Bespoke TV Units with Built-in Electric Fires

Media Walls · False Chimney Breasts · Fitted Furniture with Gazco Electric Fires

A Fitted Electric Fire Changes a Room Like Nothing Else

A built-in electric fire creates a focal point where there was none — bringing warmth, light, and architectural presence to a wall that was previously just a wall. Combined with a fitted TV unit, the result looks as though the room was designed around it from the very beginning.

At Built In Solutions, we design and build bespoke TV units and media walls with integrated electric fires for homes across Oxfordshire, Buckinghamshire, and Berkshire. We work with Gazco electric fires as our preferred brand — their eReflex series produces some of the most realistic flame effects available and integrates beautifully into bespoke joinery.

Whether your living room has an existing chimney breast, a pair of alcoves waiting to be transformed, or no architectural features at all — we create furniture that makes a fireplace possible and a focal point inevitable.

Bespoke Living Room Furniture Media Wall with Integrated Electric Fire

A premier piece for our living room furniture collection, this custom White media wall features high-intent built-in cupboards tailored for modern houses. The architectural layout incorporates full-height side storage towers and hidden lower cabinetry to provide streamlined AV storage and cable management. Designed to maximise lounge space, it features a flush-recessed television niche situated directly above an integrated contemporary electric fireplace, beautifully flanked by asymmetric open display shelving.

Contemporary TV fire unit — integrated cable management and concealed AV storage

Recent Project: False Chimney Breast with Gazco eReflex Fire, Cumnor Hill, Oxford

Fitted living room furniture with false chimney breast electric fire and flanking bookcases sage green Cumnor Hill - Oxford

Full-width fitted living room unit in a F&B Suffield Green, combining a false chimney breast painted in F&B Ammonite at the centre with flanking bookcase and cabinet units either side.
The chimney breast houses a wide-format electric fire at low level with a TV recess directly above — a clean, contemporary arrangement that creates a single cohesive focal point across the entire wall.
Open shelving above the oak worktop displays books and objects on both sides, with shaker-style cupboard doors and drawers below providing generous concealed storage throughout. The sage green paint — close to Farrow & Ball Mizzle or a similar muted grey-green — works beautifully against the warm oak worktop, the pale oak flooring, and the light flooding in from the garden doors to the right.
A confident, well-proportioned piece in a room that clearly had the space and the ambition to carry it.

False chimney breast with flanking alcove cupboards — Cumnor Hill, Oxford. Gazco eReflex 1350RW. F&B Suffield Green + Ammonite

A new-build home on a development at Cumnor Hill, Oxford — generous living room, high ceilings, and not a chimney breast or alcove in sight. The brief was to create the feel of a period living room in a modern space, with a real focal point and somewhere for a large television that didn’t dominate the room.

We built a false chimney breast 1.8 metres across and 550mm deep — substantial enough to feel genuinely architectural rather than tacked on. Into the face of the breast we created a recessed inset space 100mm deep, precisely the width of the Gazco eReflex 1350RW fire. The 55 inch television was mounted directly above, aligned to the same centreline as the fire to create a clean vertical symmetry between the two.

The chimney breast was painted in Farrow & Ball Ammonite. The flanking cabinets, drawers, open bookcases, and display shelving were painted in Farrow & Ball Suffield Green — a deep, confident colour that anchored the furniture beautifully against the breast.

The owners had a new-build that felt like a characterless box on the day they moved in. They now have a living room with genuine architectural presence.

Fire: Gazco eReflex 1350RW | Chimney breast: 1.8m wide, 550mm deep | TV: 55 inch | Colours: F&B Suffield Green + ammonite

The Four Types of TV Unit with Electric Fire

The right solution depends on your room, your budget, and what the architecture gives you to work with. Here are the four configurations we build most often.

Modern living room furniture with false chimney breast electric fire and white and grey bookcases besides

A striking design for our living room furniture collection, this bespoke modern media wall features a central false chimney breast with an integrated electric fire.
The balanced layout pairs handleless white lower cupboards with expansive, asymmetric open bookcases positioned besides it, highlighted by warm ambient LED uplighting.
The false chimney breast is finished in a contrasting deep grey, housing a flush-recessed television and a contemporary fireplace to create a seamless lounge focal point.

