How to Add a Fireplace to Any Wall

There's nothing quite like the warmth and stability a fireplace brings to a room. So when I looked at my big, open living room with vaulted ceilings and an empty back wall just waiting for something to really bring it purpose I knew it needed a fireplace. But real fireplaces can be messy, smokey, and adding a real one could have been a major, major project to build a chimney straight through the roof. So adding electric fireplace was an easy choice. And honestly the best choice for adding the most value to this home for the least investment.

There's a few things I did right the very beginning to make this faux fireplace look real and right in it's in place.

Frame and Drywall a Bump Out

Automatic Storage Spot

Install an Electric Fireplace Insert

I bumped out the wall behind the fireplace to create the illusion of a chimney area, simultaneously this created the perfect spot to add storage to both sides. I told the framers the exact dimensions of the fireplace I was going to insert and the exact dimensions of the framing of the wall it would go on. As well as the distance from each of the walls on either side. I noted to the electricians there would need to be an outlet within the bump out. They were able to do the job and center it to the wall. I also noted in the plans that this wall would need a power outlet for a T.V. If you want to get serious about it this is the perfect time to add stone, brick or plaster veneer. You could do make a different shape to the wall or tile around the fireplace which I considered but I was about nine months pregnant when we did this project.

We installed wall cabinets as base cabinets on either side they are only 12 inches deep they make for a nice storage spot in the living room. I believe he propped them up with some 2x4's which are hidden behind the toe kick. This small space on either side of the fireplace would also be great for some short or tall bookshelves. Any buffet style table that would fit there as long as there were two matching for each side. But even if they didn't that'd be fine. This is a perfect spot to dress up and really bring character into the home.

Once the electric fireplace was installed. It was my husbands job to frame it in and create some custom woodwork around it to really make it look like a fireplace that belonged to the home. He created a little shelf on top beneath that is cove crown moulding and some 1 x 5's to create a detail that matches the wainscot in the rest of the home. I painted it white to match the cabinets and that's it. Pretty easy final touch to make this room look amazing. When the photos came out to sell the home it looked near exactly like the 3-D images I had created in the beginning of planning the home. The images to me still don't even look real. It just looks like my imagination. So I'm really happy with that part.