High-rise buildings and other concrete and steel structures have unique challenges when it comes to adding a fireplace. Some luxury condos have added gas fireplaces, but they are rare. Generally, if you want a fireplace in a high-rise condo or apartment, you must consider an electric fireplace.

While there are older mid-rise buildings that were designed with wood-burning fireplaces, it’s pretty rare in our region. Those that still exist have mostly had the chimneys de-commissioned and residents are looking to convert the old fireplaces to electric.

If you’re renting, whether it’s a high-rise or a century home or something in between, your options for construction are limited. If you want to add a fireplace, it needs to be movable and not affect the structure of the dwelling. The answer is an electric fireplace.

For condos and apartments of all types, these are our recommendations for the best electric fireplaces.

The best electric fireplaces for condos and apartments – The fireplace that thinks it’s a cabinet

Napoleon’s Stylus series of wall-mounted electric fireplaces is ideal for condos and apartments. The Stylus family includes contemporary Cara and more traditional Steinfeld (shown at top of this article).   Both offer a 32-inch electric fireplace set into a statement-making furniture cabinet. These cabinets are designed to be hung on the wall, but creative homeowners and renters have also placed them on tabletops or on the floor, when wall-mounting wasn’t possible or desirable.

Both Cara and Steinfeld are multi-taskers, with a lighted display shelf that doubles as a recharging station for your mobile devices. They are open-hearth designs, meaning that the crystals and birch logs are not behind glass. This gives the Stylus cabinets a truly three-dimensional look that makes them attractive from all angles. Eliminating the glass around the fire also eliminates the glare that would normally be present in many condo living rooms, so it’s a win-win for style and practicality.

Flames on the Napoleon Cara and Steinfeld are yellow, orange, and blue, with many more colours available below the ember bed. Heat blows out above the flames, and into the room. As with all electric fireplaces with heaters, you can run the flames without any heat at all, or you can use the heater to take the chill off an area up to 400 square feet.

The best electric fireplaces for condos and apartments – The room divider fireplace

Some condos are known for having long uninterrupted walls, that make it challenging to create ‘rooms’ within the space. A 3-sided ‘bay window’ fireplace is a great way to break up that wall expanse, while creating a natural dividing point for different zones. Because there is exposed glass on both ends, the view is equally pleasant from any direction. Most 3-sided electric fireplaces are built-in units, requiring that a wall be constructed around them. Fortunately, Napoleon has introduced the Pictura, part of their 3-sided Trivista series. Pictura is designed to be hung on the wall surface – no construction required. It comes in 50-inch and 60-inch widths, and projects only 6.5 inches from the wall. It is visually stunning, with a very clean frame above and below the glass, and brilliant crystals inside. Birch logs and driftwood kits are optional add-ons. Flames change colour from yellow to orange to blue, or any combination of these. The ember bed is lit from below with multiple LED colour settings. Heat blows out from above the glass face, which is tilted back to make space for the heat vent. As with all electric fireplaces, you can operate the flames with or without the heater, for year-round comfort and enjoyment.

The best electric fireplaces for condos and apartments – The fireplace that fits anywhere

If you’re tight on space but still want a fireplace, look no further than the Napoleon Allure vertical series.  The vertical design comes in two different heights: 32-inches and 38-inches. Both are designed with a backend that is narrow enough to fit within standard 16-inch stud spacing. If that’s still too complicated, or your home doesn’t have wood studs spaced 16-inches apart, the Allure vertical fireplaces may also be hung on the wall surface. There is glass on both sides, with accent lighting that can be set to different colours, or it can be turned off. Flame colours are yellow, orange and blue; accent lighting adds even more colours to the ember bed. Clear crystals are included with both sizes; the 38-inch unit also includes birch logs. These are 120-volt units with heaters that produce enough heat to warm up an area up to 400 square feet. As with all electric fireplaces, you may operate the flames without the heater, for year-round comfort.

The best electric fireplaces for condos and apartments – The classic woodstove

Whether you rent in a century home or you want to add a bit of rustic chic to a contemporary flat, an electric woodstove may work for you. Amantii’s Lynwood series comes in two sizes, and has cast iron sides and top for authentic quality. These stoves are plug-and-play; remove them from the box, remove the top, arrange the included birch logs inside, plug in and enjoy. No construction, no mess. You can even take it with you when you move. Heat blows out from the bottom of the unit; flames may be operated with or without the heater turned on. Flame colours are yellow, orange and red, or combinations of these.

The best electric fireplaces for condos and apartments – The most flexible fireplace

The Amantii Cube 3-sided electric fireplace is compact enough for small spaces, and versatile enough to install just about anywhere. It’s a member of the Tru-View family, and may be installed as a built-in. It may also be mounted on the wall surface, or set up on a Bluetooth speaker base, or on its own 4-legged base. When set up on the 4-legged base, it’s like a modern woodstove. Like many Amantii electric fireplaces, the Cube is indoor-outdoor rated, so you can even add it to your balcony (minus the speaker and 4-legged base.) Flame colours are yellow, orange and red, and a birch log kit is included.

A note about electrical: While an electric fireplace can go just about anywhere, you will still need to provide sufficient electrical power to run it. Most electric fireplaces may be plugged in to a regular 120-volt outlet – very simple. However, as almost all electric fireplaces have heaters, it’s ideal to connect to a dedicated circuit, to accommodate the possibility of running the heater at its maximum 1500-watt setting. In the steel and concrete structure of a high-rise building, it’s not easy to add new electrical lines, unless you are doing a gut renovation. Keep this in mind if you are considering an electric fireplace for a high-rise dwelling. You may need to do some testing to see how high you can run the heater,   without tripping the circuit breaker. There are also heat-lockout settings on some of our electric fireplaces. As a last resort, it is possible to disable the heater permanently, before installing the fireplace.

Stylish Fireplaces knows that adding a fireplace to your home can be challenging. With an electric fireplace and their NFI Certified Hearth Design Specialists, it’s easy to create a space you’ll love to share with family and friends. Check out all the options and connect with their experts for help to find the perfect electric fireplace for you. You’ll live stylishly ever after.