False chimney breast installation — new-build living room transformed with a full-width TV unit and Gazco fire

The False Chimney Breast

The most dramatic option. For homes without an existing chimney breast — new builds, barn conversions, extended rooms — we construct a false chimney breast from scratch. Typically 400–550mm deep, any width the room demands, with the fire set into the face and the television above.

A false chimney breast done well is indistinguishable from the genuine article. It gives new-build homes the architectural character they were built without.

The Existing Chimney Breast

For Victorian, Edwardian, and 1930s homes — particularly common across Oxford, Abingdon, Witney, and the surrounding towns — we design furniture that works with the original architecture. The chimney breast is the natural home for the fire and television. We build fitted alcove cupboards and shelving either side, framing the breast with storage that feels completely integrated.

Where the original fireplace has been removed, we install the electric fire into the existing recess — restoring the focal point the room was designed around, without the complexity of a gas connection or chimney liner.

Fitted living room furniture with Farrow and Ball green cupboards and Strong White false chimney breast beside

A beautiful layout for our living room furniture collection, this bespoke media wall offers a perfectly balanced storage solution for lounges.
The design highlights a central false chimney breast painted in Farrow and Ball Strong White, hosting an integrated electric fire.
Crafted to sit seamlessly besides it are classic built-in cupboards with shaker doors and high-capacity open bookshelves finished in a complementary Farrow and Ball green tone.

Existing chimney breast with flanking alcove cupboards and fitted shelving — period property, Oxford

Full media wall — wall-to-wall composition combining open shelving, closed storage, and integrated Gazco fire

The Full Media Wall

For homeowners who want to go further — replacing an entire wall with a single cohesive piece of fitted living room furniture. A full media wall combines the fire, the television, open shelving, closed storage, and display niches across the full width of the room.

Full media walls work particularly well in open-plan living rooms where the furniture needs to perform at scale, and in rooms where the existing architecture gives nothing to work with.

Cable management, AV equipment storage, and concealed wiring are integral to every media wall we build — not afterthoughts.

Low-Level Fitted Living Room Cupboards with Integrated Electric Fire

A beautiful piece of custom low-profile furniture designed for a contemporary home in Oxfordshire. This White bespoke media unit spans the length of the wall, featuring seamlessly integrated push-to-open lower cupboards on either side of a modern, wide-set linear electric fireplace. The flat counter surface provides a clean base for a freestanding television, decorative family photographs, and soft ambient table lamps, offering a clutter-free storage solution for a modern lounge.

Low Cabinet Unit with Breakfront – a fire doesn’t need to dominate to make an impact

Low cupbards with a Breakfront

This stunning 4-metre low cabinet unit was designed for a customer who wanted the warmth and ambience of a fire without a large, dominating feature wall. The result is a clean, contemporary piece that sits beautifully and effortlessly along the wall

With its sleek white cabinetry, minimal handles and low-profile silhouette, the unit embodies modern living at its best. At the heart of the design sits a breakfront section housing the Evonic e-series electric fire, its wide panoramic flame effect adding a striking yet refined focal point at low level. The TV sits neatly on top of the breakfront, flanked by matching low cabinets that run the full width of the wall. Table lamps either side complete the look, casting a warm ambient glow that perfectly complements the crisp, paired-back aesthetic.

The clean lines and considered proportions keep the room feeling open and uncluttered — proof that a fire doesn’t need to dominate to make an impact. Sometimes the most elegant solution is simply one that fits. For rooms where a full chimney breast would feel too dominant, a low-level unit with integrated fire gives you the warmth and atmosphere without changing the proportions of the room

Heat Management, Cable Routing & AV Equipment

The most common technical questions we receive are about heat and wiring. Here are honest answers to both.

Electric Fires and Heat Management

Modern Gazco electric fires generate heat from the front face — not from the rear or sides. With correct installation there is no meaningful heat transfer into the surrounding joinery. We always maintain the clearances specified by Gazco and follow their installation specifications precisely.

The television above the fire is the more significant thermal consideration. We position fire and TV so that heat rises away from the screen — the space between the top of the fire recess and the base of the TV mount acts as a natural thermal break.

