Christmas Faux Fireplace

While I was shopping for Christmas gifts and decorations this year, I stumbled over a very cute set of Christmas stockings. And, of course, I bought them without hesitation, even though I didn’t have any place where to hang them. So I decided to build a Christmas Faux Fireplace for them.

Searching for the Right Spot

When I got home, I was contemplating the suitable spots in my living room, and while I couldn’t find any, I had a stroke of genius. Looking at my built-in bookcase, I thought how cool it would be to seasonally convert the bottom cabinet into a faux fireplace!

When I built the bookcase a couple of years ago, it was to block the doorway in a thick wall. Therefore the bottom cabinet with the shelf was about 40 cm (16”) deep. The upper part is only half as deep, so I could use the shelves from both of the rooms. I was practically halfway there 🙂

Constructing the Faux Fireplace

My mind was set. I decided to create a faux fireplace to fit the bottom bookcase cabinet. Originally I wanted to use plywood, but there was not a single piece in the local stores, so I ended up buying short ends of Masonite for about $2. The in-store sizing would skyrocket the price, so I opted for cutting it to size by myself.

Cutting the Base

My bookcase cabinet was 74 cm (29”) wide and, after removing the middle shelf, about 74 cm tall. I cut the Masonite to 40 x 73,5cm (16” x 28 3/4”), and then I cut two identical smaller pieces to 33 x73,5 cm (13” x 28 3/4”). The bigger piece was for the back, and the smaller ones would go from either side.

Connecting the Boards

I needed to connect the pieces together in a way so the faux fireplace could be folded flat after Christmas and put away. I had a black textile hockey tape in my stash, which I decided to use for it. It proved to not be the best choice as it started to lift off after a mere day. I had to put PVA glue under it to stick it all back together. So if you have any better durable tape, go for it! I also wrapped the tape around all the free edges so the Masonite wouldn’t crumble while being handled.

Bricklaying

I was lucky I had a roll of brick design wallpaper that I got on sale once. First, I measured a piece for the middle panel paying attention to the bricks starting whole at the bottom. I didn’t worry about the top much because the top wouldn’t be visible from the standing point of view anyway. And then, I matched the side pieces so the pattern would continue to the right and left. I glued the wallpaper using wallpaper glue.

When I tested the fireplace in the bookcase, it looked wonderful! But it was missing something.
The bottom!

I scrounged up a big heavy cardboard box and cut it to size. I made the bottom piece go across the whole bottom shelf so I wouldn’t have to worry about matching the angled back. Also I added enough extra room in the front to cover the heating pipe that runs at the most inconvenient place right above the floor. I wallpapered it again and let it dry overnight under a load of magazines so it would dry flat and installed it the next day.

Decorating my Christmas Faux Fireplace

I was lucky to find a cheap garland on sale that looked very decent, and I also bought some tiny threaded hooks. The hooks were quite easy to sink into the bookcase by hand as the bookcase is made of pine. I cut the garland to size and hung it above the fireplace. Of course, I had to add a short string of little Christmas lights.

And NOW I was ready to hang my cute oversized stockings full of treats for Saint Nicolas Day (DEC 06).

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Don’t forget to watch the whole Christmas Faux Fireplace built on my CraftyHanded YouTube channel! …Or if you like what I do and would like to support me, please become my Patron.

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