Mantel with cornice


Every apartment owner wants to create a cozy atmosphere in his home, but he wants to combine all this with a stylish, fashionable design. Modern decorative elements allow you to add the necessary accents to the design of any room. One such popular decorative item is the faux fireplace in the living room.

An artificial fireplace is an excellent alternative to a real fireplace, the installation of which is not always possible due to technical limitations.

Features of a false fireplace in the living room interior

In the minds of many, comfort is associated with people sitting in front of the fireplace and contemplating the living glare of the flame. Making a real stone interior element is a labor-intensive process that requires an injection of significant funds. To place it in a room, you need to additionally equip it with a smoke exhaust. It is worth considering increased fire safety requirements.

Imitation of flame in an artificial fireplace in the living room
A false fireplace does not require the installation of a chimney or other structural changes in the room

In order to make your dream come true and avoid unnecessary difficulties and expenses, you can install a false fireplace in the living room. They are divided into several types: biofireplaces, electric fireplaces, and made of plasterboard.

Cast iron firebox in the portal of a decorative fireplace
There are many design options for decorative fireplaces

The role of a false fireplace in the design of the hall

Real fireboxes cannot be called completely safe. This question worries primarily parents who have small children growing up in their home. The required level of safety is achieved only if a fireplace is imitated.

There are other advantages of this decorative solution. Here they are:

  • the price of a false fireplace is significantly lower than the original design;
  • a simulation portal allows you to hide a television cable, computer wires and other communications;
  • the interior becomes varied, cozy and original;
  • false fireplaces are very functional (the inner part can be used as a book storage, and the upper part can be used instead of a mantelpiece).

The popularity of false fireplaces has gone beyond city apartments and spread to some country cottages. False fireplaces conventionally indicate a firebox, but do not attempt to imitate the combustion process.

The most reliable fireplace imitations are mounted from sheets of plasterboard, then covered with wallpaper or plastered, thereby forming a decorative portal.

The depth of the false fireplace niche rarely exceeds 20 centimeters. The firebox is decorated with candelabra and candles, but more often it is filled with firewood. Visual depth is achieved by covering internal surfaces with mirror tiles.

False fireplace made of candles

False fireplace made of candles

Tips for placing a false fireplace in the interior of a living room

It is very important to place this decorative element correctly in the room. It must have a designated place in the room. If you force it with furniture and other interior items, then its function as room decoration will not be realized.

White decorative fireplace with candles inside
It is desirable that the fireplace be visible from anywhere in the living room

Many owners build such false fireplaces into plasterboard partitions, which serve to zone the room. This allows you to decorate this false partition and make it functional.

In the corner

If there is not enough space in the center to place it, then the corner option will be ideal. The structure can fit well into the allotted space if it has the right shape to fill that corner.

Leather furniture in the living room with a corner false fireplace
A corner fireplace saves space, making it very convenient for small spaces

The false fireplace consists of two parts: a basic structure with a cavity inside and a hardware imitation of the flame. The latter may not be used. It is possible to place decorative candles in the cavity and put firewood: real or fake.

Near the wall

The straight structure against the wall can be square or rectangular. It can be built-in or extended. There may be a fireplace mantel. You can additionally place small decorative elements on it. It all depends on the preferences of the apartment owner, his financial capabilities, and the design project.

TV in the living room above the decorative fireplace
A fireplace near the wall opposite the sofa will attract attention; you can hang a TV above it

And others

If the room allows, you can make a built-in fireplace area in its center. This will create the necessary zoning and complement the design with unusual interior elements. If a false fireplace does not have a heating function, then placing it under a window or between two window openings will add interesting decorative notes.

Island false fireplace in the living room interior
An island fireplace will become the central element of the living room interior, but this option is only acceptable for a fairly spacious room

False fireplace in the interior: interesting ideas

In a children's room, the back wall of a “flat” false fireplace can be built from a slate board. Place colored crayons nearby, and the false fireplace will no longer be an exclusively decorative element - it will be useful as a means of entertaining and developing the child. The back wall can also be made magnetic. Then the fireplace can be used as a magnetic board to compose the first words from letters on magnets.

