LED fireplaces: The straightforward, visually dazzling, ambiance-fuelled alternative to wood or gas

Fireplaces are the stalwart of the living room; they’re often the focal point of the space, tying together the surrounding furniture — much of which is oriented around this millennia-old domestic feature.

It serves as an important aesthetic feature as well as a crucial means of heating the home — so when building or renovating, getting the fireplace right is a critical task that can make or break a living room.

Of course, conventional wood fired fireplaces are what naturally comes to mind. But what if a home is smaller, or is part of a medium or high density building, or the homeowner is after a more minimalist look? Generally, traditional fireplaces can’t tick all of these boxes.

Luckily, technology in the world of fireplaces has come a long way. There is now a solution that gives users complete control over their fireplace, that looks amazing, adds ambiance, has great customisation, and of course, provides room heating. The solution: electric fireplaces.

Aotearoa-based company The Fireplace has known the value of electric fireplaces for many years now, a New Zealand distributor of the three major fuel types; gas, wood and electric.

And one of its most celebrated electric products is the Gazco e-Reflex Electric fireplace, an offering that combines LED lights, heat output, easy installation and versatile customisability. To complement this range, The Fireplace is also launching a new brand of electric fires to New Zealand.

Bringing 40 years of British design and engineering, the Onyx Avanti electric fireplace, launching in June, delivers the new ultimate in electric fire innovation.

“The Gazco e-Reflex is an LED fireplace which includes a 2kW fan heater,” says Angela Hiddleston, the architectural advisor and marketing manager for The Fireplace. “So with this product you’re getting the illusion of a lovely sparkling fire, along with the heat.

“There are a range of sizes, square or landscape, small to large, single, corner, or three-sided!”

The Onyx Avanti is the premium electric offering in two large landscape sizes. Like the e-Reflex, it is also configurable as a single, corner, or three-sided electric fire. It offers beautiful visual effects, including realistic glowing fuel effects, which can be enjoyed independently of the heat output.

Highly versatile and compact, these electric fires offer a brilliant alternative for homes where a wood-burning or gas appliance isn’t an option. With no flue or chimney needed, an Onyx Avanti Electric fire or a Gazco eReflex Electric fire can be a cost-effective way of achieving fireside ambience and warmth.

The Gazco e-Reflex Electric offers options for tailoring the look, and the Onyx Avanti Electric is no different. Onyx’s advanced Chromalight Plus technology takes fireplace lighting to all-new heights, resulting in a product that is engineered for ambience.

Featuring two independent flame effects, a choice of ember bed-up lighting colours, log lighting, and down lighting, Onyx Avanti Electric fires allow for customisation. To take the ambient effect to the max, the optional Mood Lighting Kit is available for all fires in the range, allowing you to bring a choice of vibrant colours to other areas of the room. This is ideal for fitting around a TV media wall, or underneath shelves.

The features, ease of installation and small footprint of the electric fires makes these heating appliances a great choice for smaller homes, those in higher-density developments, retirement villages and commercial buildings such as hotels, restaurants and retail stores.

“If you’re living in an apartment or townhouse, it can be difficult or impossible to install a flue to exhaust the gas or smoke from the fire required for a gas or wood fire,” she says. “Even if you could install one, it takes up valuable space, and can do so throughout multiple units of the same building if it needs to reach the roof.”

Electric fireplaces also allow for the ‘last minute’ scenario: they can be fitted and installed easily and without prior planning in most cases. Whereas with a gas or wood-burning fireplace, architects, interior designers may be involved in planning and design, plus either a gas fitter or fireplace wood installer are needed for installation.

“For all these reasons, electric fireplaces are so much easier and cost-effective to install, maintain and run — all while offering the look and feel of a fireplace, with only a mains power socket required to get up and running.”

The Gazco e-Reflex and Onyx Avanti Electric fires also come with a remote that offers various options, Angela explains. “Using the Thermostatic Eco Remote control, these designer electric fires allow users to control the heat output by simply setting your desired room temperature and letting your fire do the rest,” says Angela. “You can change the flame effect, you can change the colour of the flame, making it a richer red or another colour altogether.”

With the new Medium Density Residential Standards encouraging development of more medium and high density homes, smaller homes are on the horizon, and electric fireplaces are a great option for those who want the look and feel of a fire.

“What we offer with the Gazco e-Reflex and the Onyx Avanti is the ability to attain the ambiance of a fireplace in so many different residential and commercial applications,” says Angela.

“And people seem to love it.”

Learn more about The Fireplace and its offerings.