Interior design with an electric fireplace

Closer to the original

If you want to bring the appearance of the fireplace as close as possible to the "original", then you need to purchase real fireboxes. At least those citizens who live on the top floors of houses have a very real opportunity to admire the flames in a cast-iron firebox. Of course, a classic fireplace with a huge portal cannot be squeezed into a modern small-sized apartment. Yes, and it is too heavy - this is a colossal load on the interfloor ceilings. But even here there is a way out - you can buy a stove-type fireplace.

Today, a huge variety and variety of such heaters are on sale. Some models are even decorated with artistic casting and majolica. In addition, unlike the “bourgeois” of the Civil War, their current counterparts have not only a refractory glass door that allows you to admire the fire, but also sets of enameled pipes

It is also important in the conditions of the city that they can be heated not only with banal firewood, coal or peat briquettes, but in general with everything that burns

Now a lot of domestic and foreign companies are selling fireplaces, "potbelly stoves". But there are models from other countries on the Russian market. Most often in specialized stores you can see the products of the Spanish company Traforart, German HARK and Italian Piazzetta. In addition to the eye-pleasing design, Western stoves have a number of other important advantages. For example, models produced under the Traforart brand are not just made of steel, but also have a “second skin” - refractory bricks or ceramic tiles in one case, or brass and cast iron in another. The weight of the product ranges from 50 to 180 kg.

More slender “Germans” from HARK look like an arch or resemble a round barrel with a flat back. Three functional compartments are combined in their design: a firewood rack, a firebox and a niche-shelf. Such a stove will easily fit into the interior of a city apartment, whether it is strict in black tiles with a brass door or silver in white tiles on a thick glass stand. Vitoceramic glass doors withstand temperatures up to 750°C.

In order to avoid accidents, here are some useful tips and warnings when using "bourgeois" fireplaces.

Recommended:

• Before lighting a fire, light a paper bundle and “break through” cold air at the mouth of the furnace at the chimney inlet with an open flame.
• Maintain the combustion process with an open flame with dry chips for 10-15 minutes, and only after that you can add small sticks up to 3 cm in diameter and 35 cm long.
• After each heating of the fireplace, it is necessary to rake into the ash pan and throw away all combustion products. Otherwise, the ash will eat through metal, stone, brick, and contribute to the formation and spread of a bad smell.
• Twice a year, you should clean the chimney from soot, soot and tar, which can cause a fire.

Not recommended:

• Throw large, unsplit wood, plastic or paper packages into the fire.
• Fill the hearth firebox with fuel more than ¼ of the volume and put logs that exceed the length of the firebox.

Preparation for work

For convenient manufacture and installation of the electric fireplace portal, you should first of all:

• make room for work;
• provide for the release of dust during the processing of materials.

Before placement, consider the direction in which the heated air will move.
In the path of the constant flow of hot air currents, there should not be anything that could suffer from excessive heating and drying. From prolonged direct exposure to hot air, furniture and a number of plastic products, including plastic windows, can become unusable.

There must be an electrical outlet near the location of the portal. In order not to constantly remove the plug from the socket, it is advisable to provide a switch for it.

On the wall where the hearth will be placed, a sheet of heat-resistant material should be attached to the entire area of ​​\u200b\u200bthe fireplace portal. For this, a sheet of asbestos or a similar material is suitable.

The minimum thickness of the hearth for an electric fireplace is 70 cm. Based on this, you need to calculate how much space such a decorative element will take up along with the manufactured body. If the room is small, you can make a corner fireplace.

Before starting work, a drawing of the planned product should be prepared with a breakdown by parts and an indication of the number and dimensions of all components. Naturally, the parameters of the future fireplace must correspond to the dimensions of the built-in electrical appliance that simulates the burning of a flame.

The size of the countertop should be larger than the area of ​​the upper part of the fireplace portal body by about 15-20 cm on each side, except for the one adjacent to the wall.

For the manufacture of the body of the electric fireplace you will need:

• Countertop - MDF panel is best
  (medium density fibreboard), it is easy to process due to the uniformity of the structure. The panels may already have the desired appearance, many manufacturers cover the plates with plastic or enamel of various colors and textures, or you can paint the uncoated plate yourself to your taste.
• Directly the body, which is made of drywall sheets.
  This material is resistant to temperature changes, easy to process and quite environmentally friendly;
• The frame of the body (racks and crossbeams) is made of a metal profile.
  Parameters for racks - 50x50 mm, for guide rails - 50x40 mm;
• As fasteners
  small self-tapping screws 10-20 mm long are used;
• Dry mixes for puttying and priming drywall.
  For surface treatment, it is enough to mix them with water. For priming drywall, it is best to use universal acrylic mixtures;
• Special glue
  for finishing material;
• Finishing material: decorative tiles, mosaic.
  You can use textured plaster, stucco or paint. Bricks can be used to finish the bottom of the fireplace or make a podium pedestal.