To add depth and drama to the fireplace, you can mount a mirror on the back wall of the firebox. If you put candles in the “firebox” and light them, the mirror in the fireplace will greatly increase the amount of light and living lights.

Hidden lighting is built into false fireplaces with a niche. It is better to position it so that the light hits the top of the “firebox” - this will create the feeling that the fireplace is flooded.

The firebox is sometimes covered with a photo poster depicting logs or covered with a slab on which thin circles of logs are glued. This also adds realism and depth to the fireplace.

False fireplace to suit any living room style

A lot of design projects include this decorative element.

Imitation of real logs in the firebox of a decorative fireplace
Small candle lights create the effect of smoldering logs

Modern

This style is currently at the peak of popularity. He is characterized by the use of the latest technologies mixed with decorative elements. Excesses and multi-component interior details do not characterize this style. It is characterized by functionality and minimalism. The color scheme includes two or three colors.

Lit candles inside the portal of a decorative fireplace
For a living room in a modern style, fireplaces of a laconic shape are suitable, up to a simple box against the wall

A fake fireplace will find its place in this design perfectly. But the most important thing is not to burden its decoration with unnecessary elements. White plasterboard material with placed candles inside the fireplace area or imitation flames are the main trends in the design of this decor for a modern style.

Classical

All people associate this style with elegance, antiquity, wealth, and luxurious interior items. A large fireplace, decorated with beautiful curls or other decorative details, complements this style perfectly.

Decorative fireplace in classic style
A classic fireplace portal is usually decorated with stone, stucco and bas-reliefs

Forged parts and small logs will look beautiful and stylish. A large mantelpiece on which elegant figurines or bronze candlesticks are placed will complement the interior.

And others

For Provence:

  • color – white, light beige;
  • material – ceramics, natural wood;
  • decoration - forged parts;
  • The firebox is open type.

Plaster false fireplace in a Provencal style living room
A fireplace for a Provence style interior should not be too luxurious and pretentious

For country style, it is advisable to use high-quality fireplaces. Wood and stone for decoration are ideal options for this style. You can carry out artificial aging.

Stone cladding of a decorative fireplace in a rustic style
Natural materials are suitable for decorating a fireplace portal in country style.

DIY fireplace mantel

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Materials for making false fireplaces for the living room

Depending on the raw materials used in the manufacture of this design, its cost also changes. One material is accessible and inexpensive, but not of high quality in operation, the other is expensive, durable, natural. It is worth considering the characteristics of each.

Do-it-yourself false fireplace made of polystyrene foam
It’s easy to make an imitation of a fireplace portal with your own hands using available materials

Drywall

This material is very convenient for decorating a frame of any shape. It won’t be difficult to make a corner or straight version of this decor out of it. Beautiful appearance, the ability to combine with finishing, ease of assembly, low weight, low cost - these are its advantages.

False fireplace with mirror in a small living room
Drywall allows you to make a box of absolutely any configuration

Decorative fireplace with wood in a modern living room
A plasterboard portal can be painted, lined with stone or tiles, and decorated with shaped elements

Cons: possibility of mechanical or thermal damage, short-lived service.

Natural wood

Materials of artificial origin are more affordable than natural ones. But the latter have excellent performance characteristics and a beautiful aesthetic appearance.

Decorative fireplace made of solid wood in the living room
A wooden false fireplace with rounded shapes is a suitable option for a living room in the Art Nouveau style

And others

Stone products are heavy, difficult to assemble, and expensive for materials and installation. Its advantages include durability, original and antique appearance. Used for ethnic style.

Stone false fireplace with imitation flame
For connoisseurs of antiquity, a fireplace made of natural or artificial stone would be ideal.

Ceramics is a fairly fragile material to mechanical stress. Rarely used. It has a beautiful appearance and an expensive price.

How to make a false fireplace

There are several options for installing a false fireplace in your home.

