Regency Bellavista 41 XTCE

Quick Facts

• Efficiency: 70.56% (steady state)
• Viewing Area: 840 sq in
• Fuel: Natural gas or propane.
• Controls: Handheld remote with thermostat; basic or programmable wall thermostat optional.
• Fan: Optional

Who It's For

In a large living room, a small fire set into a big wall can look like an afterthought, and a bulky frame around it can break up the tile or stone you chose. You need a fire big enough for the room that sits flush with the finished wall. If you want your stone or tile to run right to the edge of the glass, with a fire you can see from across the room, the Regency Bellavista B41 is the one I'd point you to. With a smaller unit, the wall looks unfinished. With this one, the fire fills the wall.

What Makes It Special

The B41 is the larger of the two Bellavista fireplaces, with an 840-square-inch fire behind the glass compared with 652 on its smaller sibling. The front is designed to sit flush, so tile, slate, or stone can come right up to the edge of the glass. There's no wide metal border between your finish work and the fire. It reads as an opening in the wall, not an appliance hanging on it.

Day to day, it's easy to live with. The included remote has a thermostat built in, so you set a temperature and the fire holds the room there on its own. You can also turn the flame down for a mild evening or all the way up on a cold night. The pilot lights only when you turn the fire on, so there's no flame burning between fires. Regency builds its gas fireplaces to run without electricity, so the fire keeps making heat when the power is out.

Possible Downsides

• The fan is an add-on, not included. If you want warm air pushed farther into the room, plan on the fan kit.
• The fire is logs only, with no crushed-glass or stone fire bed. If you'd rather have a contemporary fire bed, look at the Regency Grandview G800 or G600.

If you want a big fire that sits flush in a clean, finished wall, the Bellavista B41 is the right decision. The wall you designed becomes the room's centerpiece, with a fire in the middle of it.

The B41 comes in natural gas or propane, with charcoal, rustic brown, old town red, or CastleStone brick panels or black enamel reflective panels behind the fire, plus a variable-speed fan kit, an ember upgrade package, extra ember bags, and basic or programmable wall thermostats.