Nay. This just looks odd to me. I also don't like those fake fireplaces, but at least they make sense in that they are trying to look like a real one.

A big NAY from me. I can't remember the last time I saw a real fireplace built into a bureau.

It wouldn't be for me but I think it's kind of nifty. I'd have to see it in person though. Does the one your neighbor has look of decent quality or is it a showy low quality wood look with a high price tag?

I'd like it in the right home! The important question is, do you like it?

Space saver concept? I would say nay because it seems odd to me. Like combining a dresser with a fireplace.

Maybe for my son's apartment.

I said nothing but honestly my first thought was:

It’s a fireplace

No, it’s a TV stand

it’s two, two, two mints in one!

I mean....can you imagine furniture designers sitting around a table and then one of them says “I know...let’s put a fireplace in a TV stand.” The idea is both odd and comical.

That being said, it really didn’t look bad in my neighbor’s home, which has some MCM looking pieces.

Nay for me. If I'm going to fake out a fireplace, I'd prefer one that looked more real or a built in that looked more intentional...somehow this just looks odd.

That's one EXPENSIVE space heater!!!!

Count me as a nay as well. We do have a faux fireplace in our upstairs library, but it looks like a fireplace. The combination furniture/fireplace seems a bit hokey to me (and I often don't mind hokey, but in this case ... pass).

Another "nay" vote

Nay. It's like, OMG, your TV cabinet is on FIRE!!! Quick, somebody grab the extinguisher!

Nay

Nay. It's just so... odd.

The comments above are as funny as the "furniture" piece!

I'm going to step back and re-consider this. We have TVs mounted over the fireplace. We have real and fake fireplaces. Portable. Wood, gas, electric, gel. We have contemporary fireplaces that are sleek, glass, etc. We even have fire as a tv program, with either crackling sounds or music, or both.

So. What is the issue here? We don't like this, but I wonder...Fire as a decorative element?

If you'd want a fake fire, just plug in one of those dvds that shows a fire going. :)

I don't think there's any shame in not having a real wood-burning or gas fireplace.

Question about the one in the OP: Does it put out any heat? In a wooden cabinet? First of all, it just seems to be a contradiction of the laws of nature, not to mention safety. If it doesn't put out any heat, I don't understand how looking at flames is comforting or enhances the in-room experience.

Our little faux fireplace may be a bit cheesy, but it was a pretty good solution for what to do on the long wall opposite the built-in bookcase on the other side of the room. It does put out some heat, and the cats like to lounge in front of it when it's on. (Of course. Everything's for the cats, you know. ;-)) And as cheesy as it may be, it does add a bit of ambience to the room on cold evenings when we're just sitting and reading in this space.

I could actually post this on the other side and entitle it: DECORATING: YOU'RE DOING IT WRONG! -- Cluttered shelves, rug-on-carpet, painting leaning against the wall (on the floor, no less), oil-stained leather (ew), faux fireplace, artwork hung however the hell I wanted to hang it, visible lamp cords. That'd be a hoot, wouldn't it? "Oh my GOD! You need to hire a decorator IMMEDIATELY!"

;-)

Jen yours looks like a fireplace. The piece of furniture looks like a piece of furniture with a fire where a drawer should be.

I lived in a building built in 1838 that had a fireplace in every room. My living room had two. (Most of the ones on the very top floor floor 4 or 5 had been bricked up).

But a number of them had sealed flues. and the one operable one in my apartment was disintegrating up in the flue and we felt it was not safe to use.

I think unless you are actually using them to heat a house, all fireplaces, even wood burning are "decorative".

Pal, my son's vintage apartment bedroom was, we think, once a living room: it has the sole fireplace in the apartment, built-ins, and the doorway is wonky. He uses the non-functioning fireplace's surround as the headboard. Looks great. He doesn't need side tables because the mantle and the built-ins on either side suffice. The room they use as the living room doesn't have a fireplace, but it's huge with plenty of room for 2 sofas, the tv, allllll their video and gaming paraphernalia, and a small dining table. They're not so much into ambience lol.

(PS, what is it with rooms in vintage apartment buildings? It can be hard to tell the original intention of spaces.)

(PS, what is it with rooms in vintage apartment buildings? It can be hard to tell the original intention of spaces.)

I think in many cases they were not built as apartment buildings but as homes, and in other cases they were built as apts but much larger ones. When they chop it up they repurpose.

