DIY Project: Building a Fireplace
The blogging duo from Dream Book Design tackles a mantel and fireplace project just in time for cooler weather.
With it finally getting cold here in Phoenix, I want nothing more than to cozy up to a nice warm fire with my family. Drink some hot cocoa, read a book, snuggle in to a great blanket. Up until a few weeks ago this wasn't really an option in our home, but now that's changed. My husband and I had a vision, and recently we made it come to life. We searched and searched for the right size mantel and finally decided to make our own. See the before and after photos below:
Photos: Dream Book Design
With amazing sources of inspiration, like Pinterest.com, we were able to decide exactly how we wanted it to look. It took a lot of wood, trim pieces, and about a million and one corner cuts, but we were able to create a beautiful DIY wooden mantel. Next was getting the gas fireplace for it. Did you know that they create ventless gas fireplaces? It's awesome! With a ventless version you don't have to have a vent professionally installed, so it's a real money saver.
Photo: Dream Book Design
For the tile surround, we chose a beautiful white marble. I have always wanted marble somewhere in my home, but knew it needed to be in a place that wouldn't require a serious amount of maintenance (like the kitchen counters). Installing tile is so easy—especially since we already had practise after installing our subway tile backsplash (tutorial here). You can never have too much storage with a family, so we built lower cabinets and upper book shelves to flank the fireplace. They're a great spot to store some of those cozy blankets and toys for little ones.
Photo: Dream Book Design
As for decorating, we love that we were able to find the exact sconces we wanted on Wayfair.com. The brass, the fun shape details, everything about these is perfection. When it isn't a holiday, we like to keep our mantel simple and clean. A few antique books held together by a unique bookend set, some vintage mason jars, etc. Mantels can easily get cluttered, so less is best!
We hope you like the look of our DIY mantel! The full tutorial on it is coming soon toDream Book Design.
