Skip to content

Living Room Decor: What Lighting is Best for a White Media Console?

White Media Console

Are you working with an architect on a home that has a beautiful modern look to it? Do you home builders need to know what kind of lighting setup you want to go with the fireplace in your new home? Is your interior designer trying to get you to make interior design and home decor decisions for your living room remodel? Regardless of what stage you are in, this article is here to help. In this article, we are going to talk about electric fireplaces, electric fireplaces built into a TV stand, features that a TV stand should have, what lighting will go well with it, and also give some brand recommendations in different categories.

Here Is Everything That You Can Expect To Learn In The Post That Follows:

  • What Are The Different Types of Electric Fireplaces? – To start things off, we will cover many of the different electric fireplace types that are available and what situations that you might want to use them in. We will also talk about some of the electric fireplace types that you might want to avoid if you want to make sure only a quality fireplace is in your room.
  • Why Are Electric Fireplaces Preferred Over Wood or Gas Fireplaces? – If you still aren’t quite sure why people love electric fireplaces now more than ever, this section will do a good job of talking about the downsides of traditional fireplaces and all of the amazing benefits that come with more modern electric fireplaces.
  • What Are Some Important Features To Consider For a White Media Console or TV Stand With a Fireplace Built Into It? – When it comes to a wood TV stand to put TVs up on, especially for a small space where accessibility is key, there are a lot of features that you need to be aware of. This section will cover some of those features and options included with a TV media center or TV console fireplace so that you can choose one that is best for you.
  • What Lighting Is Best for a White Media Console, TV Stand, or Standard Electric Fireplace? – While the warm glow of an inviting fireplace can be fantastic, you usually need some additional lighting in your home if you don’t want to be sitting in a room that is too dim. This section will talk all about lighting and what type of lighting will go well with a fireplace mantel that has a white finish.
  • What Are Good Brands of Fireplaces Built Into a TV Stand, Media Console, or Entertainment Center? Don’t pull out your credit card and start looking for cheap deals on generic media stand fireplaces just yet. In this section, we will talk about some of the brands that you should consider so that you can get one that will last a bit longer and won’t be so disappointing.
  • What Are The Issues You Might Run Into With Fireplaces Built Into a TV Stand, Media Console, or Entertainment Center? – While you might want to check out a good console table that has a fireplace built into it with your TVs up on top, there are some downsides that come with these units. This will highlight some of the things you might want to be aware of in case you decide a standard electric fireplace is a better option for you.
  • When It Comes To Standard Electric Fireplaces That Aren’t Built Into a White Media Console or TV Stand, What Brand Is Best? – If you do choose to go with a more traditional-looking electric fireplace and want the highest quality fireplace with realistic visuals, this section will talk about one of the best brands on the market today.

What Are The Different Types of Electric Fireplaces?

  • Mantel Package For Flat Wall – This is an electric fireplace that is made to look the most like a traditional open-hearth fireplace. These are installed by placing them on the floor and up against a wall, making the fireplace look like it is attached to a chimney on the outside of the home. These tend to come in two separate pieces: the fireplace itself, and the mantel that surrounds it. These two places usually are unattached and you attach them during installation. The reason for this is so that companies can offer a variety of different mantel types and styles with their fireplaces.
  • Corner Fireplace – These are really no different than the flat wall models when it comes to how they function as a fireplace and their visual effects. The only difference with these is that they are built so that they can fit into the corner of a room instead of along a flat wall. This is good if you want to save space or have a room layout where the corner makes a better point of focus.
  • TV Stand Fireplace – These are fireplaces built into TV stands, and will be one we will be talking about at length in this article.
  • Corner TV Stand Fireplace – This is a corner version of the TV stand fireplace and we will also be talking about these in this article.
  • Wall Mount Electric Fireplace – This is a unit that can be hung up and mounted on a wall using mounting brackets that are designed to attach to wood studs found behind the drywall of the room. It is also common for these units to be installed into a recessed wall, either partially, or completely so that the edge of the fireplace is flush with the wall.
  • Electric Fireplace InsertAn electric fireplace insert is one that can be easily inserted into the standard opening of a traditional wood-burning fireplace or some other types of fireplaces that burn wood or gas to produce heat. These inserts can also be used if you would like to use it with a third-party mantel or if you would like to build a mantel yourself.
  • Freestanding Electric Fireplace Heater – While many types of electric fireplaces could technically be considered freestanding, here we are specifically talking about the types of fireplaces that more resemble portable space heaters. These are just portable fireplace heaters with basic fire effects inside of them and have a fireplace aesthetic to their design. Unfortunately, these types tend to look tacky and perform badly. They should usually just be avoided.
  • Electric Fireplace Stove – For people with a rural home or a log cabin, they might want an electric fireplace that resembles a wood stove. While these tend to function just fine as a heating device, they look very out of place in most modern homes.

