Master Bedroom Fireplace

The master bedroom was a really rewarding project.

The room is quite long, and seemed absolutely huge compared to the condo that we were moving from.  A few ideas that we started with included a need for storage, a dressing area, and somewhere to mount the tv.  I experimented by sketching some half walls and shelving systems, but liked the idea of a false fireplace best.

After all of the drawings and CAD were done, the first step was to frame in the wall.  The first two photos are taken from the same spot in the room – the first one is the “before” picture from the home inspection.  After the drywall was up and the walls were painted, I started on the fireplace itself.

For the bricks, we used a brick veneer from Century Architexture instead of real brick for a few reasons.  First, real brick would have been incredibly heavy and would likely have ended up through the floor and into the living room below our bedroom.  Second, veneer is so much easier (for an amateur like me) to work with.  Score each brick with a utility knife, give it a snap, then install it over drywall like you would with any other tile.

The mantle and surround was built out of pine and based on this free plan that you can download.  I built the mantle over a few days spending a few hours at a time and painted before installing.  I looked at some pre-built mantles, but most of them were terrible.  And it is a lot more fun to build your own!

At the back of the fireplace is a dressing area which has a full wall of closets on one side, and drawers on the other.  We hung a large mirror on the wall opposite the bathroom (which you can see here).  I brought in an electrician to run power through the attic for the tv and to add some pot lights in the dressing area.

The headboard and night tables were – wait for it – $40 for all three pieces.  We picked them up from Moveline in Oakville, put on a coat of paint, changed the knobs, and we were done.

What do you think?