireplace. With the fireplace in the corner of the room, you can place the TV against the wall on either side of it. This way the fireplace doesn’t compete with the TV as a focal point of the space.

Corner Electric Fireplaces

On the other hand, consider placing an electric fireplace insert into a corner TV stand. A corner fireplace is also a good option if you have a lot of windows in a room and not a lot of uninterrupted wall space.

Shiplap With Electric Fireplace Inserts

electric fireplace insert in living room with grey shiplap, mirror, built ins, armchair

Using shiplap in home decor has become popular lately as it gives a rustic, farmhouse vibe to a space. Shiplap (wood planks) can work well with an electric fireplace insert for living rooms, family rooms, basements, etc.

You can use shiplap to create a surround for electric fireplace insert ideas. Or consider purchasing an electric fireplace that is already contained in a shiplap surround.

Another way to use shiplap is to have in on a chimney breast. You can create a DIY chimney breast with shiplap planks, or cover over a brick chimney breast with shiplap wood. Planks can be place vertically or horizontally. Paint them an accent color to create a focal point within the room.

Electric Fireplace Ideas With TV Above

Many people will tell you not to place a TV above a fireplace. And generally, I tend to agree with them. Unless you have a large room, it makes the TV harder to view when sitting.

But for many of us, the most logical place for a TV in the space is above the fireplace. Luckily there are many different types of TV wall mounts on the market that can be used to position your TV for better viewing.

TV Wall Mounts

If your fireplace isn’t working, consider adding an electric fireplace insert to make it appear realistic. The combination of a TV, mantel, fireplace surround and electric fireplace insert makes for a good focal point for your room. Add built ins to either side and you’ll have lots of storage space as well.

Electric Fireplace Ideas With No TV Above

electric fireplace in living room with artwork, candles, logs, plants

Now you certainly don’t have to put a TV above your electric fireplace. In fact, I’d recommend this if you can get away with it in your space.

But if the TV doesn’t go above the electric fireplace, what does? If you’re using a fireplace surround with a mantel, then this is a great place for regular mantel decorations like candles, statues & figurines, florals, vases, mirror, artwork, etc. See some of the ideas mentioned below for more inspiration.

electric fireplace in living room with clock, lamp, chair, mantel, built ins

Alternatively, you can leave this are undecorated, which will give your fireplace a more modern, streamlined look.

Lanterns Next to an Electric Fireplace

traditional fireplace with tv above mantel, lanterns in living room

If you’re trying to make your fireplace look a bit more realistic, consider using decorative objects on either side of the electric fireplace insert. This will help draw the eye towards the decorations, instead of focusing just on the faux fireplace.

I like the idea of using several different lanterns in various shapes & sizes on one side of the fireplace.

Candle Lanterns

You can leave the lanterns plain or consider filling them with candles, vase filler, small plants, etc. It can be fun to change them out for the various seasons and holidays.

Plants for an Electric Fireplace

electric fireplace with plants, mantel, tv above in living room

Plants work well to decorate around an electric fireplace. Similar to lanterns, plants can help pull the eye towards the greenery instead of the electric fireplace insert.

I like that you can use taller and larger plants on either side of the fireplace hearth. Smaller plants placed in groups work well here too.

Decorative Faux Plants

You can also do plants above an electric fireplace on a mantel. Trailing vine plants can move across the mantel and down towards the hearth.

If you don’t have the lighting needed for real plants, consider using faux greenery instead.

Artwork Above an Electric Fireplace

electric fireplace insert with artwork

If you don’t want to place a TV or a mirror above your electric fireplace insert, consider creating a focal point for the space with a piece of artwork instead.

Fireplaces can be very “bossy” in your space – because of their visual prominence, they are usually the focal point of a room. So if you’re going to use artwork above a fireplace, just know that it will stand out an make a statement.

You’ll want to make sure to choose the right size of artwork for above the mantel. A good rule of thumb is to first measure across the mantel and the from the top of the mantel to the ceiling. Then find artwork that will fit within those measurement while still leaving some space on the sides.

Mirror Above an Electric Fireplace

electric fireplace with white shiplap, mantel, mirror, lanterns in living room

Using a mirror above a mantel is a great way to decorate the space. Mirrors help reflect light within the space and can help make it look bigger.

I love that mirrors come in so many different shapes and sizes. You can find a wide variety of mirrors for all kinds of decor styles.

Decorative Mirrors

Mirrors can be mounted against the wall above the mantel or on the chimney breast. Alternatively, you can rest a mirror against the mantel. This is ideal for those in rental situations that aren’t allowed to hanging things on their wall.

Mirrors are going to help complete the look of a surround, mantel, chimney breast, hearth and electric fireplace insert.

Modern & Minimal Electric Fireplace Ideas

electric fireplace with black chimney breast wall in modern living room

I mentioned a lot of different ways to create that classic fireplace vibe in your space even when you’re using an electric fireplace insert.

But one of the great things about electric fireplaces is that you can use them to create a very modern and minimal feel in a room. The sleek lines and slim profiles of many electric fireplaces give a clean aesthetic to the space.

You’ll often see these electric fireplace ideas for living rooms in newer builds or custom built homes. But if you’re handy, you can easily create the design shown in photo above – a streamlined chimney breast contains an electric fireplace insert and serves as the focal point of the space.

I hope this article gave you some good electric fireplace ideas! What are you thinking about doing with your electric fireplace insert?

More Fireplace & Mantel Decor Ideas

For more fireplace & mantel decor inspiration, tips and styles, check out these posts:

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