Is a Corner Electric Fireplace Right for Your Home?

Corner electric fireplaces are an increasingly popular design trend in the UK. They’re being installed in homes of various shapes and sizes to create a fresh, contemporary look that also saves valuable floor space.

In this guide, we’ll help you decide whether a corner electric fireplace is the best choice for your home.

What Is a Corner Electric Fireplace?

Corner electric fireplaces are  — just as the name suggests — electric fireplaces that can be installed on corners. This can either be an electric fire that is installed directly in the corner of a room or installed on a corner within a wall, such as at the edge of a chimney breast or media wall.

While fireplaces have traditionally been placed in the centre of the longest wall in the living room, many households are now embracing the modern look and space-saving benefits of a corner fireplace. With your electric fireplace strategically placed in a corner, you can use the central parts of the room for a larger TV screen, decorative focal points, or eye-catching pieces of furniture.

Some corner fireplaces are designed specifically to be installed in corners, while others don’t always have to be installed in corners but are suitable for corner installations. 

Or, in the case of media wall fires or built-in electric fires, these fireplaces are designed to form part of the wall's corner, creating a neat, contemporary look and panoramic views of the flame effects.

What Are the Pros & Cons of Installing a Corner Electric Fireplace?

Installing a corner fireplace has both pros and cons. Let’s compare the benefits and downsides of corner electric fireplaces to help you work out whether it’s right for your room.

Pros

Space-saving - Electric fires that sit in the corner of a room or occupy space that would otherwise be difficult to make use of can save space elsewhere in the room. Similarly, electric fires that sit flush with the corners of a wall ensure the fireplace doesn’t take up any additional space.

Versatility - The option to take a fireplace away from the centre of the room to a corner gives you the chance to use the rest of the space in innovative or imaginative ways.

Easy installation - In common with other electric fires, corner electric fireplaces are very easy to install. All you need is to plug them into a regular electrical socket — and there’s usually one of those to be found in the corner of a room.

Cons

Heat output - The distribution of heat will take a bit longer to warm up the opposite corners of the room than if the fire was in a central location. Given that an electric fire is typically a secondary form of heating though, this shouldn’t be too much of a disadvantage.

Not for all rooms - In some rooms, a corner electric fireplace will be more of a hindrance than a help. It just depends on the dimensions of the room, where other features — such as doors and windows — are located, and how the space is used.

Is a Corner Electric Fireplace the Right Choice for You?

We hope this guide has helped you to work out whether a corner electric fireplace is the best option for your home. If you’re still making up your mind, the key considerations are:

• Would a corner electric fireplace help you to save space?
• Will it suit the dimensions and features of your room?
• Where do you want your TV to be positioned relative to your fireplace?
• Does a corner fireplace suit where you plan to sit?

The easiest way to find answers to all of those questions is to make a scale drawing of your room, then make scale paper cut-outs of all your furniture, including the corner electric fireplaces you’re considering. Move the cut-outs around the floorplan of your room to see how things fit together and how it will impact the flow of the room.

The freestanding fireplaces featured in this article work well as corner fireplaces, but can easily be moved to a central position if you want to change your room layout in the future. The built-in electric fireplaces offer two or three-sided installations, giving you complete control over how to work a corner fireplace into your room design.

Explore all of the corner electric fireplaces we’ve featured here and a variety of other electric fires in our store.

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