Rashad Will DDS
In the past I’ve written about how I hoped to add character to our new build home with various decorating and styling techniques. Installing an electric fireplace TV wall to create a focal point in our living room was one of the major things on my wish list. We started pricing up electric fires and the cost of building a faux fireplace in 2020 and when I found a builder who could do the work before Christmas the deal was sealed.
The twinkly fire combined with floor to ceiling faux chimney breast and Samsung Frame TV instantly transformed the room and adds a cosy inviting feature that we felt was lacking. In this post, I’ll break down how we decided on the design, plus the measurements, materials and costs involved in the project for anyone who might want to give it a go themselves. I’ve laid out below how exactly we came to decide on the products and dimensions of our TV and fireplace wall to help you design your own.
We actually gained floor space by installing the faux chimney breast as it is narrower than most sideboards/ TV units. I scoured Pinterest and Instagram for different electric fireplaces and really liked the way The Blooming Nest used timber cladding to add extra texture to the wall.
We had already purchased a 50 inch Samsung Frame TV after loving the one we had in our dining room, so this was our starting point for working out the dimensions of the chimney breast and what size fire we would need.
We cleared everything from the wall we planned to build on and used masking tape to frame out the ideal position for the TV, mantle and fire. Once again we got out the masking tape and having seen how it all looked on the wall we settled for the Gazco EReflex 85R electric fire. I really wanted a mantle to pop decorative bits on (and hang our stockings at Christmas, of course) but was worried we wouldn’t fit one in without making the TV too high up the wall.
We can’t fit heaps on it because it is close to the TV, and I chose the narrowest option in order to not walk into it, but I think it makes the fire look a touch more traditional, which is what I wanted. We didn’t want to favour style over function and end up with achy necks after watching Netflix every night, so although aesthetically I would have liked to space everything out more, practically these measurements are what’s worked for us. While this may be an easy DIY project for other couples, Justin and I lack the equipment and skills for this kind of job so we hired local builder Ben from BAW Renovations. Ben sourced all the materials to build and panel the frame and got the whole thing built, clad, primed and painted in 4 days. Build floor to ceiling projecting frame with supporting timbers to house tv and fire. We’ve hidden the One Connect Box, a Google Home & Facebook Portal in here and I love how you’d never know from the front.
Ben took care of a couple of extra fiddly bits too, like cutting out the carpet so we could clad down to the floor and drilling a discreet hole for a lamp to be wired through. That being said, our total spend was still half the price of some of the fire suites we viewed in the specialist store and is completely custom built too.
After spending a long time deliberating over what to do with our alcoves we added floating oak shelves (also from Cottage Beams) almost a year after building the fireplace.
