Looking to add built-ins around your fireplace? This guide offers top ideas to maximize storage, enhance aesthetics, and integrate your built in with fireplace seamlessly into your living space.
Table of Contents
Key Takeaways
Built-ins around a fireplace combine functionality and aesthetics, offering both open and closed storage solutions to enhance visual interest and practicality.
Modern minimalist built-ins emphasize clean lines, neutral tones, and symmetrical designs, creating a sleek, contemporary appeal.
Custom built-ins tailored to unique spaces maximize storage and provide cohesive, integrated designs, accommodating various room layouts and personal preferences.
Maximizing Storage with Built-Ins
Built-ins around a fireplace brilliantly merge functionality and aesthetics. A modern look with maximized storage is achievable by blending closed base cabinets with open shelving or glass-front shelves. These living room built-ins serve as both a design element and a practical solution, providing much needed storage that enhances the overall look of the space.
Think about integrating shelving units around an existing fireplace mantel for visual balance and additional storage. Open shelving is perfect for displaying special decorative items, creating visual interest without overwhelming the space. Meanwhile, closed storage like cabinets can hide away clutter, allowing your design details and decorative items on the open shelving to really shine. This combination of open and closed storage ensures a functional and visually appealing setup.
It’s important to customize built-ins according to your room layout and needs. Whether you opt for floor-to-ceiling designs or a mix of built-in benches and base cabinets, the key is to ensure that your built-ins around the fireplace are both practical and beautiful. For instance, window seats with hidden storage can replace base cabinetry if the fireplace is flanked by windows, utilizing the space effectively.
Custom built ins can be designed to run floor to ceiling, wall to wall, or just on one side of the electric fireplace wall, depending on your preferences and room layout. With a custom built in, you can achieve a seamless integration into your space.
Modern Minimalist Built-Ins
For those who prefer a sleek and contemporary look, modern minimalist built-ins are the way to go. Some features of these designs include:
Low, linear built-ins flanking a linear fireplace
Clean and sophisticated aesthetic
Neutral tones and sleek finishes
Seamless integration with existing walls to create a cohesive and modern appeal.
In minimalist designs, symmetry takes on a significant role. Using symmetrical wood-trimmed built-ins can create a balanced look, as seen in many contemporary spaces. Blonde wood built-ins, for example, can balance a modern black fireplace by softening the symmetrical design and adding warmth to the space. Incorporating these elements can transform your living room into a sophisticated and inviting area.
Rustic Charm with Wooden Built-Ins
Infuse your living room decor with cozy, rustic charm by integrating natural wood built-ins and a gorgeous fireplace built in with stone. This combination creates a warm and inviting atmosphere that is perfect for relaxing evenings by the fire. Built-ins in Craftsman homes often use extensive woodwork, adding so much character to the space. Don’t forget to pay attention to the fireplace details, as they can enhance the overall aesthetic of your living room, especially when it comes to a stone fireplace.
Opt for honey-toned wood for beams, mantels, and built-ins to enhance the rustic charm of your interior spaces. Pairing open shelving with closed cabinets in wooden built-ins offers both functionality and a rustic aesthetic, providing ample storage while maintaining a cozy look. This approach ensures that your living room remains both practical and charming, inviting you to unwind in style.
Custom Built Ins for Unique Spaces
For unique spaces, custom built-ins offer an ideal solution, facilitating design customization according to your room layout, storage needs, and personal preferences. For instance, Chango & Co. added custom built-ins on either side of the fireplace in the Park Slope brownstone family room, enhancing both functionality and aesthetics. By installing built-ins around a fireplace on one or both sides, you can maximize storage and create a cohesive look that suits your home.
These custom designs can also include features like built-in benches or sofas with hidden storage, which are perfect for small rooms or areas with limited space. Integrating inset medicine cabinets and pull-out trays in vanities can ensure easy access to storage without taking up additional space, further enhancing the practicality of your custom built-ins. This level of customization ensures that your built-ins are not only beautiful but also highly functional.