  • Buy a ready-made portal for a fireplace made of stone or marble. This option will require a serious financial investment from you, but the result is worth it. Such a false fireplace will bring nobility and solidity to the interior. The choice of such portals is huge and allows you to choose a model for any interior. However, if you use a portal without an electric firebox, choose carefully, since not all models are suitable for this and some modification of the internal part may be required.


Marble portals for a false fireplace

  • We also sell ready-made portals for fireplaces made of polyurethane. They are much cheaper than marble ones, but the model and size range is not very large. Such portals are not designed to accommodate an electric firebox. A fireplace portal made of polyurethane is easy to install, it can be painted in any color, and if desired, the depth can be increased by constructing a plasterboard box.


False fireplaces made of polyurethane in the interior

  • You can completely make a false fireplace yourself. The basis for the portal is a plasterboard box, which is subsequently decorated with polyurethane or gypsum stucco molding (it is better to make the box to fit the dimensions of the selected stucco elements). Such a false fireplace can simply be painted, decorated with marble, onyx or their imitation. If you are planning an electric firebox, then you first need to find out the exact dimensions of the niche for its installation. A false fireplace based on a plasterboard box can be made of any size and configuration, and therefore fit into any interior.


False fireplaces made of plasterboard with stucco molding

The height dimensions of the false fireplace depend on the height of the ceilings in the room and range from 100 to 140 cm. The width of the fireplace also depends on the proportions of the room and the portal itself. When placing a TV above a false fireplace, the height of the portal should not be higher than 120 cm. The depth of a false fireplace usually ranges from 10 to 45 cm.

Fireplace corner in the living room interior

False fireplaces in the living room interior photo combined with decorative elements will create an aesthetically attractive relaxation area for the whole family. There is no need to burden it with unnecessary details. This will create discomfort. An artificial fireplace with the illusion of a flame and pieces of furniture located next to it will create a cozy atmosphere, an improvisation of a home.

Fireplace area in the interior of the living room
The fireplace is an object of increased attention, but to make it look attractive, it is not enough to simply install a portal against the wall

Arrangement of a relaxation area in front of a decorative fireplace
It is very important to design the space around the fireplace in accordance with the overall style of the interior.

Comfortable armchairs in front of a false fireplace in the living room
The sitting area in front of the fireplace should have comfortable upholstered furniture

Wooden fireplace portal in traditional and classic styles

Wooden fireplace portal in traditional and classic styles

Quite often, wooden elements are used in the cladding of a fireplace and its components in an English or classic interior style. Such a statement is not extremely surprising, since such interiors often use wood panels, classic columns or carved wooden decorations. Cladding works using natural materials are distinguished by their special style, consistency, carving elements, as well as architectural solidity.

In traditional interiors, the design of the fireplace portal is often completed with a wooden shelf, which allows you to create a holistic composition. Recently, the placement of the TV on the mantelpiece, above the fireplace itself, remains especially popular. In a classic living room, you can provide a unifying style of installing a portal with an area for arranging a TV. This design format looks harmonious in any design, since the placement of modern technology in a classic interior has its own characteristics and requirements.

It is worth paying attention to the processing of wood for cladding purposes. It can not only be varnished, but also painted. Quite often, wood material is coated with white paint, and a layer of matte fixing varnish is applied on top. There is a way to make wood resemble other rare and exotic woods; to do this, it is treated with impregnations that saturate the cladding with unique shades.

In the context of fireplace portals, a country-style interior looks extremely organic with wood cladding. This style is characterized by less grandeur due to artificially aged wood, which fills the room with a fireplace with the free spirit of patriarchy.

Photos of interesting living room designs with an imitation fireplace

Once you have decided to imitate a fireplace in the living room interior photo, you should choose its variation and location. You can create a favorite place for the whole family in this room, as well as fill it with a cozy atmosphere.