Cable Management

Every TV unit and media wall we build incorporates cable management as a structural element, not a retrofit. Before manufacture, we design the routing for every cable — HDMI, power, speaker, aerial, network — so nothing is visible in the finished installation. Where possible we incorporate a PVC pipe trunk within the false chimney breast so cables can be upgraded without dismantling the furniture.

AV Equipment Storage & Ventilation

Amplifiers, AV receivers, game consoles, and streaming devices generate significant heat when operating. Enclosing them in a sealed MDF cabinet without ventilation leads to thermal throttling and premature hardware failure. We design AV storage with ventilation in mind — open rears, ventilation gaps at cabinet tops, or discrete chrome louvre vents that allow natural convection without being visible in the finished furniture.

Cable channels, ventilation gaps, and clearances are all designed in before a single panel is cut

A diagram showing how much technology a well-designed fitted TV unit can accommodate and conceal — streaming and AV equipment, smart lighting controls, server and media storage, all housed within dedicated compartments behind closed doors.

What matters on a fitted TV unit with an electric fire is that none of this is visible in the finished room.

Every cable is routed internally, every piece of equipment has a ventilated home, and the face of the furniture shows nothing but clean doors, shelving, and the fire itself.

This diagram illustrates why cable management and AV planning needs to happen at the design stage — not as an afterthought once the furniture is already built.

Choosing the Right Gazco Electric Fire

The fire is the centrepiece of the installation. Getting this choice right from the start makes the design process significantly simpler — the proportions of the furniture are designed around the fire.

Width First

The fire width determines the chimney breast width. The eReflex 1350RW (1,350mm) suits a breast of 1,600–2,000mm and a TV up to 65 inches. The eReflex 105R suits smaller rooms.

Heat Output

Gazco eReflex fires produce 1–2kW of heat output. For a standard living room of 4–5m × 4–5m the eReflex 1350RW is more than adequate to supplement central heating.

Flame Effect

The Gazco eReflex series uses a three-dimensional fuel bed and multi-layered flame effect — genuinely convincing from across a room, available with or without a visible frame.

Installation Type

Gazco eReflex fires are inset units — they sit within a recess with the glass front flush to the face. This is the cleanest installation method for all built-in furniture.

eReflex 85R — 850mm | eReflex 105R — 1,050mm | eReflex 1350RW — 1,350mm (our most popular) | Electric Fire units from approx. £800 – £1,550

What Does a TV Unit with Built-in Electric Fire Cost?

Every project is different — the size of the room, the choice of fire, the complexity of the surrounding furniture, and the finish all affect the final price. Here is an honest guide to what to expect. We always provide a fixed quote before work begins — no hidden costs and no surprises.

Gazco eReflex fire unit
From approx. £800 – £1,550 depending on model. The eReflex 1350RW costs approximately £1,550 for the fire unit alone.

Alcove unit with integrated fire
From approximately £3,500 including the fire, surrounding cabinetry, and installation.

False chimney breast with flanking cabinets
From approximately £6,500 — our most popular full installation. Width of the wall, complexity, and internal specification affect the final price.

Full media wall
Priced on enquiry. Depends on room width, fire choice, and specification. Always a fixed quote before work begins.

The Anatomy of a Bespoke TV Unit with Built-in Fire

Every TV unit and media wall with integrated fire we make is full carcass construction — every unit built as a complete structural box with solid back panel, base, top, and sides. The fire housing, cable management, and AV equipment storage are all designed as structural elements within the carcass before manufacturing begins — correct clearances, ventilation, and routing built in from the outset.

