Modern Flames Orion 52" Multi-Sided Fireplace

Quick Facts

• Heating Capacity: 400–800 sq ft
• Viewing Area: 18" high
• Fuel: Electric.
• Controls: Remote, built-in touch controls, and the Modern Flames app over Wi-Fi.
• Fan: Included

Who It's For

You want a fire somewhere gas would be a project—a den, a primary bedroom corner, or a bay that has never had a focal point—and you don't want a fire that looks electric from across the room. You need a flame that holds up when people actually look at it. If the fire itself is the reason you're doing this, the 52-inch Orion Multi is the one to look at. Pick a basic LED electric and you get a flicker; pick this one and you get a fire you sit and watch.

What Makes It Special

The Orion draws its fire on an LCD screen instead of a strip of LEDs, so the flames have layers, movement, and depth that hold up from the couch or standing across the room. Choose from three flame styles in six colors, set the ember bed and the downlighting to their own colors, and turn the crackling sound up, down, or off. A driftwood log set and reflective black glass both come in the box.

It also installs four ways from one box—facing straight out, wrapped around a left or right corner, or open on three sides as a bay—and builds in flush or hangs on the wall. The fan-forced heater warms about 400 square feet on standard power and up to about 800 when it's wired for 240 volts. It's supplemental warmth, and the flames run with the heat off in summer.

Possible Downsides

• Full heat needs a dedicated 240-volt circuit; on 120 volts it delivers half the heat.
• The manufacturer rates it for supplemental heat only, so plan on it warming one room, not the house.
• It builds into a wall or hangs on one; to fill an existing fireplace opening, look at the Orion Traditional.

If you want an electric fire that people stop and watch, in a corner or bay where gas would be a project, the 52-inch Orion Multi is the right decision. The corner you used to walk past becomes the seat everyone wants.

Options include the TruWood Premium Timber log kit sized for 52–60-inch units.