Those of you who are regular readers of TBD know that I’ve been talking for while about adding a DIY faux fireplace to our long list of DIY projects “to do”… along with my master bedroom redo and a new kitchen island, (coming soon!) A faux fireplace was top on my list, and we wanted to get it done before the holidays. Our inspiration came along when we did this post on DIY faux fireplaces… So, we started out developing our own plan based on the great projects we were seeing… And then, when we got pressed for time, we simplified even more!
I love the way this turned out… Fits well in my small home, the mirror backing adds depth and reflects the candles, and the vintage window carries history… Here’s how we did it! BTW, I apologize in advance we didn’t take step by step photos… but it’s such a simple DIY faux fireplace project, trust me, you won’t need them!
DIY Faux Fireplace Tutorial
Supplies
- One old ’80’s dresser mirror I picked up at Goodwill for $9.
- One old vintage window frame we found at out local antiques mall… We paid $20 for this, but you could get one for half that price at a salvage place… We were lucky we didn’t have to cut the mirror, it was the perfect size!
- Mantel shelf a little wider than the window frame, we found ours at Hobby Lobby on sale 50% off, $24.99.
- Construction adhesive / caulking gun
- Piece of scrap wood, or 2×8 cut at Home Depot from the scrap pile, for the base.
Step One: Prep. Remove any frame from the mirror. If necessary, have it cut (or buy a hand tool from Home Depot) to fit just inside the window frame back. Ours was slightly taller than the window frame, but since that would be covered by the mantel shelf, we didn’t bother with cutting it. We lightly sanded our window frame (not too much, I didn’t want to lose that distressed charm) and sprayed it with a clear matte sealer. (I also didn’t want the cat eating paint flakes!)
Step Two: Use construction adhesive to attach the mirror to the back of the window frame, face down, so the mirror will show on the opposite side when upright. See photo of finished fireplace. Allow to dry, then scrap off any dried adhesive from the mirror front with a sharp edge at an angle.
Step Three: Cut and sand a wood base the same basic width as the mantel shelf. This will give balance to the top and bottom of the fireplace. Paint satin black.
Step Four: Assemble the fireplace! We placed the base against the wall, then simply leaned the window frame/mirror against the wall, sitting on top of the base. We then installed the mantel shelf to fit tight on top of the window frame with screws in the wall stud. The mantel fit snug over the top of a lip on the frame, holding the entire thing in place for us. However, you can attach the window frame to the wall exactly how you would a mirror or large piece of art if you need it to be more secure.
That’s it! My fav part of this DIY Faux fireplace project was the window frame, because it’s patina tells such a great story… I LOVE that the latch is still attached, such character!
You can see the base here. We did put some felt pads under it to protect the wood floor…
Then the fun started… We found this hook at Hobby Lobby…
And then added this AMAZING industrial cage light and metal letter. I first saw a light like this at West Elm for around $79 bucks, but then several great bloggers I know of used a similar light from Target in some of their room reveals, and I found it there for $22! When I run across those posts again, I’ll share, they were my inspiration for this look! We secured the cord near the floor so it would fall straight with the little clip that came with the light.
And then the holidays arrived… If you look close, you can see a glimpse of our amazing Candy-land Christmas Tree! See the whole candyland Christmas theme post…
The little sparkly lights on the mantel are from Craft Warehouse, and they are called firefly lights, and work on a battery pack.
That’s it! Now I have a DIY faux fireplace in my house, the candles make it look amazing, and we have another place to style and show off creations! What do you think? Have questions? Share in comments, we love to hear from you! We think you will also love our posts on DIY Snow Globe Projects and Furniture Arranging Tricks!
That’s what I call a perfectly completed DIY project. From what I can see from the pictures what you have done is really impressive and I am sure in reality it will very much re-create the atmosphere of a real fireplace and all this for much less money. So big applauses for you, now I am inspired to create something similar (most likely not that good) in my home. Will share the final result afterwards.
Regards, Jason