Birch firewood near a homemade false fireplace
Beautiful false fireplace decorated with a forged panel

A woodpile of chopped wood in a niche in the wall of the living room
Built-in false fireplace with decorative stone trim

Decorating a decorative fireplace in spring style
The decor of the fireplace can be changed for holidays, memorable dates or in accordance with the time of year

Decorating a false fireplace with fresh flowers
In spring, bouquets of fresh flowers will add lightness and tenderness to the interior

Fireplace decor for New Year's Eve
For the New Year, the fireplace can be decorated with garlands, pine branches and cones.

The fireplace in the hallway of the apartment photo will impress guests from the first minutes of their stay in this house. Making your living space cozy and at the same time stylish is possible for anyone.

False fireplace: types and principle of operation

A false fireplace is a design whose design completely or partially replicates the appearance of a conventional fireplace. But since the design is only an imitation of a real fireplace, it does not have a chimney.

But this does not mean at all that the false fireplace is just a shell, which is just a decoration that does not fulfill its main purpose. Most people build a fireplace to enjoy the sight of flames. It is clear that in a city apartment and, moreover, without an appropriate chimney exhaust, it is simply unsafe to burn wood. However, you can reproduce the appearance of a burning flame in other ways.

  • for example, the portal of a false fireplace can be decorated with ordinary firewood and furnished with tall candles. When the candles burn, it will seem as if the fire is coming from wood;
  • You can also use a bio-fireplace for this purpose, which almost completely replicates the appearance of a burning hearth;
  • In addition, there is an interesting device that is ideal for a false fireplace. Such a device is an electronic photo frame. Having selected the required mode, the liquid crystal display of the photo frame will glow with flames, which will create the complete illusion of real fire.

False fireplace photo

False brick fireplace

False fireplace in a modern interior photo

Photo of false fireplaces in the living room

The choice of the operating principle of a false fireplace directly depends on the features of its design. It is customary to distinguish three types of fireplace imitations:

  • reliable;
  • conditional;
  • symbolic.

Reliable false fireplaces differ from their older brothers only in the absence of a chimney. All other parameters of this design (size, height, depth of the firebox, etc.) exactly replicate a real fireplace. The frame for a reliable false fireplace is most often made of plasterboard, the surface of which can be additionally plastered, covered with wallpaper or decorated with other materials - wooden panels, pebbles, marble chips, etc. If you intend to make a false fireplace of this type with your own hands, keep in mind that the depth of its firebox must be at least 40cm. You can reproduce the appearance of a burning fire in an authentic false fireplace using all of the above methods: candles, a bioburner, or using an electronic photo frame.

The use of a false fireplace as interior decoration

Beautiful false fireplaces photos

False fireplace to the wall photo

False fireplace in the niche under the TV

The easiest way to create conventional false fireplaces is if the room initially has a niche up to 20cm deep. Fireplace imitations of this type are distinguished by the presence of a portal, which are wall niches. The frame of a conventional false fireplace can be made of anything: plasterboard, polystyrene foam, polyurethane, wood, etc. In this case, the easiest way to indicate the type of burning flame is with the help of candles, a photo frame of the appropriate size, or backlight. To make the firebox of a conventional false fireplace seem larger, the walls of the niche can be decorated with mirror tiles.

Brick false fireplace

Decorative false fireplace

False fireplace design

The symbolic false fireplace has the most unusual design. Unlike previous options, the task of this design is to externally imitate a fireplace, without performing its function. Simply put, this is just an abstract imitation of a real design. To make a symbolic false fireplace, you can use almost any materials - brick, stone, wood, drywall, etc. Symbolic designs, as a rule, do not correspond to real fireplaces either in size or shape. Some designers use interior stickers or simply draw it on the wall to create the appearance of a fireplace. If the design allows you to indicate fire, it is better to use decorative candles or lighting for this purpose.

False fireplace made of plasterboard photo

A false fireplace built into the wall as an interior decoration

Decorative false fireplace with firewood in the living room interior

Luxurious false fireplace

False fireplaces in the living room interior photo

Photo: 5 options for false fireplaces for the living room

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