Last year, I treated myself to my "fireplace." It's not really a fireplace, but a Duraflame heater that looks like a little stove. It has faux flames and two heat settings, and it was so inexpensive: about $80-$90 in total. I bought it from QVC (here's the link to my exact model -- it was cheaper when I bought it because it was a "today's special value").
I can't even express how much I love this little stove. I have always wanted a fireplace; our home does not have one. We have talked about getting a gas fireplace installed, but it is very expensive. I looked at electric fireplaces as well, but they can also be pricey for what you get and my husband wasn't impressed.
Then, I saw this little stove and its rather inexpensive price tag. I figured it was worth a shot, even if my husband wasn't that thrilled with electric flames. I loved the cranberry color of the metal. I loved the fact that I can move it around easily. And I loved the idea of getting my "flames" ambiance. I know some people may laugh at my faux fireplace, but I also get a few nice comments as well. As you can tell from the above picture, there is a fake log that glows in the front. There is a black screen behind it that has the "flames" on it. You can actually control the amount of flames.
The stove allows for just flames, or heat with flames. There are two levels of heat as well. Everything can be controlled by remote, or by buttons inside the doors. If the heat is on, the only part which is warm is the underneath element -- the rest of it is cool to the touch. And I must add that this little stove takes quite a beating from my toddler twins, and has held up very well to their abuse!
As I enter our second winter season with my fireplace, I am as pleased as ever. This week, I have turned the flames on nightly while I relax and watch TV after the kids have gone to bed. It is the perfect accompaniment with a cup of tea and an old movie! And on recent chilly mornings, I turn on the heat to warm up the living room for the kiddos. I haven't turned our heat on just yet, and I don't need to since this little model takes the chill off while the sun comes out.
Big Girl LOVES our little stove. She is the first to want to grab the remote and click on the flames. She wants one for her room. Yesterday, QVC had a new Duraflame stove for a Today's Special Value and Big Girl was begging for a cobalt blue stove for her room. I must admit that I was very tempted to just get a second one because I am hooked! The new one featured on QVC yesterday was very pretty: It's bigger than the one I have, has double doors, and instead of the "Duraflame" label on the front, it has a little etching detail. It's also more expensive -- $135 before shipping -- but it does have an electronic thermostat to monitor the heat level in a room and a timer.
If you need a space heater, or just would like ambiance, or would love both, consider checking out Durflame's portable stove heaters. They are definitely a good price for what you get. You don't have to clean up ashes, or pay a gas bill, or keep a "fireplace" in one spot. (I like to move furniture around sometimes!) The only improvement I would suggest to Duraflame is adding some crackling sound -- that would be just perfect!
Your faux fireplace is cute! Why don’t you just build a real fireplace -- a the traditional one? Hmm. I’m curious, since it’s just a faux fireplace, does it warm up your room? Or is it just a décor made to create a “warm” feel to the room?
ReplyDeleteHi Cathy -- we would love a real gas fireplace but we can't afford one just yet. The faux stove is actually a heater with two settings. It does warm up the room -- I use it in the mornings when I first wake up and often at night when we are watching TV. You can also just have the "flames" without heat. For the $90, it was a very good deal!
DeleteYou got that $90 faux fireplace is a really good catch! We don’t have enough space for a real fireplace too and we’ve been looking for something convenient like this one. Thanks for the idea!
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