TV Unit with Fire — Technical Specifications

Full Carcass Construction — 18mm high-density moisture-resistant engineered board throughout, with a completely solid back, sides, top, and base. Every unit is structurally independent of the wall behind it.
Hand-Scribed Fitting — each panel edge scribed to follow the exact contours of your walls, floors, and ceilings. No gaps, no mastic beads at any junction.
Gazco eReflex Fire Housing — the fire bay is sized and constructed to the exact specifications of the Gazco eReflex model specified, with all required clearances built into the carcass structure. Fire unit slots in cleanly on installation day.
Fire Ventilation — ventilation channels designed into the carcass around the fire housing to manage heat dissipation — preventing heat buildup within the surrounding cabinetry and protecting AV equipment stored nearby.
Structural TV Mount Panel — a dedicated structural panel within the carcass carries the television load independently of the surrounding shelving. Specified around the actual weight of your screen.
Cable Routing Channels — dedicated internal channels for power, HDMI, aerial, optical, and network cables, routed from both the TV position and the fire unit to a single concealed service point.
Blum Soft-Close Hinges — fitted as standard on all cupboard doors, engineered for decades of quiet, precise operation.
Workshop Lacquer Finish — every visible surface finished in our dedicated workshop with a hard-wearing professionally sprayed lacquer in any colour.

Why Full-Carcass Construction Matters for Fire Integration

Integrating a Gazco eReflex fire into a media wall places specific structural demands on the cabinet. The fire housing must be precisely sized to the unit — too tight and the fire cannot be removed for servicing, too loose and the installation looks unfinished. Full carcass construction allows the fire bay to be built to exact tolerances during manufacture rather than cut to fit on site.

Face-frame media walls cannot provide the structural integrity needed around a fire housing — the frame flexes, clearances shift, and the heat management that depends on precisely positioned ventilation channels cannot be maintained. Full carcass construction keeps every dimension fixed and every clearance exactly as specified at the design stage.

Bespoke vs Modular - Comparison chart

	Full Carcass	Modular
Construction	Full carcass construction — solid back panel, top, sides, and base on every unit	Open-backed frames or face-frame fixed to the wall
Wall Fit	Every panel hand-scribed to the exact profile of your walls, floors, and ceilings	Filler panels or mastic beads to cover gaps at every junction
Sizing	Made to the exact millimetre of your alcove — every panel cut to size	Standard module sizes adapted to fit with filler strips
Cables	Cable management routed internally through the carcass — no visible wiring	Standard rear cutouts — cables managed after installation
Finish	Workshop-applied hard-wearing sprayed lacquer in any colour	Paper foil wrap or melamine edging
Installation	Pre-built and pre-finished — most installations completed in a single day	Assembled on site — cutting and finishing in your living room

How the Design and Installation Process Works

From your first enquiry to the day of installation — here is what to expect when commissioning a bespoke TV unit or media wall with Built In Solutions.

1. Free Home Consultation

2. Design Drawing & Fixed Quote

3. Workshop Manufacturing

4. Installation Day
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5. Full Guarantee
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Frequently Asked Questions

Can I mount a TV above an electric fire?

Yes — and it is one of the most popular configurations we build. We always ensure adequate separation between the top of the fire recess and the base of the television mount, and design the furniture so that heat from the fire rises away from the television. We follow Gazco’s manufacturer guidelines for clearance distances on every installation.

Will the heat from the electric fire damage the furniture?

Not with correct installation. Modern Gazco inset fires emit heat from the front face only. We maintain manufacturer-specified clearances and design ventilation into any enclosed AV storage. We have never had a heat-related issue with any installation.

What electric fires do you use?

Our preferred brand is Gazco, whose eReflex series we specify for the majority of our installations. Gazco produce some of the most realistic flame effects available in electric fires, and their inset units integrate exceptionally well with bespoke cabinetry. If you have a specific fire in mind we are happy to design around it.

Can you create a fireplace in a room that has never had one?

Yes — this is one of the most common requests we receive. We construct false chimney breasts entirely from scratch using full carcass construction. A well-built false chimney breast is architecturally convincing and adds genuine character to rooms — particularly new-build homes in Oxford and across Oxfordshire — that lack the original features.

How wide should my false chimney breast be?

A Gazco eReflex 1350RW fire (1,350mm wide) suits a chimney breast of 1,600–2,000mm. The breast should feel proportionate to the wall it sits on — neither cramped nor floating. We always advise on proportions at the design stage before anything is built.

How much does a TV unit with a built-in electric fire cost?

The Gazco eReflex 1350RW costs approximately £1,550 for the fire unit alone. Surrounding fitted furniture starts from around £3,500 for an alcove unit with integrated fire. A false chimney breast with flanking cabinets and shelving starts from around £6,500. We always provide a fixed quote before work begins — no hidden costs.

