9 Ideas for Fireplace Surround Built-ins to Add Character and Storage Space

Finding storage space at home can be difficult, especially if space is at a premium. Built-ins around the fireplace add much-needed storage while keeping style and your favorite accessories at the forefront. Whether you’re looking for enclosed storage to hide wires, gaming equipment, and electronics, or open shelves to display your memorabilia collection, built-in items around the fireplace can meet both needs.

Fireplace interiors can be recessed or flush, symmetrical or asymmetrical, and available in a variety of finishes depending on your design vision. Increase your home’s storage potential with these nine built-in fireplace tips, including ideas for updating existing built-ins around the fireplace and solutions for building and installing new fireplace cabinets and shelves.

1. Determine Storage Needs

Before adding built-ins around the fireplace, consider the rest of your home. Do you only need books for a few key locations? Or is your home already feeling overcrowded? Are the built-ins around the fireplace essential for storage? This may help you decide how much storage space to add and whether it’s a floor-to-ceiling unit, a simple low bookcase, or a bench.

2. Focus on the Mantelpiece First

A fireplace with only a mantelpiece is a way to save a little storage space while maintaining a neat look – a particularly important goal for small rooms. Adding decorative items to the mantelpiece can help make the fireplace the focal point of any room. Use color-coded small stacks of books or contrasting décor to draw attention to your mantelpiece. Focusing on mantelpiece décor makes it easy to swap out items that suit each season and holiday season, keeping your home fresh and festive with minimal effort.

3. Choose a Built-In Fireplace and a Built-In Fireplace

Many of the built-ins around the fireplace are set back a few inches to accommodate the depth of the fireplace while providing usable storage space that isn’t too bulky. Other built-in facilities are located on the same plane as the fireplace. A built-in device that takes a step back can provide some visual relief, especially in a small room. However, if you don’t already have built-in built-in furniture in your home, they can be a big renovation project, while ready-made bookcases are easy to add if you have space in your room.

4. Decide to Use a Symmetrical or Asymmetrical Fireplace Cabinet

The location of the fireplace will affect the position of the built-in fireplace and whether it is uniform on both sides. There are no rules: do what suits your house and needs. Modern fireplace built-ins may work well on one side only, especially if the design is sleek and not cumbersome. The way a traditional home might feel best is a symmetrical fireplace with built-in fireplaces on both sides.

5. Enhance the Base of the Built-In Fireplace

If your fireplace has a raised base at a lower seat height, you can extend it to the sides to place low shelves or drawers for added storage (and additional seating as well). If you prefer the warmth of being close to the fire, expanding the fireplace can add a place to sit. Bring a book and a blanket to create the perfect place to read. Adding drawers under an extended seat is an easy way to increase storage space in your living room.

6. Mix and Match Bases and Shelves with Built-In Units

Hidden storage and open shelving work well together, especially for fireplaces with short walls. This look is commonly found in traditional or cottage-style homes and can bring a visual balance to the space. The shelves on the fireplace side of the living room showcase colorful accessories while helping to open up the space and make it look bigger than it actually is.

7. Turn off Storage as Needed

Doors with glass, metal, or solid fronts are another option for built-ins around the fireplace and a way to add visual variety. Solid doors can accommodate and hide clutter, while glass doors provide display space. Don’t be afraid to mix and match closed doors with open shelves. Built-in cabinetry around the fireplace is a great place to store books and games, while the mantelpiece shelves and cabinet surfaces can provide areas to display photos and decorations.

8. Choose Materials and Design Details

Whichever fireplace built-in setup you decide to choose, use your home and fireplace to find clues about materials and details. Built-in is an excellent way to repeat certain design elements, such as materials or molding types elsewhere in the room. In addition, incorporating details already in the home into the built-in fireplace can maintain the consistency of the interior design. This way, your room has a fluid style and color scheme.

9. Install Open Shelves

Open shelving is a simple built-in fireplace concept and a practical, adaptable way to get lots of storage space. In narrow fireplace corners, they fill a space that would otherwise be a dead end. If there are no windows next to the fireplace, consider moving the shelves from the floor to the ceiling. Open shelves provide the opportunity to create symmetrical fireplaces with built-in fireplaces on each side. Otherwise, ending them at mantelpiece height is a great way to blend the look of the built-in inserts with the fireplace.