Floor-to-Ceiling Built Ins
Transform your living room and create an illusion of increased height and openness by making use of vertical space with floor-to-ceiling built-ins, taking advantage of tall ceilings. This design approach is particularly beneficial for small rooms, as it makes the space feel more expansive and airy. Floor-to-ceiling built-ins around a fireplace can also provide ample storage, ensuring that everything has its place while maintaining a streamlined look.
Hidden storage within these built-ins can create a modern and uncluttered appearance. Incorporating various elements such as open shelving, adjustable shelves, and base cabinets can offer versatile storage solutions that cater to your specific needs. This combination of functionality and design makes floor-to-ceiling built-ins a smart choice for any living room.
Incorporating Color in Built-Ins
Incorporating color into your built-ins can form a striking focal point, thus enriching the overall design of your living room. Bold colors like dark navy or peacock blue can make a dramatic statement, drawing attention to the built-ins and complementing the fireplace. For example, a design featuring peacock blue built-ins with patterned wallpaper backing the bookshelves can add depth and interest to the space.
Contrasting colors can also highlight the built-ins and the fireplace, making them stand out against lighter walls. Alternatively, using classic colors like Benjamin Moore’s ‘White’ can provide a clean, timeless look that complements any decor. Incorporating color into your built-ins allows you to personalize your space and create a cohesive design that reflects your style.
Floating Shelves for an Open Feel
Surrounding a fireplace with floating shelves is a fantastic strategy for maintaining an open, airy atmosphere while offering functional storage. These shelves create a focal point without making the space feel cluttered, offering versatility in styling and easy updates to decor. Customizing floating shelves to match the style and color scheme of the room ensures a cohesive look that enhances the overall design.
Pairing white base cabinets with floating shelves around the fireplace can create a light and open feel, giving the room a more spacious appearance. Floating shelves are perfect for displaying artwork, plants, and decorative items, allowing you to showcase your personality and style without overwhelming the space.
Traditional Elegance with Crown Moulding
To add a touch of traditional elegance and sophistication, consider integrating crown molding into your built-ins. This design element enhances the custom appearance of built-ins made from stock cabinets, seamlessly blending them with existing architectural elements. The right trim and crown molding can make all the difference, creating a polished and cohesive look that elevates the overall decor.
Maintaining original built-in wood cabinets around the fireplace can honor the history of an older home, while adding crown molding ensures a seamless blend with the room’s existing architectural details. This approach not only enhances the visual appeal of your built-ins but also adds a sense of timeless elegance to the space.
Built-In Niches Around Fireplaces
Both functionality and aesthetics can be enhanced by incorporating specialized niches within built-ins around fireplaces. For instance, firewood storage niches can be built on one side of the fireplace, providing a convenient and visually appealing solution. This approach maximizes style while ensuring that firewood is always within easy reach.
Hiding electronic cords within built-in cabinets can help maintain a clean and organized look, making the space feel more streamlined and uncluttered. Even with limited shelf depth, built-ins can provide sufficient storage for electronic devices and other items, enhancing the overall design and functionality of the room.
Integrating Fireplace Mantels with Built-Ins
Painting built-ins and mantels in the same color or using the same wood tone can help establish a cohesive and integrated look in your living room. This approach harmonizes the overall design, making the fireplace and built-ins appear as a single, unified element. For example, using the same wood tone for beams, mantel, built-ins, and flooring can create a harmonious feel in a modern farmhouse living room.
A white mantel within built-ins can serve a functional role, such as displaying candles and plants, while contributing to the overall decor. This integration ensures that your fireplace and built-ins work together to enhance the visual appeal and functionality of the space.
Coastal Vibes with Light Wood Built-Ins
To create a coastal theme in your living room, consider:
Choosing light wood built-ins
Placing the built-ins around a stacked stone linear fireplace
Pairing the built-ins with a white or blue fireplace surround
This will enhance the natural and airy feeling of the coastal design and maintain a light and open feel, which is crucial for achieving a coastal aesthetic.
A well-defined focal point, such as a sophisticated fireplace and mantel, reinforces the coastal feel in living rooms. This combination of light wood and complementary colors creates a serene and inviting atmosphere that is perfect for relaxing and entertaining.
