How to Design a Family Room with a Fake Fireplace

Add a Focal Point

Even when a fireplace isn't functional, it can still act as a gorgeous point to center the furniture in the room around. You can decorate your mantle to be eye-catching and fresh, determining the style of the space.

• Decorate with Shiplap

Finishing a faux fireplace by covering it in shiplap gives it a unique and modern look. Paint it white for a modern farmhouse feel and add something rustic and decorative in the unused part where a fire should be. A small pile of driftwood or some metal pots filled with birch twigs give your room a natural, cozy atmosphere.

• Add a Wood Pile

You can fill the space with wood for a closed-off fireplace or a decorative mantle to make the room feel cozy. Creating the look of a wood stack that seals the opening of an unused fake fireplace is an exciting way to use the space and make it an art piece within the room.

• Fill the Faux Opening With Brick

For an unused fireplace to pop and still keep its classic charm, fill the opening with a faux brick wall. A brick wall acts as a rustic centerpiece and hints at the fireplace's history, a mystery behind the brick. Even if your fake fireplace is a brand new addition to your living room, you can make it feel like a timeless part of the space by incorporating elements from your home's current decor.

• Build a Brick Wall Around the Mantle

Dictate the atmosphere of the family room via a faux brick wall finish that surrounds your fake fireplace. This design makes the fireplace feel like more of a permanent fixture in the room, and it changes the feeling of your space.

You can choose a faux brick finish for your whole wall or just as a small, fake chimney style directly around and above the fireplace mantle. Brick veneeris an affordable option, or you can even go with a faux brick wallpaper if you're choosing to do the whole wall.

Selecting the brick color is a significant factor in how your family room design will come together. A fireplace surround or contemporary brick face interior wall with red brick creates a traditional loft aesthetic or rustic farmhouse look. This color matches well with antique white furniture or soft yellow tones that warm your family room.

With grey brick interior finishes, you can achieve a modern industrial look or a minimalistic Scandanavian design. Grey brick looks fantastic with contrasting black and white or cool blues. You can also paint your brick veneer white or add white chiffon curtains to windows on the brick wall to add neutral texture to your palette.

Warming Up the Room

Just because it's a fake fireplace, it doesn't mean it can't be warm and cozy. Once you've established your mantle as the focal point of the room, there are several ways you can use the opening to create a sense of warmth in the family room.

• Free Standing Electric Space Heater

With an eye-catching finish to your mantle and faux fireplace opening, the next step can be to select a freestanding electric heater that you'll place in the opening of the fireplace. A tile, brick, or shiplap backsplash behind the heater creates depth and still makes your fireplace a source of cozy comfort in your home.

• Light Some Candles

Fill your fake fireplace opening with some gorgeous candles in varying sizes, and light them up when you want a lovely, warm evening. Play with the candles' color to complement the mantle's decor and your furniture, and don't shy away from contrast.

Adding candles to your fireplace also allows you to easily switch up the mood as the seasons change, with deep red candles in December or cream-colored candles in the spring. Be sure to get a lovely large candle to emphasize the height of the faux fireplace and choose a scent that soothes you and your family.

Furniture to Complement the Fireplace

When adding a faux fireplace to an existing family room that's already been decorated and designed to your taste, ensure that you're arranging the furniture in the room to best complement the fireplace.

Create a seating arrangement that centers around the mantle as a focal point in the room so that sofas, chairs, and loungers face towards that area. A coffee table in the middle of the space in front of the fireplace and mantle encourages conversation.

When completely redesigning your family along with the faux fireplace installation or refinishing, you have more freedom to match your furniture style and color to the look of the fireplace.

When choosing a white shiplap finish for your fake fireplace, you'll want to select fabric upholstered furniture rather than leather to enhance the country farmhouse or beach house aesthetic. Whereas choosing a grey brick surround for the fireplace encourages you to choose minimalistic, modern furniture pieces in cool tones or shades like black, grey, or blue with contemporary designs.

Create A Cohesive Look

Incorporating your faux fireplace into the family room can feel intimidating if you've already invested time and money designing a family room you love. But adding a touch of class and warmth to your space is extremely rewarding. It will revitalize your living space by creating a new center of attention that encourages the family to gather around and chat.