A classic craftsman style fireplace is the perfect addition to this coastal casual living room. A herringbone marble facade combined with bi-fold doors that easily open to reveal a hidden TV mix style and convenience. We are sharing the free plans here.
This post was sponsored by Kreg. All opinions and thoughts are my own, see our full disclosure policy here.
We made a big change to our living room…have you seen it yet (you might have caught a glimpse of it here)? I’m talking about our brand new fireplace!
Just after the holidays, when the tree and all of the holiday decor came down I had the urge for a change. I really liked the way our living room was shaping up, particularly our layered gallery wall. I loved that gallery wall and we always received so many kind comments and messages about it, it was a favorite of yours too. But we decided it was time to say goodbye to it and welcome a different look.
Our living room is fairly small, and it is open to our dining room, so there are only so many ways we can arrange the furniture to work in this space. Two to be exact.
The first is to place the couch against the back wall (where it was, with the gallery wall above it), the second is against the wall with the windows. A few years ago this is how we had our furniture arranged, with the couch against the window wall and a smaller love seat backed against the entrance to the dining room.
The problem was our TV. With the furniture arranged this way, the only place for our TV was against the back wall and I really didn’t like that it was the first thing you would see when you walked into our home. There’s nothing special about a big black box, right?
So we moved everything around again and the couch and our pretty layered gallery became the focal point of the room. Perfect, right? Well, it was for a few years until I started to crave a change.
We moved that couch again, back against the wall with the windows. And I just loved how cozy it made our living room feel. I’m not sure why, but this layout just made the space feel more relaxed and welcoming.
get the look
Aside from just the overall feeling, there are a couple of reasons I love this layout better. The windows frame our couch so perfectly (you can find all of the details on our window treatment here). And as you can see from our photos, this layout really helps open up the space. We have so much more room now, which is great for giving the girls space to spread out and play.
But we had that same problem again, where were we going to put our TV and what were we going to do with this big empty wall?
A fireplace seemed like the best solution. It would fill a lot of the empty space, it would look pretty and it could be built to conceal our TV. It’s a win-win! So we started discussing the details and Nick got busy with the plans. Weekends were the only time Nick would work on it, so it came together over several weeks. Our weekday evenings are busy with dinner, baths, and early bedtimes for the girls. And once they were down we weren’t going to risk waking them up again with the noise that comes with building a fireplace. Luckily, Nick has a Kreg Foreman that helped speed things up!
So slowly, but surely our fireplace took shape. It’s finally finished, and it’s even better than I imagined!
I wanted the fireplace to have a very classic design, but we also needed it to blend with our craftsman board and batten wainscoting. The paneling Nick added matches the wainscoting perfectly so that it all ties together (you can find the tutorial for our wainscoting here). And of course, because we chose to paint it white, along with the simple tiles we chose (marble herringbone for the face and brick for the firebox), it feels timeless. As if it’s always been here.
We used two different types of tile to make it feel more authentic. The first tile is a soft cream and gray marble in a herringbone pattern. I think it keeps it feeling fresh and youthful. While the gray brick used inside is a nice contrast. This was the first time Nick has tiled and it went easier than he thought, but if you don’t feel comfortable tiling, you can always explore alternative ways such as faux brick hardboard panels or use mortarless adhesives to set the tile.
We also added a fireplace grate with wood logs, simply for looks. Obviously, this is a faux fireplace, and we chose to build it that way for two reasons. First, we love the look of a traditional wood-burning fireplace with a brick interior. Second, the budget didn’t allow for a gas insert, but we did leave the opening the proper size to add one down the road! We thought about using an electric insert as well, but when deciding between an electric insert or faux traditional look, we chose the latter.
Now, on to the fun part! Where is our TV?
It’s hiding behind those perfect bi-fold doors! This part was really important to me. I wanted the fireplace to look as if was a traditional fireplace. I didn’t want it to be obvious there was a TV hiding in there. And Nick did an incredible job of making this happen. Have a look at the video to see how it works! Nick’s plans allow you to add this as an option.
We recently turned our unused basement into a family room, playroom, and home office (see the full reveal here) so we spend most of our downtime there. After a busy day, if Zoe needs a few minutes of quiet time with her favorite movie or when the girls go to bed and we want to catch up on our favorite TV shows, this is where we end up. Now that we have our family room finished I knew we wouldn’t use the TV in our living room as much, so my main priority was aesthetics.But luckily, I got the best of both worlds. We have a beautiful living room, that looks polished and put together, while still having the convenience of using this room as a family space (TV watching included!).
To keep it as convenient as possible, I simply lean this large woven basket on the mantel. It’s texture, color and size give it enough impact that I don’t need to use anything else to decorate the mantel. So when it’s TV time, I just simply move it and open the doors. So easy!