To process these materials and assemble the fireplace body, you will need

• sanding machine;
• metal scissors;
• building level;
• screwdriver or screwdriver;
• construction pencil or felt-tip pen;
• hammer;
• construction or clerical knife;
• primer roller, paint brushes, spatula.

Portal making

The fireplace scheme is created depending on taste preferences, availability of free space and financial capabilities.

There are a huge number of different models of electric fireplaces and various materials are used for their manufacture. The portal of the electric fireplace can be made of drywall, stone, noble woods, chipboard, plywood and so on.

Scheme and dimensions

So, first you need to decide on the location of the future structure. Then purchase or make your own electrical part of the hearth. Create a detailed drawing and prepare all the raw materials and tools necessary for work.

A false fireplace can be of different sizes and shapes.

Another version of the false fireplace scheme

Materials and tools

• The frame is created from a metal profile, on which drywall is subsequently fixed.
• Drywall itself.
• Putty that needs to be diluted with water.
• Primer tool.
• Net for seams.
• Thermal insulation.
• Detailed blueprint.
• Self-tapping screws.
• A metal corner with which the corners will be fixed.
• Facing material, such as tiles.
• The board is furniture.
• Special glue.
• Several spatulas.
• Screwdriver.
• Stationery knife.
• Sandpaper.
• Scissors for cutting metal products.

Step-by-step instruction

Now that all the preparatory work has been completed, you can begin work on the construction of the portal.

1. First you need to prepare a metal profile and drywall. Cut them out according to the dimensions indicated in the drawing.

2. Install the frame from the profile, according to the drawing plan.

3. Fasten the drywall to the profile frame with self-tapping screws.

4. Completely sheathe the skeleton of the structure with drywall, as indicated in the drawing.

5. The next step is to seal all the seams and corners with a putty mixture. The whole structure is plastered

6. Treat the dried putty with sandpaper. This is necessary to correct all irregularities.

7. Install corner profiles at the corners of the puttied drywall. This will give rigidity to the structure, and its corners will not break off.

8. Carefully prime the surface of the structure and leave to dry completely. As soon as the surface has dried, you can begin to decorate and decorate the fireplace portal beautifully.

9. The last step is to install the hearth, fix the furniture board on top and connect the device.

Corner or wall where to install a false fireplace

Carefully approach the issue of the location of the future structure, because after you build it, moving it to another place will be extremely problematic.

Experts advise to make a design layout and try it on in different metas. The layout can be created, for example, from cardboard with the exact dimensions of the fireplace.

There are a few things to consider when choosing a location:

• the location of the future fireplace should not be cluttered with unnecessary items. The space must be free enough.
• Do not install it between pieces of furniture such as cabinets, chests of drawers and so on.
• The best place to install it is the corner of the room. Thus, the comfort and coziness created by a false fireplace will be maximum.

Decorative firewood for fireplaces

To give a finished look to the fireplace under a cold fire, it is necessary to “put” firewood and coals. On the windows of specialized stores there is a huge selection of decorative firewood made of plastic or ceramics. Such dummies exactly repeat the texture of dry or partially burnt wood. Imitation, purchased or made with your own hands, will turn the hearth into the center of home warmth and comfort.

In order to obtain greater realism, a backlight with red light filters is installed under the wood-burning display.
In more expensive versions of decorative firewood, internal lighting with a non-repeating flicker cycle is provided.

Initially, the fireplace in the house was intended primarily for heating. Nowadays, city dwellers are saved from the cold by central heating. At the same time, the fireplace is still associated with home comfort, a place for rest and relaxation. Therefore, in a modern interior, you want to get your own hearth, but only for the sake of beauty. For this, a false fireplace is erected, in which fire is present as heat for the soul, and not for the body.

You can make a home decorative portal yourself or involve a specialist, or you can purchase a ready-made dummy. It all depends on your desires and possibilities.

To create a full-fledged decoration, it is necessary to pay attention to the main attribute of the fireplace - fire. Naturally, a real flame is not possible for every fireplace.

But anyone can create an imitation of fire on their own.

