This post has been a long time coming. And when I say “long time” we’re talking ten years.
Oh gosh, that is embarrassing. When we first bought our 1906 farmhouse, I went on this rampage with Craigslist and collected chandeliers, tables, etc.
In all that, we found a mantle for $125.
But it sat for waaaaay too long. It really just served as a bookcase and collected dust.
Our intention was to turn it into a gas fireplace and we already had a gas line piped into our master bedroom, so it should have been a piece of cake, right?
Wrong. The more we found out about the process, the more frustrated we became. It was going to cost $3,000-$5,000 and would require cutting a hole in the side of our house to add a sort of chimney for ventilation.
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In the end, we just decided to go with this electric fireplace off Amazon.
It was so affordable and easy to use. You literally just take it out of the box and plug it into the wall!
Electric fireplaces have come a long way in the last decade and look really believable.
It comes with a little remote and you can adjust the heat, fan and lighting.
Just what we needed.
For the mantle, we decided to remove the corbels (a choice that I am currently regretting, but I will add some more detail to it soon) and cut it down a little.
The original mantle was super deep and was made for a gas fireplace. The easiest way to reduce the depth on something like this is to completely dismantle it and cut each individual piece down by 4 inches.
Once it was re-assembled, we had to add in some filler pieces around the opening for the actual fireplace.
We screwed some scrap wood trim in place and caulked the cracks.
Using the Magnolia Trim & Cabinetry Paint that we used on our millwork, we painted the mantle with two coats of paint.
Once that paint had dried, we just simply slid the fireplace into place and plugged it into the wall. If I want to repaint the mantle, I can easily pull out the whole fireplace box and get to work.
Now we have a cozy spot to sit and I can’t wait to hang stockings on it for Christmas!
Let me know in the comments below if you have any kind of fireplace and what you like about it!
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So very classy, Sarah. Where did you find the gold photo frame? Thank you and Happy Thanksgiving!
Author
Haha, thanks, Sarah. The frame is from the Dollar Tree and I painted it gold. So glad it looks good!
Sarah,
Beautifully executed!
Love how you transformed this fireplace and mantle to your design style!
Yes! We have a wood burning fireplace in the lower level Family Room.
Because I am allergic to many “woods”. . .we burn pillar candles instead.
I do love the ambiance that the candle light brings to the room. . .especially at Christmas!
Pat
Author
OH, your pillar candles sound amazing! So dreamy.
Sarah, I agree that electric fireplaces can be great and you accomplished a perfect DIY project. I understand your regret about the corbels, but I look forward to seeing the details you add! Well done and thanks for sharing.
We have a brick fireplace in our family room and I have been toying with the idea of giving it a white wash look. My husband loves building wood fires and it is a cozy element that our whole family enjoys.
Author
I love the white washed brick look. So lovely and yes, I will be doing another post on how I add back in some detail on the mantle.