Asymmetrical Built Ins for a Modern Twist
Offering a modern twist on traditional designs, asymmetrical built-ins maximize wall space and generate visual interest. These designs can be customized to fit your space, incorporating different elements and materials for a dynamic look. Asymmetrical built-ins flanking the fireplace can make it a focal point by contrasting different elements on each side.
Combining vertical and horizontal elements in asymmetrical built-ins can enhance the dynamic look of the space. Using different materials like wood and metal adds texture and a modern touch, ensuring that your built-ins are both functional and visually appealing.
Enhancing Small Rooms with Built-Ins
For maximizing storage in small rooms, built-ins are especially effective as they offer functional storage while preserving a clean, uncluttered appearance. Some ideas for maximizing storage in small rooms include:
Adding drawer storage in places like built-in sofas or window nooks
Using wall-mounted shelves or cabinets
Utilizing under-bed storage or storage ottomans
Installing floating shelves or bookcases
Using vertical storage solutions, such as hanging organizers or wall hooks
These approaches, including the use of recessed room panels, help to reduce visual clutter and make the room feel larger.
Wall-to-wall built-in units can house multiple functionalities, such as storage for toys, a built-in desk, and a hidden TV section, optimizing space usage in small rooms. By taking advantage of unused wall cavities, built-ins provide warmth and functionality without compromising on style.
Built-Ins with Glass Doors
Integrating glass-front doors into your built-ins can introduce a sophisticated touch and shield displayed items from dust. Some benefits of using glass-front doors for your built-ins include:
Displaying decor while reducing dust accumulation
Enhancing the overall elegance of the room
Custom-built glass doors can be tailored to fit the style and dimensions of the built-ins, ensuring a cohesive and polished look.
Glass doors help highlight decorative pieces within built-ins, making them a focal point in the room. This approach maintains a clean appearance and adds a touch of sophistication to your home decor. Additionally, raised panel doors can complement the overall design, creating a cohesive look.
Built-Ins with Adjustable Shelves
With their flexibility in storage and display options, adjustable shelves in built-ins can accommodate various items and facilitate easy decor updates. These shelves can be adjusted to fit different items, from art and collectibles to books and toys, depending on the room. This versatility ensures that your built-ins remain functional and adaptable to your changing needs.
Including a mix of closed and open shelving with glass-front doors can create a modern china cabinet effect while maintaining a clean and organized look. This combination of adjustable shelves and glass doors enhances the functionality and elegance of your built-ins.
Check out DIY Adjustable Shelf Built-In Bookcase.
Summary
Throughout this blog post, we have explored various built-in ideas that incorporate fireplaces, each offering unique benefits and aesthetic appeal. From maximizing storage with a mix of open and closed shelving to creating a modern minimalist look, rustic charm, or coastal vibes, built-ins can transform any living space. Custom designs tailored to unique spaces, floor-to-ceiling built-ins, and the incorporation of color add further personalization and functionality.
By considering these ideas, you can elevate your home decor and create a living space that is both beautiful and practical. Whether you are enhancing a small room or making a bold statement with asymmetrical designs or glass doors, built-ins around a fireplace offer endless possibilities for transforming your home.
Frequently Asked Questions
What are the benefits of combining open shelving and closed cabinets in built-ins?
Combining open shelving and closed cabinets in built-ins provides both functionality and aesthetics. Open shelving allows for decorative display, while closed cabinets help conceal clutter, promoting a tidy and organized look.
How can I achieve a modern minimalist look with built-ins?
You can achieve a modern minimalist look with built-ins by choosing low, linear designs with symmetrical layouts and neutral tones, creating a clean and sophisticated aesthetic that seamlessly integrates with your space.
What materials are best for creating a rustic charm with built-ins?
To create a rustic charm with built-ins, use natural honey-toned wood for beams, mantels, and built-ins, and pair them with a stone fireplace for an accentuated rustic aesthetic.
How can built-ins enhance small rooms?
Built-ins can enhance small rooms by maximizing storage, utilizing wall cavities, reducing visual clutter, and making the room feel larger and more organized.
What are the benefits of incorporating glass doors in built-ins?
Incorporating glass doors in built-ins adds sophistication, protects displayed items from dust, highlights decorative pieces, and maintains a clean and elegant appearance. It makes displayed items focal points in the room.