I love the way our living room looks now, it’s such a nice change, just what we needed to keep our home feeling fresh. I’m thinking about adding two new chairs to sit directly across from the couch. I love the idea of creating a seating arrangement that really encourages conversation. Now I just have to hunt down the perfect chairs…
We would love to hear what you think of our fireplace, and of course, if you use our plans to build your own, we’d love to see photos!
If you want to give these plans a try, you can find them following the link below on Kreg’s DIY plans site. And please let us know if you make your own fireplace, we would love to see it! I’m sure you’ll find plenty of other DIY plans to put on your to-do list there as well!
Dianne Gingrich says
He sure did an amazing job! I love your living room,
Your whole house is so light and bright!
Alicia says
Thank you, Dianne. Every project he builds always amazes me!
Leanna says
This is brilliant! We have a family room with a pretty white fireplace and the alcove above it. Hubs want a TV in the alcove and I am adamant that it is not happening. This is a nice compromise and looks really good. Perfect idea.
Alicia says
I think it’s a common issue in a lot of households! 🙂 We all want the convenience of a TV in our living rooms, but they can be so unsightly. I think this is the best of both worlds!
Melanie Brooks says
Thank you for these fireplace plans! I just love the way this came out, and the plans are so well written…
I can do this!
I absolutely hate seeing a big black tv over a mantel, and this is a perfect solution.
Alicia says
I’m with you, Melanie, I love that we have an easy way to conceal our TV. And you totally can do this, make sure you send us photos or tag us once you’ve finished, we would love to see it! 🙂
Kristin salazar says
I love this!!!
Alicia says
Thank you, Kristin! It’s made such a difference in our home. I love that our TV doesn’t have to be out on display all of the time!
Angela says
Love it! Where did you get your window shades? Love those too!
Alicia says
Thank you, Angela! You can find all of the details on our shades under the Shop – Window Shades section of our site! And if you’ve got questions, we’re always happy to chat! 🙂
Linda says
I love all of it and noticed you have a rattan (or wicker) wall basket. Can you pls tell me where I can purchase one? Tx so much
.
Alicia says
Hi Linda, we bought the wall basket locally and I haven’t had any luck sourcing it online. But I did find a similar wall basket that I linked under our Shop page. I hope that helps!
kristie says
Hi, do you have a link to the inside tile of the fireplace? Looks beautiful and I would love to know this tile!
Alicia says
Hi Kristie, we updated the post with a link to the tile we used on the fireplace face, although we don’t have the name for the tile used on the interior. We cannot remember it, but I will source it next time we are at Home Depot and update it as well. 🙂
Brin says
I love this! We just bought a house with a corner fireplace and it has the tv stuff wired for above it, this may be the perfect solution to upgrade that! ? I was Thinking we would just have to frame the tv but this is better!
Alicia says
So glad you love this idea, Brin! If you do it, we would love to see finished photos! 🙂
Dawn says
Hi your home is beautiful. I am trying to find the blue and white striped throw pillows. Link just goes to wayfair throw pillow; not specific product. Do you recall the name of the pillow?
Alicia says
Hi Dawn, it looks like it’s not available from Wayfair anymore, but I did find it at Birch Lane. Here is the affiliate link….https://rstyle.me/+879y-x9The4ubNWBx7JKsQ. I’ve also updated it in our Shop Our Home section. You’ll love these pillows, they are still one of my favourites! 🙂
Fred Knapp says
Hello, I’m doing a very similar concept with a real fireplace. Have just built the bookcases on each side. I’m having a hard time finding a link to the hinges. Within the Kreg site it mentions there should be a link in the “extras” section but it doesn’t seem to be there. Can you send me links to the hinges?
Thanks!
Nick says
Hi Fred,
These are the end hinges that we used for the sides of the doors. Hinges on Amazon
eve says
Hello! This is absolutely beautiful! I am using this as inspiration for our fireplace design. I might have missed it but I’m wondering what paint color you used? I also just saw the link to the hinges and will share that with my contractor. He was having trouble finding the right type of hinges. Actually, I just clicked the link but the page is not there. Could you provide that again?
Thank you so much! Stunning!!!
Nick says
Hi Eve,
It looks like these pivot hinges are getting harder to find! I found a pair on Amazon that look like they will work…I can’t be 100% sure without seeing them in person, but I’m pretty sure these are identical. Amazon Hinges For Doors
Katie says
Love this so much! Do you know what size electric insert would fit? Wanting to build one in our family room! Thanks!
Alicia says
Hi Katie, the fireplace would fit up to 33.5″ wide by 26″ tall x 13″ deep. Let us know if you have any other questions!