MetaChat - Is it totally weird to put in a mantle where there is no fireplace?

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25 September 2007

Is it totally weird to put in a mantle where there is no fireplace? →[More:]So it's finally time to move our neverending house renovations up to the third floor and create our glorious master suite! Right now it's a mess of cheap wood panelling and orange carpet. We're going to tear it all out and put in new drywall and wood floors. The room that our bed is going in has two giant windows and an awesome view. It also has a pretty low ceiling. But that's cool. It makes it cozy. The cozy, cottagey, up-in-a-treehouse effect would be greatly enhanced by a fireplace--but putting that in would be wicked expensive, so I'm thinking of faking it.

It also has one wall that currently has two small closets that are begging to be turned into built-in shelves flanking said fireplace. How weird would it be to put a mantle there to mimic a closed-up fireplace? There are lots of candleholders on the market made to fit into a fireplace and cast flickery goodness across the room. And a big mirror would look so perfect overtop.

Would that be crazy? Or worse, tacky?

post by: jrossi4r at: 12:51 | 13 comments

I don't think it's be weird OR tacky... I think it's a great idea!

Also, have you looked at those electric fireplaces? They actually look better in person than in photos. And they do provide heat, so that'd add to the coziness in the winter.

posted by BoringPostcards 25 September | 12:59

We have a fake firplace that we light with candles and we love it. We also have an electric fireplace in the backporch.

posted by arse_hat 25 September | 13:08

Go for it. Some of those fake fireplaces can look damn real and provide some really cost efficient heat. I've got a fake mantlepiece myself in my living room I have every intention of keeping.

posted by Orange Swan 25 September | 14:16

I think a mantle can add a lot to a room, whether it's over a fireplace or not. In essence, it's just a narrow shelf that provides a focal point. The converted closets/built-in shelves sound fantastic, too!

posted by Elsa 25 September | 14:16

Sure, a fake fireplace is nice, but is it as nice as a fake moon landing?

posted by box 25 September | 14:21

I love the idea. It sounds beautiful.

posted by LoriFLA 25 September | 14:35

We had an electric fire (turned on with a switch on the wall) in our old house in FL. Man, I loved that thing. Perfect for cold mornings (it gets cold in FL, and the houses aren't as prepared for it as they are up north). Actually, that house was perfect in my mind, and although my parents sold it for good reasons (and thank goodness they did, now that the market is so bad), I still miss it.

posted by ThePinkSuperhero 25 September | 14:44

If you don't need the heat from an actual electric fireplace, create the fireplace surround just as if there's a real fireplace that was closed off. Plan on putting in lots of candles - nothing says romance like lots of candles. Back the fire area with a mirror for increased candle goodness. Use a non-combustible hearth, just in case one of the candles falls over...

posted by mightshould 25 September | 14:54

Exxxxcellent. Now that I have your approval (and suggestions) I'm gonna fake it up!

posted by jrossi4r 25 September | 15:29

This thread is useless without pictures.

Make it look like there was a fireplace, and put in a bank of candles.

posted by theora55 25 September | 16:46

Yes, I'd like to see the orange carpet and fake wood panelling too! Retro all the way!

We need "before" pics.

posted by mightshould 25 September | 16:54

What's wrong with cheap wood panelling and orange carpet?

The fake fireplace sounds like an excellent idea and the candles/mirror will give you that flickering, romantic lighting effect that would be perfect in a bedroom.

We need before/after shots, though.

posted by dg 25 September | 17:52

Go for it. I've had a mantel in every apartment I've ever lived in, they're great. But, since Buffalo housing code has a lot of crazy rules for fireplaces in rental dwellings, most are bricked off since it's easier. No one's ever said "hey, they should rip that mantel out since the fireplace doesn't work!"

posted by kellydamnit 26 September | 11:04

← I slep with the fan on last night . . . || I'm so sick of the lunarnormative bullshit that goes on here. →

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