Why Are Electric Fireplaces Preferred Over Wood or Gas Fireplaces?

There are several reasons you will want to avoid wood fireplaces in your home:

  • One of the main concerns with wood fireplaces is the higher risk of your house catching on fire. With wood fireplaces, you have an exposed flame to the interior of your home. The screen in front of your fireplace can only do so much. Additionally, the soot in the chimney is very flammable and can catch fire if not cleaned regularly by a professional.
  • Wood fireplaces allow too many types of harmful emissions to fill your home: carbon monoxide and smoke. No matter how good your ventilation is, these things will be present in your home and can cause you health compilations from inhaling them regularly. Both can even be fatal in larger amounts.
  • Wood fireplaces can be a big hassle to use. You have to keep your fireplace free from ash. Before building a fire you have to split logs. Once your fire is going, you have to stoke the flames regularly, adding new logs. You also have to keep your eye on the fire throughout the day for safety.
  • Another drawback of wood fireplaces is that so much heat is lost through the chimney with the smoke. You have to burn quite a lot of wood in order to make up for this wasteful heat loss.
  • Another major drawback of wood fireplaces is the smoky smell that will always be present in your home. No matter how much you get used to the smell of smoke in your house, it will still be noticeable to your guests. You will also smell like a fireplace whenever you leave your home to go anywhere else.
  • The smoke will eventually yellow all of your white walls and any of your lighter-colored furniture, curtains, or carpet. Over time the wood fireplace can even cause soot to build upon the wall just above your mantel. All of this smoke staining will require frequent cleaning and also require you to repaint your walls much more often.
  • TVs are completely damaged and unusable if you choose to mount them above a wood fireplace. The rising heat and smoke destroy the internal electronics and the TV will likely need to be completely replaced rather than simple repairs. On top of this, mounting a TV above a wood fireplace can also void warranties from many TV models, meaning you will have to replace it out of your own pocket.
  • To properly warm the home, you will need plenty of wood to burn. This requires you to either have a good amount of space to store your wood or to have frequent and inconvenient deliveries of the wood.
  • If you were to try and build a wood fireplace onto a new or existing home, most of the time you won’t even be able to get the building project approved in many regions of the country. If you could get approval, you can expect an extremely expensive construction project and you may even need to find somewhere else to live during the process.

When it comes to gas fireplaces, they still have some issues that many people aren’t aware of until it is already installed in their home:

  • Gas fireplaces still have a flame that is very much exposed to the inside of your home. While the flame sparking off embers isn’t really an issue you have to worry about, the flames can still come into contact with things in your home and start a fire.
  • Gas fireplaces don’t really produce smoke. However, most gas fireplaces still produce carbon monoxide when it comes to an incomplete burn of the gas within the fireplace. This carbon monoxide can be just as fatal.
  • Gas fireplaces have flame colors that are incredibly disappointing. Even when they have flame colors that try to look more natural, they still fail to look exactly like the colors of a real fireplace. Some gas fireplaces use a gas that burns a weird neon blue color and this removes any chance of the fireplace looking authentic.
  • Within gas, fireplaces are burners that are really nothing more than a row of Bunsen burners, and as a result, the flames can look quite weak. While artificial logs can sometimes break up these flames to look more natural, they rarely flicker the way they are supposed to.
  • To have a gas fireplace installed in your home, you have to hire an expensive professional to do it for you. They have to run gas lines, install the fireplace, and in many cases, install a ventilation system for the fireplace as well. This makes the installation cost of a gas fireplace very high.