Firewood for electric fireplaces

As decorative elements used to simulate a "live" flame, you can use combinations of lamps, artificial firewood and coal, reflective elements. To create the effect of movement, cloth patches and fans can be used.

For example, you can make a decorative hearth using artificial homemade logs and LED lamps with randomly switching red, yellow and white lamps.

The procedure for making decorative logs:

• From corrugated cardboard tightly twist oblong rolls of different lengths
  and thickness and with the help of glue to fix the cardboard in this form. To fix the shape, tighten the ends of the rolls with rubber bands;
• Using the differences in the size of the rolls, glue the blanks in the form of logs with knots.
  Use adhesive tape to fix knots;
• Remove fixing straps
  paint the resulting logs with paint;
• Separate branches can be made
  , painting sheets of paper crumpled into crumpled rolls.

The theater uses this method of simulating a flame:

• Placed in a cardboard box
  small fan;
• Multi-colored LEDs are installed above this fan.
  appropriate colors (yellow, red, orange, etc.);
• Directly above the LEDs are small mirrors
  , which will reflect electric light, creating the effect of fiery highlights;
• Strips of different sizes and shapes are cut out of white fabric.
  These strips are placed inside the box around the fan. They will play the role of tongues of fire.
• The box can be decorated with artificial charcoal
  , branches, decorative logs and place in the hearth of an electric fireplace.

The inner surface of the electric fireplace portal can be isolated from warm air jets using reflective thermal insulation.
This will increase the heat transfer of the device itself and extend the life of the portal body and its finish.
It is strongly not recommended to use candles, as well as any other open source of real fire, as an imitation of a fire flame in an electric fireplace.
In addition to the obvious risk of fire, the source of an open fire almost always smokes, which negatively affects the appearance of a decorative fireplace, especially if it is made in light colors.

Before buying, you should carefully study the functions of the device.
If you cannot control the brightness of the simulation, prolonged operation of the device can cause eye fatigue.

It is advisable to ask to turn on the device and pay attention to the noise level during its operation. Here it must be remembered that in a store any noise is not as noticeable as in residential premises, and if the noise level of a new product is higher than desired, then with further operation, the noise of working mechanisms will only increase.

To design a composition with a hearth, you can add elements
, accompanying the maintenance of a real fire: tongs, a poker, a bundle of firewood, etc.

views

The main components of an electric fireplace

An electric fireplace will perfectly decorate the interior of the apartment

Self-creation of an electric fireplace with the effect of a living flame is a time-consuming process. But he's worth it. It will brighten up more than one evening for you. First of all, before proceeding with the construction of this unit, it is necessary to figure out what its main components are. It includes two main elements: the hearth and the portal. The first is an electronic system in which the translation of the burning flame takes place. The second is the frame where the firebox or hearth is placed.

There are a large number of options for building an electric fireplace on your own. But all of them are united by these two elements, which are made separately, and then combined into one design.

Creating a decorative fireplace

Making decorative and false fireplaces with your own hands is quite simple. For this you will need:

• drywall sheet;
• sharp knife;
• metal corners and profile;
• self-tapping screws;
• screwdriver;
• simple pencil;
• putty for covering joints;
• water-based paint;
• long line.

We offer detailed instructions on how to make a fireplace. It includes:

• On the surface of the drywall we apply the markings of the future structure.
• Next, cut out the details with a sharp knife.
• After that, using metal corners, we connect all the elements together.
• On the surface of the wall we make a metal frame from a special profile.
• We fix the gypsum blank to the concrete plane.
• When the structure is installed, we proceed to cover up all the irregularities.
• The final step will be painting the gypsum structure.

How to arrange the production of decorative firewood

Cardboard is rolled into tubes

Self-creation of a dummy of firewood is a simple task.

Elements are interconnected

You can make them from materials that everyone has at hand. As an example, we will consider firewood, which is made from cardboard, glue, tape and paint.

Imitated logs must be painted

Of course, decorative firewood can also be purchased ready-made. They just aren't cheap.

First, cut out a cardboard blank for firewood. Then glue this blank so that it resembles a log. Paint the resulting firewood and put it in the hearth.

Decorative cardboard logs laid in a simulated hearth - cheap and cheerful

Styles and solutions for portals

Portal for electric fireplace can be:

• Classic - suitable for decorating most rooms and rooms in houses, apartments, has simple features, straight shapes that are combined with a more elegant themed decor;
• Country - eco-friendly and natural materials are used for such a fireplace, such as natural minerals, marble, granite, sandstone and other stone;
• Hi-tech - at the heart of such a fireplace portal are materials such as transparent glass, steel, chrome surfaces, plastic and other modern materials;
• Modern fireplaces, as well as classic ones, are easily combined with any premises and can partially intersect with the classic direction. Art Nouveau is characterized by the use of original forms, bright and contrasting shades.