I don't even like gas fireplaces, so I am not the one to ask in the re the OP.

In the early 19th c. they were still transitioning into specific rooms having specific purposes even in large houses. (In the 18th c. The main parlor or receiving room was often where the best bed in the house was as well.) My particular building had been a 10K+ sq foot house at one point.

My living room was probably the best bedroom and it was connected to the bedroom behind (now the living room of another appointment). Our bedrooms were probably a box rooms or maids dormitory, there was an entry into the attic in this room. The house next door (now part of this building) had obvious maids' quarters with low ceilinged rooms some without a real window.

Every room had a fireplace below the attic level, some rooms had two.

There was no kitchen until the 1960s when the house was turned into apartments. The original house had it in a back wing, then it was converted into a boarding house and then dorms, with the kitchen serving it in a different building.

Yea here. While that example is not that cute and on the expensive side, there are lots of them that are very attractive. Here's an example:

I had one in the last apartment I lived in. During the winter months I loved sitting in a room with a fire. The ease of punching a button and having a roaring fire without the cleanup is great. Also, most blow out heat.

Every home doesn't have the luxury of a fireplace and this can be a very attractive option.

FinallyHome - that one looks like a traditional fireplace with built-ins on either side. I think it's attractive too. The one in the OP, however, is too much of a mutant. I'm imagining it with an aquarium where the fire element is for some reason. I must've seen a piece of furniture turned into a home for fish at some point.

We have a gas fireplace in our living area downstairs, and use it daily during the colder months. I can hardly wait until the first bit of chill arrives in the autumn air, as I don't hesitate to flip that switch and enjoy the flicker of the flames. I also love that there's no cleanup. Had woodburning fireplaces in other homes, and never did like having to muck out the ashes and futz with firewood.

"Cluttered shelves, rug-on-carpet, painting leaning against the wall (on the floor, no less), oil-stained leather (ew), faux fireplace, artwork hung however the hell I wanted to hang it, visible lamp cords. That'd be a hoot, wouldn't it? "Oh my GOD! You need to hire a decorator IMMEDIATELY!""

Oh, you mean you decorated a HOME. While I love this site and the rooms that are presented, most are devoid of warmth and personal items. Sometimes the responses and advice given does not take into account that a family actually lives in the rooms.

I think that's what I miss about the old GW days. People could post pictures of their homes without ridicule and we could each learn from something new / different.

Personally I don't mind faux fireplaces, but I don't like furniture with the added faux fireplace. I want the item to be one thing or another: fireplace or media console, not both. This is probably just my own quirky personal preference. A very dear friend of mine has one of these media consoles with a built in faux / electric fireplace and she loves it. She always wanted a fireplace and unfortunately does not have one nor does she have room for a standalone faux fireplace. The furniture / fireplace combo works well for her.

I could see that in my DD's place. It's something her DH would like. It's definitely a specific taste piece, and in the right setting-with a 70" TV, I could see it working. But for me-no. I'm not a fan of the TV over the fireplace, too distracting.

MANY people NEED a space heater. Why not make it attractive, look more than it is. I can support THAT. All the better that it can move with you when you move on. But I agree there are too many purposes that don't logically meld in my brain in the cabinet in the original post. BUT again for those with space issues it would be compact.

At first I hated these modern looking fake fire pieces, with the rocks, flame effects, crystals and the colors, etc. But for a lot of folks, they are a piece that serves two purposes--art and heat. But in this case, I think the fire looks like an afterthought. The piece is not designed for an art look, it's functional. But not really . . . And as a side note, I wouldn't want to put anything on the shelves and in the drawers, it would be subjected to heat damage. This happens over time. I have pieces that have faded, melted and become fragile from sitting on top of our gas fireplace mantel, so I imagine the same would happen with stuff in the drawers. Unless the fire element was strictly visual. And if so, then I go back to my original premise, if it's strictly visual they have done a poor job with the aesthetics.

Jen, your room, which I recall, evolved over time, is a warm, comfy retreat, and I love it. Including the fireplace. Over the years I have come to like the electric versions as well as gas logs. They serve a purpose, look realistic in many cases, and are a whole lot less messy.

And you are right, the original one posted is a mutation. Finally Home’s photo is a nice rendition of something that looks more like a built-in rather than a kluged-up piece of furniture.