Of course, electric fireplaces have a ton of benefits that make them better than either wood or gas fireplaces:

  • One great thing about electric fireplaces is that you don’t have to worry about any increased risk of a fire due to a flame being present. There is nothing actually burning within an electric fireplace, therefore there is no added risk of a house fire like there is with wood and gas fireplaces.
  • Since nothing is burning inside of an electric fireplace, there are no emissions that you need to worry about like smoke or deadly carbon monoxide. The only thing that comes out of an electric fireplace when it is working is clean, warm air.
  • No burning also means no smoke. This lack of smoke means you are free from the trouble of smoke staining your walls or causing smoke to linger in your home. You can use an electric fireplace for decades and it will not cause your walls to stain.
  • There is no hassle when using electric fireplaces. Once you’ve turned it on and selected your preferred temperature, you can pretty much just ignore it and go about your day.
  • Installation of an electric fireplace is incredibly easy. The basic steps are to find a place you want it to go, put it down in that spot, and plug your fireplace into a nearby standard wall outlet. That is about all there is to it. Even if wall mounting a fireplace or installing it in a recessed wall, this is usually something that you can easily do yourself or help from a friend or family member rather than needing to hire an expensive professional to do it for you.
  • You can install one in any room of your home like the dining room, bedroom (here you can find electric bedroom fireplaces from MagikFlame), and more. On top of this, if you decide you no longer want your fireplace in a specific room, it is quite easy to move it from one room to another. While you don’t necessarily want to move it around daily like a portable space heater, you can easily move it if you decide to paint, redecorate, or just change things up around your home.
  • Electric fireplaces are totally safe when it comes to mounting a TV above it. There is no smoke to damage it and the heat blows out towards the center of the room rather than rising straight up.
  • Since electric fireplaces don’t need venting, all of that heat stays in the room to keep it warmer, and longer, allowing the fireplace to use less energy to keep a home warm.
  • For really large homes with many different rooms, you can actually set up more than one fireplace in your home, in different zones or regions. You only use a fireplace when that area is used, saving you more on your bill.
  • They usually come with a remote control or even better, some high-end fireplaces come with a smartphone app.
  • Premium holographic fireplaces produce a realistic flame effect that really gives you the ambiance and atmosphere of a real fireplace.

What Are Some Important Features To Consider For a White Media Console or TV Stand With a Fireplace Built Into It?

Whether you want one that is white or some other color, there are several features of a wood media fireplace unit that you need to consider so that you are getting one that meets the specific needs of your living space.

Materials used in the build of the unit play a big part in how long it lasts and how good it looks. While MDF, particleboard, or other engineered wood options can certainly be cheaper and may look good at first, they tend to have issues fairly quickly with chipping, breaking, and laminate peeling off. You may want to consider something made of solid wood so that you have a sturdier unit, especially if you are planning on putting a larger-inch TV on it. A very large flat-screen TV may cause a unit with cheaper engineered wood to break quickly, which could even result in damage to your TV.

Regardless if you want white, off-white, or some other color, you want to make sure that your unit matches other things in your home for a continuous theme. This can be things like the coffee table, the credenza or sideboard in your dining room for cookware, the duvet on your couch, or even smaller pieces in your entryway. Do you have a lot of pieces with a lacquer that shows off the wood grain? Then get a media cabinet that also has a similar lacquer and grain appearance. Do you prefer a clean, modern white look to your furniture? Then get a modern TV stand to match.

How high do you need your stand to be? If you have a larger TV, then you can get away with a stand that sits flat on the floor. However, if your TV is smaller, you may want to opt for a stand with tapered legs so that the TV still meets you at eye level when in a chair or on the couch.

What kind of shelving do you prefer? Do you want open shelving with adjustable shelves so that the adjustable shelves make the unit feel like a bookcase? Do you prefer glass shelves? Do you need cubbies for things like game consoles or a cable box?

Maybe instead of open shelves with open storage, you prefer a space enclosed by cabinet doors. Do you want a rustic barn door appearance? Do you want minimal doors with simple knobs? Do you want more of a retro look? Do you want sliding doors with beveled edges and plenty of storage space behind it? Do you prefer glass doors so that you can see your media collection while still protecting it from dust?

Regardless of which unit you get, if you have devices that need to be plugged into the TV, then it is essential that you have cutouts for cord management. Cable management cutouts make everything a lot easier and cleaner, freeing up your internal storage space from being overrun with a mess of cables.

What Lighting Is Best for a White Media Console?

If you have an electric fireplace that is white in color for a clean, modern design, you want to make sure that you have the proper lighting to go with it.

There are two main types of lighting color, white light, and warm light. White light tends to be a bit colder, but the colors in the room look more accurate. Warm light tends to be a bit more inviting but can cause a slightly yellowish or orangish huge to the things items around.

Of course, if it is the daytime, natural light from the sun plays a big part as well. A clean, white fireplace can look absolutely amazing in the sunlight from nearby windows with the curtains open.

