Ortal: Three Sided TS 98HH Gas Fireplace

The Three-Sided Showpiece

A fire you can see from every seat in the room.

Who it’s for

In an open floor plan, a standard fireplace faces one direction, and everyone in the kitchen or at the dining table sees the side of a wall. You need a fire the whole room can see. If you’re building or remodeling a great room and want the fireplace to be the architectural centerpiece—a peninsula the space wraps around—the Ortal TS 98HH is the one. Choose a single-view unit instead and the fire belongs to whichever seats happen to face it.

Quick facts

• Viewing area: 102 1/2″ wide by 29 1/2″ tall, glass on three sides
• Fuel: natural gas; propane conversion available
• Controls: handheld remote with built-in thermostat, program, and eco modes; wall switch and smartphone app available

What makes it special

The fire itself is over eight and a half feet wide, and glass on three sides means it’s visible from the kitchen, the dining table, and the couch at the same time. The frameless design lets your tile or stone run right to the edge of the fire, so it reads as part of the architecture, not an appliance set into it.

Passive cool wall technology means you can hang a TV or artwork directly above the fireplace—the wall stays cool enough that the space over the fire is usable, not off-limits.

The controls work like a thermostat, not a light switch. Set 70 on the remote and the fireplace holds the room there on its own, cycling the flame as needed; eco mode modulates it up and down, and the app runs it from your phone.

Possible downsides

• It builds into a framed wall—this is a unit for new construction or a remodel, not a slide-in replacement for an existing fireplace, and the job includes finish work.
• With the double-glass or lighting options it runs on an AC adapter, so it will not operate during a power failure.
• It ships set up for natural gas; propane requires a conversion kit installed by a qualified technician.

If you want the fire to be the first thing people notice from anywhere in the room, the TS 98HH is the right decision. The wall that divides the space becomes the reason everyone gathers around it.

It comes with your choice of five included log sets—standard, weathered driftwood, refractory clay, and short or long English logs—with upgrades including bonfire, campfire, and aspen log sets, charred branches, black, grey, or white accent branches, and a black reflective interior.