SEI FurnitureTennyson Bookcases Electric Fireplace, Espresso

It arrived in excellent condition and I'm actually surprised by the quality for the price. The fireplace looks like real flames and all of the shelving seems very sturdy. Assembling the fireplace shelf was the most difficult part but the instructions were fairly easy to understand. The only issue I had was that it said to use part 12 and yet it really meant part 2. Fortunately, this was near the end and the picture clearly showed they meant part 2 and not 12. The only other issue I had was that near the end the step to put in the square fireplace bracket can be very difficult. This is due to the fact that there is limited space to work with... you need a short screwdriver and even then it can be difficult to get the screws to set properly into the wood due to the limited space. As such, I highly suggest marking the holes on the square piece at the end (you'll know what I mean when you get to this step). You can then pre-tap the holes using a automatic screwdriver so that when you go to do this step it'll be MUCH easier to get the screws tightened. Overall, it took me about ~3 hours to complete the fireplace shelf. It would have been less if I hadn't thought I did something wrong, undo what I did, and then discover I was actually right in the first place!The two side shelves were incredibly easy to assemble. The most difficult part is putting the top piece on because it uses screws but even then there's plenty of space and you can use a automatic screwdriver to get the screws started. Just make sure not to overtight it... I usually use an automatic screwdriver to start it and then manually screw it in the rest of the way.The only negative about this shelf is they could have pre-tapped the spots for the screws. It can be very difficult to get the screws to set properly, especially in the times in which space is limited.One thing worth mentioning is the 'espresso' color is darker than we originally thought it would be. It's basically about as dark of a brown as you can get before it just turns straight black. I even mistook it for being black when I originally opened the packaged until I put some light on it. With that said, the end result actually looks very classy and we're pleased with how the color turned out!

The media could not be loaded. I absolutely love this fireplace. I live in a small apartment and I wanted a fireplace for so long. I’m so glad I bought this one. It is beautiful and it completely changed the feel and ambience of my living room. I now love sitting in my living room with the lights off and the fire going.I purchased an MP3 player for cheap on Amazon and hooked it up to a Bluetooth speaker I already owned and never used and put the speaker behind the fireplace. I used a free sound effects website to create an 8 hour long “fireplace crackling” track so now it sounds like a real fire as well.A few downsides: the wood is VERY easily scratched. I scratched the heck out of the top of it just putting it together. Very soft wood, I am not happy about the huge gash on the top of my brand new fireplace mantle. Also, a lot of the little screw pieces that hook onto the dowels or whatever you call them, have fallen out. I’ve had to keep screwing them back in, which is annoying. Im not an amateur either, I know how to put together furniture. Some of the furniture parts just felt cheap. Also, the top of the mantle was missing two very important holes which I noticed when assembling. They weren’t just regular drill holes either, I could have done that no problem. For these particular holes, I would have needed a special tool like a router to drill the proper holes that were missing, so the top part of the mantle is a little loose. If it becomes a problem, my plan is just to get some regular wood screws to add to the top in a place where they can’t be seen. I have a small child so I have the fireplace attached to my wall right now via an L bracket, so fortunately I’m not having to move it around much.Other than those issues, I’m just in love with this. I wish I had done it sooner. I can’t wait to add the stocking and decorate for Christmas. I got beautiful stocking holders for the mantle and im hunting around for the perfect garland. My tree will look beautiful next to it. Even in the summertime, though, it’s great to have on.I have not used the heater function on this fireplace yet as it has not been cold enough to need it. I have it plugged in directly to the outlet behind it and so far I have not noticed any electrical issues. I am a little worried from some of the reviews that mentioned this almost causing a fire. So, worrying about that kind of sucks. I wish I felt more confident in that aspect. I’ll just keep an eye out for anything weird I suppose.Delivery went off without a hitch. Some very nice Amazon men brought the 3 packages right up to my apartment via an elevator to the fourth floor where I live. It came in three large packages. They arrived exactly within the time frame I was given. That part went perfectly.I also like that the remote is not necessary for operation. I was concerned that might be the case since other reviews seemed very worried about getting replacement remotes because theirs had broken or been lost. The only thing you can’t do on the fireplace that you can do with the remote is to turn on the light above the fireplace (as far as I know anyway).All in all, I still give it 5 stars. The things that were cons definitely weren’t deal breakers for me, but that all depends on what is important to you. As I said, this changed the whole feel of my living room. It is so cozy and inviting now. The shelves on either side are beautiful and they really make the whole thing look so classy and elegant (even though I am currently keeping toys in mine). I couldn’t be happier.

First off, I am a firm believer that a fireplace should, you know, have real fire in it. I was very hesitant about getting an electric fireplace because some of them are so cheesy looking. After shopping around, my husband and I weren't able to find a gas fireplace that we liked, and we weren't sold on gel, so we decided to try out the electric. I'm so glad that we did. The fireplace is absolutely lovely! It is very heavy duty and well made. It is veneered, but you wouldn't know it. We had to really look to actually determine that it wasn't solid wood. It is a bit of work to put together, but if you have a power drill it is much easier. The flames and logs are controlled independently so you can make them brighter or dimmer. On the lowest 3 settings the flames are very convincing, to the point that people have asked if it is a gas or electric fireplace. You can also run it with or without heat, which is very nice. It also comes with a handy little remote. We have a small living room (11 x 15) and use the fireplace to supplement our forced air heat. It makes the room very cozy and warm. The shelving on the sides is very handy, we were able to retrofit it to house our electronics. Everyone who has seen it loves it and so do we! The only thing that I didn't like was the obnoxious warning sticker on the front glass. It peels off easily but leaves a lot of sticky residue. It came off after some scrubbing and doesn't change my opinion about the quality of the product.** Edit 7/23/2024 - We've had this for 11 years now and it still looks and works great! It is a sturdy piece of furniture and holds up great! 10000% recommend this if you're looking for a nice electric fireplace!