Inspire me with builtins?

[k3am]

After dreaming about it for 3 years (the entire time we’ve lived here), we finally have an appointment to start the process of getting built ins around our fireplace. And after years of dreaming about it, I’m not sure what I want.

We will also be replacing the existing fireplace and converting it to gas so that we can actually use it.

So far my only thing I want is white and the top of the cupboard portion to be a natural wood tone.

These are visible to the kitchen, which we will eventually remodel also, so we want them to be somewhat neutral so that everything flows when we finally get to that.

Here’s what we’ve currently got going on.. it’s a mess. We will also be getting a new TV and mount that can be centered.. it drove me batty for so long, and then I stopped even noticing it.

[aspentosh]

This is what we have in our house.

It used to be pine (very knotty and country looking) so I painted it all white. I am glad I left the fireplace as-is because the colors are gorgeous. I still want to switch the mantel to a chunky beam style, but that's my personal style.

[ruthie7532]

This isn’t around a fireplace, but we added built in bookshelves in our office last year. We mixed white and wood tones, and I think it looks nice and could be adapted around your fireplace.

[k3am]

ruthie7532 I wish we were handy like the folks in your house! Those look great.

[Wallflower]

k3am, how exciting! I'm so glad you finally get to start this project.

I don't have any built-ins, so I don't have any really suggestions for you. But, I thought a few things to consider - I like the lights in ruthie7532's, so that's something to think about. And if you think at any point that you might want something on a shelf that gets plugged in (e.g., a holiday decoration), maybe a discretely placed outlet?

Good luck!!

[Susie]

We're planning to do the same thing, maybe in the spring.  Here's a couple pics I've pinned that I liked, although our TV is on a 90 degree wall to the FP so it will not go above.





Not around a fireplace, but this was my inspiration for how I painted a pair of white bookcases that are where the built ins will go:

[dr.girlfriend]

We have three separate sets of built-ins and love them! :-)

Living room t.v. wall:


Living room window wall:

Bedroom t.v. wall:

[boiler717]

Ours our to be built but I mocked up in excel — yellow are windows and the light blue is a TV (left) and art (right)

[candreco]

I totally copied dr.girlfriend for ours (the first pic), will add a pic of ours later!

[woowoo]

Still a work in progress but here are ours. We had some there before but they weren’t great so I ripped them out, raised the soffit by 12 inches and build out lower cabinets so we could put toys inside and shut the doors.

The counter is butcher block from ikea. I’m still waiting on the cabinet doors to come in - those are outside my skill set. That cluttered mess is the before.

[k3am]

Oct 18, 2021 6:41:35 GMT -5 Wallflower said:

k3am , how exciting! I'm so glad you finally get to start this project.

I don't have any built-ins, so I don't have any really suggestions for you. But, I thought a few things to consider - I like the lights in ruthie7532 's, so that's something to think about. And if you think at any point that you might want something on a shelf that gets plugged in (e.g., a holiday decoration), maybe a discretely placed outlet?

Good luck!!

Good call on the outlets. I may see if we can get an additional one inside the cabinets so that we can charge stuff like our VR set which is constantly just sitting out. 

[k3am]

My neighbor (who did hers recently) said the process will be cabinet guy does his design, we pay deposit, he'll do an exact design in CAD, and then we'll use his measurements to figureout the fire place. We've considered keeping the existing, but apparently DH hates bricks because it looks "old."

Based on the layout of the room, TV over fireplace is the only place that makes sense, but maybe we'll be able to lower the mantel and have it lower at least.

[mrspez07]

Oct 19, 2021 15:38:34 GMT -5 k3am said:

My neighbor (who did hers recently) said the process will be cabinet guy does his design, we pay deposit, he'll do an exact design in CAD, and then we'll use his measurements to figureout the fire place. We've considered keeping the existing, but apparently DH hates bricks because it looks "old."

Based on the layout of the room, TV over fireplace is the only place that makes sense, but maybe we'll be able to lower the mantel and have it lower at least.

When I was looking into doing a new “sleeve” over our existing mantle, I came across stuff about fire code and dimensions a mantle can be over a fire place and the overhang/depth of the mantle plays into that as well. The deeper the mantle, the higher it has to be from the actual fireplace area. Just keep that in mind.

[k3am]

Oct 21, 2021 8:00:18 GMT -5 mrspez07 said:

Oct 19, 2021 15:38:34 GMT -5 k3am said:

My neighbor (who did hers recently) said the process will be cabinet guy does his design, we pay deposit, he'll do an exact design in CAD, and then we'll use his measurements to figureout the fire place. We've considered keeping the existing, but apparently DH hates bricks because it looks "old."

Based on the layout of the room, TV over fireplace is the only place that makes sense, but maybe we'll be able to lower the mantel and have it lower at least.

When I was looking into doing a new “sleeve” over our existing mantle, I came across stuff about fire code and dimensions a mantle can be over a fire place and the overhang/depth of the mantle plays into that as well. The deeper the mantle, the higher it has to be from the actual fireplace area. Just keep that in mind.

That’s what the cabinet guy said when he came out yesterday.. very knowledgeable, said that the height of the brick is the lowest it can go and be within code for either wood or gas burning.

[k3am]

Converting our fireplace to gas may not be an option in terms of cost because of the arch. Our options for inserts would be limited and we could do a gas log, but it wouldn’t actually provide much in the way of heat.

Kinda bummed.

[dutchgirl678]

k3am, we have a gas fireplace and it doesn't give out a ton of heat, but there is an option to install a blower underneath it that would help circulate the warm air into the room. We are thinking of having that done this year.

[bhnumbers]

We have builtins in the original part of the house--these are pretty traditional to craftsman style homes. You can't really see it in the photo, but there are recessed lights over the fireplace and the shelves on either side. Aaaaaand we're about to tear them all out to expand our kitchen  I like them fine (except that headboard above the fireplace--hate it), but we never use this room and our kitchen is very small.




Then when we added on to the back of the house, we had this builtins put in the family room. 



We do not have lights built in to these (we talked about it, but decided the recessed lights were positioned well enough that we didn't need to) but we did have speaker wire run from the tv to the shelves on either side.