At night time, there are two things you can do. First, you can stick with warm lights in the room that match somewhat with the warm glow of the fireplace itself. This lends itself to a cozy atmosphere. However, you can also use white lights to contrast with the warm glow of the fireplace. The white lights put more focus on other spaces within the room, while the unique warm light from the fireplace stands out more.

You can also do a combination of white and warm lights, both in lamps, overhead, and track lighting. If you do this, make the white lights the overhead versions for the bulk of the room, and place the warm light in a space further away from the fireplace. This allows there to be multiple sources of warm light, for balance around the room. You can also set all of your lighting options on dimmers so that you can adjust the brightness as needed for different moods.

Finally, feel free to google specific lighting suggestions around electric fireplaces so that you can find some inspiration from setups that you like and meet your own personal preferences. Keep in mind that lighting can look completely different between rooms decorated with darker colors than rooms with more white furniture and decorations. You should seek inspiration from photos that somewhat match the overall style you are going with. If you have a very minimalistic, white style to your home decorating, look for lighting suggestions from room examples similar to your own. This way you have a better idea of what it will look like when it is actually installed in your home.

What Are Good Brands of Fireplaces Built Into a TV Stand, Media Console, or Entertainment Center?

When it comes to any kind of electric fireplace, including those built into TV stands, it is important to buy from trusted brands rather than buying generic brands that won’t last nearly as long and will look tacky in your home.

Some brands of TV stands with fireplaces in them are brands like Highboy, Southern Enterprises, Ameriwood, Duraflame, and more. Keep in mind that the styles, features, and materials used will vary a lot based on the specialties and aesthetic choices of a particular brand. Therefore, you should decide what features and details you prefer, and then find a trusted brand to match those preferences.

What Are The Issues You Might Run Into With Fireplaces Built Into a TV Stand, Media Console, or Entertainment Center?

Keep in mind that there are some issues that you might run into if you purchase a TV stand that has a fireplace built into it. Because of the limited space available, some companies might have to make sacrifices both in how their fireplace functions as a heater and the fire effects displayed inside of the fireplace. On top of this, the presence of a fireplace also means there is little room for things like shelves or storage spaces.

While larger units may have space for better quality fireplaces in them, there are absolutely no guarantees on size alone and you need to judge the fireplaces based on the quality of the brand and the specification of the fireplace in question.

Keep in mind that TV stands with fireplaces in them that are built for the corner of the room are going to have even more limited space, therefore the same sacrifices that result in a low-performing fireplace are even more likely to be present. If you specifically want a fireplace for the corner of the room and you want to put your TV on top of it, you are much better off getting a fireplace that is just a standard corner unit without all of the normal TV stand features. You are more likely to have a quality fireplace this way, and corner fireplace units can still support TVs as long as they aren’t too big to fit in the corner, to begin with.

When It Comes To Standard Electric Fireplaces That Aren’t Built Into a White Media Console or TV Stand, What Brand Is Best?

One of the best electric fireplaces on the market is MagikFlame. Here are why people love it:

  • Ultrarealistic Holographic 3D Flickering Flame Projection With 30 Flame Styles To Choose From
  • Immersive Crackling Log Sounds That Add Atmosphere As Well As Optional Nature Sounds
  • A 5,200 BTU Infrared Heater That is Both Efficient and Powerful
  • An Easy To Use Smartphone App That Controls Your Fireplace From Anywhere Within Your Home.
Traditional White Electric Fireplace Mantel & Insert with Sound and Heater
Stand-Alone Electric Fireplace Insert with Sound and Heater
Modern White Electric Fireplace Mantel & Insert with Sound and Heater
European Style White Electric Fireplace Mantel & Insert with Sound and Heater
Related Posts

Highest Rated Fireplaces

homepage-slider-bg-Athena
homepage-slider-bg-Trinity
homepage-slider-bg-Insert
homepage-slider-bg-Artemis
Athena
Trinity
Stand-Alone Electric Fireplace Insert with Sound and Heater
Artemis

SAVE $300 + FREE SHIPPING

MagikFlame VIP

All the essentials: trends, promotions, and interior design tips.
Be the first to know

VIP DEALS

Celebrate the season with savings directly in your box. Subscribe now for a limited time, exclusive offers, and promotions.

By submitting your email address or phone number, you agree to receive promotional emails and texts from MagikFlame.

Thanks for signing up!

Please check your inbox for a confirmation email, as well as any upcoming emails from us.