I live in Texas, and it is hot. Sometimes when you walk outside in the middle of July or August, I immediately feel like I am melting. But it still gets "cold" here in the winter. My friends from the North barely wear a jacket when it is 30 degrees here in the Winter, but to me, that is cold. I love to snuggle up with a blanket, sit by the fire, and drink something hot (with a little kick in it of course). But here's the deal...a key component to that is a fireplace. So when we moved into our home and there was not a fireplace, I knew I had to make one.
I really had two options to create a faux fireplace in my home. I could build my own built-in fireplace with an electric fireplace insert and a hearth and mantle made out of wood, brick, or shiplap. I have seen several bloggers do that, and they turned out AWESOME. Check out Nesting with Grace (one of my favorite bloggers). She has done two of these, and I am obsessed. The first one she did in her own home using brick. The second one she did with for her parents using shiplap. They are both wonderful.
Source: Nesting With Grace
Honestly, I thought long and hard about doing a DIY built-in faux fireplace, but when I thought through the time it would take to build this, my impatience got in the way. I wanted to figure out an easier way to make a fireplace look built-in. We moved into our house over Thanksgiving, so it was fireplace season, and I wanted a fireplace to snuggle up to during the cold winter months. Is that too much for a girl to ask for?
So my idea was to find an electric fireplace with a hearth and add a mantle to it so it looks built in. This was probably the more expensive route because I was spending extra money for the mantle, but it was quicker speed to market so I was all in. I did a ton of research on electric fireplaces. I looked at reviews, I checked out heat and light exposures, I looked at the realness of the flames, and the size of the fireplace. I wanted this fireplace to make a statement in the room as a focal point and not just be there for warmth.
I found the perfect fireplace from Wayfair. The Real Flame Kennedy Fireplace was the perfect size, shape, detail, and looked like real fire. The reviews were also fantastic which helped.
You can also find this fireplace on Amazon and Walmart. Once I had this fireplace, it was easy for me to make this look built-in. All I had to do was add a piece of cedar to the top to give it a mantle. That was it! The mantle cost about $20, but made a huge difference in making this look like it was built-in. Don't you love it?
Dress it up with some candles and indoor plants, and you've got yourself a Faux Built-In Fireplace. Here are some other fireplaces I looked at that might look great in your space.
What do y'all think of the faux fireplace look? What have y'all done to create a fireplace in your own home?
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