Touchstone Deluxe Gold 50-Inch Built-In Smart Electric Fireplace (#86275)

A Gold-Framed 50-Inch Smart Electric Fireplace

The Touchstone Sideline Deluxe Gold 50 is a smart electric fireplace that goes into the wall like a built-in or hangs on it. There is no chimney, no gas line and nothing to vent, and the flame runs with or without heat so it earns its wall in July as well as in January. The gold frame is the reason to choose it: almost every linear fireplace on the market is black.

Nine Flame and Ember Colors, Five Intensities

Nine flame and base color combinations, each at five intensity settings, so the fire can be an ordinary orange or something closer to lighting. A log set and crystals are both in the box, which lets you change what sits under the flame without buying anything.

Control It From the App, Alexa, Google Home or the Remote

It is Wi-Fi enabled, so the power, the heat and the flame settings are on your phone. It answers to Amazon Alexa and Google Home if you would rather say it out loud. None of that is compulsory: the touchscreen on the unit and the remote in the box do the same job.

Heat to 400 Square Feet, With a Thermostat From 62 to 82 F

The heater puts out 5,000 BTU, which is supplemental warmth for a room up to about 400 square feet, not a replacement for central heating. The thermostat holds a set temperature between 62 and 82 F rather than just running until you switch it off.

Frame the Opening at 47 1/2 Inches Wide

Touchstone specifies a rough opening 47 1/2 inches wide, 20 1/2 high and 5 3/4 deep. The fireplace is 50 3/8 inches wide, 21 1/2 tall and 5 1/2 deep and weighs 59 lbs, so it clears a 2x6 wall. It plugs into a standard 120-volt outlet, or an electrician can hardwire it.

Leave 8 Inches Between the Fireplace and a TV

Touchstone asks for at least 8 inches between the top of the fireplace and the bottom of a mounted television. If a TV is going above it, size the fireplace at least as wide as the screen: a 50-inch fireplace under a 65-inch television looks undersized however neatly it is installed.