I have a real fireplace, but it's in the Dining room, which is shaped like a rectangle. The fireplace is on the long wall and pretty close the table. We just wanted to create an ambiance and it works for us. Looks pretty cool and real. The heat works, but you can only feel it if you lay in front of it. It did not heat up our room at all. In fact, the thermostat is right near the fireplace and it never went up even with the heat cranked up and running all day. However, we didn't buy it for its heat capabilities.