Do you handle the electrical connection for the fire?

We design all cable routes and management into the furniture before installation. The electrical connection for the fire itselfis by a standard 13A Plug, must must be plugged in the a wall out or a 13A extension lead due to the power draw. — we work alongside electricians on projects where sockets may need repositioned or extended, or we can recommend local tradespeople we have worked with previously.

How long does installation take?

Most TV unit and electric fire installations take one to two days in your home. The furniture is built and painted in our workshop beforehand — we arrive with everything ready to assemble. The electrical connection is typically made on the same day if an electrician is booked in advance.

What is the difference between a media wall and a TV unit with a fire?

A TV unit with a fire is a contained piece of furniture — a chimney breast, alcove unit, or cabinet with the fire and television as its focus. A media wall spans the full width of the room, incorporating the fire and television within a larger composition of shelving, storage, and display. The distinction is one of scale and ambition.

What our Customers say

Built in Solutions made a bookcase unit for my client and I was really impressed by the outcome.

It was made to a high specification and with maximum attention to detail. It was delivered in the timescale given and exactly as promised. Detailed drawings were provided and end result was fantastic. I would highly recommend this company.

First class work - a lovely piece of bespoke carpentry (TV shelf enclosed in bookcase) and all on time. Thanks again. Extremely likely to recommend.

We have been delighted with the design and craftmanship of Built In Solutions. The quality of the materials and joinery are excellent and their ability to resolve a practical issue mean that we would be very happy to recommend them whole-heartedly.

I am an interior designer and asked Built in Solutions to manufacture built in cupboards with shelving above from drawings I provided.

They were happy to work to my design and I found them very professional and easy to collaborate with. I was impressed with the whole build and instalment process and the finished result was excellent in terms of quality and expected look.

Everything about the work done was of the best quality and precision. The end result is exactly what was promised and finished to the highest of standards, certainly worth waiting for.

We had a breakfront cabinet designed for the length of one of our living room walls and it is everything we had hoped for and more.

It's transformed our room. The service that we received was amazing from suggestions, design, delivery and fitting. I would highly recommend Built in Solutions.

I now have a gorgeous run of fitted wardrobes. Outstanding finish, and everything was also left completely tidy and clean. Extremely impressed and wouldn't hesitate to recommend the Built in Solutions team.

We absolutely love our new reading nook and our wardrobes! They are even better than we imagined and our friends are extremely envious.

Working with Built in Solutions was really easy and everything went as planned. We are now planning some more work to transform other parts of our house!

Built in Solutions designed and built a bar for us which sits nicely in our coffee area. The quality of the product and customer service was excellent.

They spent the time to work with us to make sure we got what we wanted and we are very pleased with it.

Built in Solutions made wardrobes for the alcoves in our bedroom.

The service was brilliant, they were on time, tidy and very pleasant team to have in the house (even watched the baby for me for a few mins!).

The quality of the workmanship is excellent, my wardrobes are beautiful, Marie Kondo would be jealous.

Why Choose us?

Truly Made to Measure

Every cupboard built from scratch for the exact dimensions of your space — not standard cabinets adapted to fit with filler panels.

Full Carcass Construction

Every unit built as a complete structural box — stronger and more durable than face-frame alternatives, built to last for decades.

Any Colour Finish

Hard-wearing workshop lacquer in any colour — Farrow and Ball, Little Greene, Dulux, or any other brand. Manufacturers' own paints available on request.

Period Property Specialists

We scribe every panel to the exact profile of your walls, floors, and ceilings — no visible gaps, however uneven the surfaces.

Free Home Visits

Free home visits across Oxfordshire, Buckinghamshire, and Berkshire — no obligation, fixed quote before anything is built.

Made by Craftsmen

Every piece of furniture we make is built by hand in our Oxfordshire workshop — cut, assembled, and spray finished by the same small team of craftspeople who have been making furniture with us for years. There are no subcontractors, no flat-pack components shipped in from elsewhere, and no compromises on the quality of what leaves the workshop.

When our installation team arrives at your home, they know exactly what they are fitting and how it was built. That continuity — from the first measurement through to the day of installation — is what makes the difference between furniture that looks right and furniture that looks as though it was always meant to be there.