The fireplace looks okay when it’s off. But like any other electric fireplace it looks better when it’s on. With our fireplace you will see a real physical log set inside the fireplace. The lights inside the logs will be turned off so it will not look like it has burning embers. You may see a piece of glass in front of the logs that we use to project the flames on to but it doesn’t distract much from the beauty of the actual log set just like a real fireplace.