My friend has four small kids and a stove like this. Hers was built on an elevated platform, which prevents the kids from accidentally rolling into it when they're really small. But, believe it or not, she doesn't have a gate or anything else around it. She trains her kids not to touch it. I baby proof the heck out of my own house, so I'd be nervous. But so far, none of her kids have singed any little fingers.

I think it is important to keep in mind that any need for childproofing is temporary. If you want to, you will eventually get your living room back. If you think you need a gate, I'd go for ugly over DIY, and get rid of it as soon as possible.

I have a 10-month old and a constantly burning wood stove located in a heavily trafficked area. I goofed around with the idea of using a few dog gates or building something myself, as I am wont to do, but when we found a Hearth Gate (the one in the picture) on craigslist for $50 that idea died quickly. I agree with sara j, try to remember it is temporary and go with the safest solution. And honestly, you get used to the gate pretty quickly.

We have a free-standing fireplace and I was a nervous wreck when our baby started moving independently - even in the summer we tried to make the surrounding stone area off limits to get her used to the idea but she would not respect that invisible barrier - admittedly, it was pretty arbitrary.
It turned out that "hot" was actually the first word she learned (originally used to caution her about food - and there was some trial and error on her part that drove the point home - but soon after with respect to bath water, the oven, Mom's tea, anything emanating steam, on the stove or coming out of the microwave, and of course the fireplace) - and by 13 months she really respected it. We don't leave her in the living room solo when there's a fire just to be safe, but I don't think the gate is totally necessary for a baby who is reasonably careful.

If your baby is truly clumsy or reckless or defiant or you want to be able to leave him alone with the stove, then a gate may be your best security, and they ARE temporary. Definitely good deals to be had on Craigslist.

The dark colors seem less obtrusive to me. We got a (used) gate in white and even though it's retractable it's still an eyesore.

We have a wood stove as well that is on an elevated platform. So far my 8 month old cannot roll into it or reach it when he's in his walker because of the barrier, but I'm sure once he's walking or crawling independently he'll go for it. He's just that kind of kid. My oldest son was actually more cautious in nature so we never had to put up a gate, so I'd say it depends on your kid. We'll be opting for the hearth gate, it's temporary. (And will keep us from tripping over the fireplace in the dark anyway as it's in a high traffic area!)

We probably would have been fine without a gate if I was only worried about my son, he's pretty aware of his body and good at following rules. We decided to put up a gate anyway because we invite other kids into our home all the time and having the gate allows me to relax during parties and play dates. Just something to else to consider if you are thinking to skip the gate.

We actually have the one pictured. We avoided it for a long time and it wasn't a case of our toddler son wanting to touch the woodstove, but more of a running around like a wild man and accidentally tripping and falling onto it. I agree, that it is temporary, thank goodness. The black metal one starts to blend in a little bit the longer you live with it.

Agree with above commenters. Get the hearth gate, it's only for a few years.

Something else you could use is a 3-sided fireguard/fire screen. I've bookmarked a glass one that I'd found, as we're considering getting a wood stove and also have a curious toddler. The site is based in the UK, but they do custom screens and offer world-wide shipping, here's a link:

http://www.glassfireguard.com/3SideSquare.htm

It looks like you could get the hardware to mount it to the floor, so you don't have the additional new hazard of a baby pulling over a big piece of glass! I'm sure, depending on the depth you had it made to, some heat would still make it to the glass - but nothing nearly as hot as the surface of a stove.

Just an idea, good luck!

We own this hearth gate and I think it's great. The image above makes it look unattractive, because the whole wood stove area is pretty ugly. We have a dark slate hearth, aqua walls and a simple wood stove, so the black gate meshes with our look. Some of my friends have shoddy-looking DIY gates, others have no gates. Personally, I am thankful for what we have - ease of mind and a nice looking, sturdy gate.

We were in the same boat, needed one, hated the look of it. Bought it anyway.
I can not sing its praises enough! We eventually had 3 children. it went up when we needed it, went into storage between toddlers.
It has saved our Christmas tree from puppies, it has blocked off areas of our house during renovations, etc etc etc. I say go for it. Safe is not always attractive, but it does blend in after a while.

I also have that exact gate for our gas stove. We explored other options, even considered DIYing something. In the end the hearth gate was the simplest and safest solution for us. I agree with other commenters, its temporary and after awhile you don't even notice it.

Thanks so much for your comments everyone. I'm going to bite the bullet and buy a hearth gate like many of you have suggested I do.

-andrew

I saw something DIY for this over on Ashley English's blog

For raised fireplace hearths, you should check out the Jack-Mat fireplace hearth safety cushion. This is a custom made cushion to fit any size or shape hearth. It comes in six different colors to match your decor and is fire retardant. We still take it off during a fire, but the other 360 days of the year it works perfect. Very comfortable to sit on too. Check it out! http://www.jack-mat.com

-Rob

We used the sides of an old broken crib to create a surround - right height, right gaps between bars, no more work than dismantling the crib and screwing it together with some hinges and then bolts to the wall.