An electric fireplace portal must be correctly selected or made, however, many people often make a number of mistakes and do not take into account some of the nuances:

Determine the correct and appropriate style that will be used to make the fireplace portal and decorate the room, also pay attention to the height and dimensions of the structure. If a low design suits you, you can give preference to an English fireplace, while among more bulky designs, imitations of fireplaces in the style of Russian stoves are very popular;
An electric fireplace will be lost if you deepen it very much or hide it in a frame; also, when choosing a hearth and a portal, you must take into account their size, as well as a combination with the area of ​​\u200b\u200bthe room

If you prefer the classics, then the firebox will occupy two-thirds of the portal in height and half the width;
Before you make a portal, you need to buy a suitable hearth, otherwise in the end it simply won’t fit in the frame in size or won’t be combined with it in its style.

New Year at the hearth

As a rule, they strive to make the largest room in the apartment common, that is, the living room. Indispensable attributes of a modern living room are comfortable upholstered furniture - armchairs and sofas, audio, television and video equipment, a dining table. It would seem - and cozy, and modern, and functional, but still something is missing ... You guessed it? Of course, a fireplace is needed here. After all, it is he who can create that unique idyllic atmosphere for which all family members will be happy to gather on quiet evenings or celebrate noisy fun parties, for example, around the New Year tree.

According to the design rules, the fireplace should be combined with the rest of the furnishings in the room.Elements of its decoration should be present elsewhere, for example, in the ornament of a carpet, in the pattern of furniture or curtains, in wallpaper. It is desirable to comply with the same condition when it comes to the festive decoration of the room - for Christmas Eve or for the New Year. If there are candlesticks on the fireplace shelf, it would be nice to put the same set on the table and wrap both candles with a thin foil tape.

In the West, before Christmas, funny socks with small gifts from Santa Claus are hung over the fireplaces. You can adopt this custom and, in addition to socks, sew napkins similar in design from the same cotton material to put them on the festive table. Now Christmas tree wreaths, decorated with beautiful balls and tinsel, have come into fashion. If you do not want to make them from real fir branches, you can limit yourself to an artificial wreath: twist a shaggy garland around the axis several times - you get the same wreath. Decorate it with frosted silver and red balls and hang a wreath over the fireplace. For greater beauty, wrap a Christmas tree garland (with small bulbs) around the wreath. Then the glow of the red balls will shimmer with the embers of the fireplace. And decorate the table with two more of the same wreaths - it will be very stylish.

You can remember your childhood. Choose a free evening and dedicate it to carving snowflakes from tissue paper or foil. Paste all windows and doors with ready-made snowflakes. And from a thick synthetic winterizer you can make snowballs - they can then be laid out on the windowsills, floor, fireplace shelf, attached to the curtains. Indeed, in the end, it depends on your imagination, skill and ingenuity whether your living room will look kindly light, cozy and festive.

Do-it-yourself portal for an electric fireplace

If you want to buy an electric fireplace and are going to make a portal for it with your own hands, we recommend that you listen to these tips:

• To assemble the structure, choose only durable refractory materials, as well as cladding that will fit the firebox and the interior of the room in style;
• The hole into which the firebox will be inserted must be of ideal shape and size so that the hearth enters it and does not damage the surface;
• If you plan to assemble a fireplace portal made of wood with your own hands, it will fit well into a country or classic interior, and it is recommended to use synthetic glue to join and connect the elements;
• It is possible to assemble a suitable portal that fully meets all the stated requirements only with the help of a preliminary drawn up project with all measurements and preferably an image of the structure from various angles and in section.

The most popular framing for electric fireplaces is a plasterboard portal, which can be easily assembled with your own hands; you can also use polyurethane, plywood, chipboard, MDF and other durable and reliable materials instead of this material.

To work, we need to acquire:

• Galvanized metal profile and design project;
• Self-tapping screws with fine threads;
• Plasterboard, paint;
• Plaster.

