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A fireplace can make any setting feel cozier. While it’s nice to have a real one that emits heat and mesmerizing flames, you don’t actually need a working fireplace to enhance your home’s warmth. You don’t even need a non-working one to get the job done. With a little creativity, you can easily dream up a faux one from scratch. To help you move beyond kitschy fireplace decals, we’ve laid out designer-approved ideas to try. Recreate a version of these three faux fireplaces in your own home, or use them to spark your own ideas.
Stack wood under a console table.
In designer Natalie Chong’s former Toronto home, a fireplace couldn’t be added to the historic structure. She improvised by stacking wood underneath a console table by Mkt to give the illusion of one in the living room. Mount a TV above it, and turn on a crackling fireplace video for full effect.
You can tailor this budget-friendly method to practically any style. For modern spaces, consider a console table made of cement or stone. Rustic living rooms would do well with a wood one that has a contrasting finish to the stacks of wood underneath it.
Fill a mantel with faux candles.
HGTV star Alison Victoria is a pro at sourcing vintage pieces. Her new Atlanta loft is packed with incredible finds, including an 18th-century marble mantel that anchors the main seating area. “I had never seen a mantel this big,” Victoria tells House Beautiful of the antique piece salvaged from Architectural Accents. “It will come with me wherever I go.”
She filled it with faux candles that turn on (and even flicker!) with the press of a remote to set the mood. Besides IRL antique stores, you can scour sites like 1stdibs, Chairish, Craigslist, and Facebook Marketplace for decorative mantels to get a similar look. Antique stone ones, like Victoria’s, can be incredibly pricey, but beautiful antique wood mantels are fairly easy to find for a few hundred bucks. Plenty of stores, like Pottery Barn, also sell large faux pillar candles that you can fill one with.
Use tiles with a frame around them.
While this fireplace by Thomas Jayne actually works, it’s the perfect inspiration for a faux one. Tiles with a fra
me around them will add texture and depth. “If you paint the opening dark, have a fire screen in front of it, and even add some andirons, you can pretty easily simulate a fireplace,” the designer explains.
By using tiles, you can introduce pattern or another material into your space—whether you love a bold floral pattern or prefer polished marble. Place the tiles on a flat, blank wall, or give an awkward one that juts out new life.
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