Built-in Fireplace Ideas

Bedroom Fireplace

• A fireplace makes an attractive addition to the bedroom, creating feelings of warmth and intimacy in your sanctuary. Adding romantic touches to the fireplace can only increase its appeal. If the fireplace has a mantel, place candles of all shapes, sizes, scents and colors along it, lighting them when the time is right, which can add subtle light to the warm glow created by a fire made below them. If the fireplace isn't used very often, the inside of the fireplace itself can serve as an area for candles to sit, creating a controlled environment for them to burn, as well as one which is easier to light and use on a regular basis.

Living Room Fireplace

• As a fireplace is often the centerpiece of a living room, many people choose to place items that represent their family, their past experiences or their household on the mantel above the fireplace. Using masonry screws for support, photos and paintings can even be hung on the stone or brick structure of the fireplace itself. With a number of these photos or paintings hung on the living room fireplace, a unique mosaic can be created. However, it is usually not recommended to hang a television on or near the fireplace itself, as the heat can damage or melt sensitive components and thus ruin the television.

Outdoor Patio Fireplaces

• Many people with outdoor patios build-in their own fireplaces so that they can sit outside on a cool or cold night near the comfort of a controlled fire. These fireplaces are usually part of the larger patio design and, considering they are outside, can only have a limited number of decorative items on them, as they will be exposed to weather constantly. Outdoor Christmas lights can be strung around these patio fireplaces to give added light and whimsy. Stack a pile of wood beside the outdoor fireplace, so that it will always be on-hand; and hang skewers on hooks beside the fireplace, for roasting marshmallows or shish-kabobs.

Unique Fireplace Looks

• When your built-in fireplace looks bland or perhaps has developed a few cracks in its exterior mortar or cement, it can be a difficult thing to replace, as replacing one part of the fireplace often means replacing all of the fireplace. This can turn into a major construction job. However, it may be worth considering adding faux wallpaper over the outside of the fireplace which is designed to handle the heat from the fire inside. This wallpaper can look like brick or a variety of common stones used in fireplaces; some brands look realistic until you stand beside it or touch it. You may also faux-paint bricks or stones onto the outside of the fireplace, if you are artistically inclined.