The electric fireplace, the installation of which will be carried out by hand, will be made using the following technology:

First of all, a base is created from a metal profile, fastened with self-tapping screws, after which a frame is assembled into which an electric hearth will be installed, we strengthen such a frame with metal profiles, create a podium;
An electric fireplace, a video about which you can view on the Internet, is then sheathed with sheets of drywall, it is also necessary to take into account that there is an electrical outlet close to the location of the fireplace

The upper part of the fireplace is assembled from the metal profile, which imitates a chimney, after which it is also sheathed with plasterboard;
The surface of the fireplace portal is first primed and then puttied, it is important that the plaster solution is sufficiently dense and thick, and it is better to give preference to a gypsum-based composition, since such a surface will be smoother and even;
A corner electric fireplace made of drywall at this stage of the work must be painted, for these purposes it is better to use facade paint and, after it has dried, additionally treat the portal with varnish;
Now we start decorating the space near the fireplace and the shelf, if any, for this, paintings, mirrors, figurines, candles can be used.

You can also assemble a portal for an electric hearth or a false fireplace from materials such as:

• Metal profiles and drywall;
• Self-tapping screws, tiles (stone);
• Drawings, special glue (can be replaced with liquid nails);
• Board for creating a shelf above the firebox.

As in the first case, first of all, a skeleton is created from a metal profile, which is sheathed with drywall, after which the portal is lined with stone or tiles and a wooden tabletop is installed and fixed on top.

Making a fireplace

A place for a fireplace is marked directly on the wall and floor using a marker and a building level. This is done for ease of manufacture and assembly, and besides this, it allows you to try on the main element, an electric firebox, to the parameters of the future portal.

Before mounting the frame, you can make a podium for a more spectacular appearance of the entire product.
The pedestal is made of brick or other blocks, it can be decorated with tiles, natural stone, that is, those materials that are suitable for finishing the foundations of buildings. A significant disadvantage of this add-on is its complete static nature, such a pedestal will be almost impossible to move anywhere.

After the necessary materials and tools have been prepared, you can begin to manufacture the fireplace portal. The algorithm of work is the following:

The fireplace is ready and you can place the heating part in it.

If the ventilation of the electric heating device itself is directed upwards, then it makes sense to add a decorative chimney to the main portal. It is also made of metal profiles and drywall according to the same algorithm as the main part of the body.

In the upper tabletop of the portal at the installation site of the decorative pipe, you will need to make a hole for ventilation, and make several small holes on the sides of the chimney. For a better visual effect, such a pipe should be made up to the ceiling.

The location of the fireplace must be held.
It is best that it be made of wire with self-extinguishing insulation. It is desirable that the wiring be wound into the body of the fireplace portal in a metal corrugated sleeve.

When installing the firebox, make sure that no foreign objects get into it. The power cord of the heating part must not be placed under the floor covering or in the wall; access to it must be open.

corner fireplace

There are no special differences in the manufacture of the corner portal from the preparation of the portal of the front fireplace.

The only thing that changes is the shape of the frame and, accordingly, the shape of the entire body of the corner fireplace, or rather its part facing the corner of the wall. Also, the shape of the table top changes from rectangular to pentagonal. Everything else, both the manufacturing process and the assembly of the entire structure, is almost the same.

The corner fireplace differs from the front one only in that it is more versatile when placed in small rooms, and also in that the corner fireplace, in the case of performing a heating function, provides less heat transfer than the front one.

Types of fireplaces

Electric fireplaces differ in heating elements, systems for distributing the heat they generate, as well as the presence of various improvements and additional functions. These can be thermostats for the ability to turn off when a certain temperature is reached, imitators of the crackling of burning branches, etc.

According to their purpose, the devices in question are divided into completely decorative and functional.
Decorative fireplaces without heating systems are much cheaper and are used exclusively for decorating rooms. Appliances with a heating function, in addition to an understandable decorative effect, are sometimes able to be the main source of heat in a room.

A conventional heater with imitation of a fire burning is able to heat a room with an area of ​​20-25 m² at a power of about 2 kW.

According to the type of execution, electric fireplaces are divided into:

• Stand alone.
  This view directly imitates the fiery hearth. The firebox is quite compact, the appearance of such a device does not require additional design. For its operation, it is enough to choose a location and connect it to the mains;
• Fireplace complex (set).
  Such a decorative element consists of an electric hearth and a finished decorative frame. For obvious reasons, this is the most expensive type of electric fireplaces, if we evaluate them by design features;
• Built-in electric fireplaces.
  These devices are suitable for mounting in the wall of a room or placing in a separately manufactured portal. It is this execution of the fireplace that ultimately allows you to get a decorative element of the room that is most suitable for a particular person.