Purchased the white one since all of our decor is in white. We love it and often turn it on just to  use the light faux fire/light feature. Yes, it does look very true to life, more so than many electric fireplaces out there. It is not too small or big. We love the added height opposed to many fireplace units that are too low to the ground. The ability to have a pile of real wood really makes this unit seem real from afar.