DIY cardboard fireplace for the New Year: step-by-step instructions for creating a magical holiday attribute (34 photos)

Nothing makes Christmas twilight and New Year's Eve as cozy as a fireplace with a bright fire or smoldering embers. It warms blizzard, cold and short winter days with its warm breath. If previously a fireplace was used only for its intended purpose, that is, for heating, now it is one of the most spectacular and expensive decorative elements.

Unfortunately, not every home can have a real fireplace installed, but there is an excellent solution - a fake fireplace made from boxes with your own hands for the New Year. This is a wonderful decoration for an apartment or private house, which can be created very simply with a little effort and imagination. In addition, such a structure helps to get rid of waste in the form of cardboard boxes for electronics, shoes, and even small cardboard packaging from which “bricks” can be cut. All New Year's holidays, an artificial hearth will complement the mysterious atmosphere of magical days.

How to make a fireplace out of cardboard with your own hands

Before creating an artificial fireplace, you need to decide on its type. Depending on the availability of free space in the apartment and its layout, there are several options for creating false fireplaces:

• wall-mounted This artificial fireplace is placed against the wall. It’s very easy to create; you don’t need any special skills;
• built-in This is an excellent option if the apartment has an empty niche;
• angular. Such a structure can occupy an unclaimed corner area formed by walls;
• insular. Installed in the center of the room;
• mini fireplace. “Baby” brings coziness and decorates a small room.

After choosing the appropriate option for an artificial fireplace, you should stock up on the necessary materials and begin interesting creative work.

False model trapezoidal

Looks unusual! The thing is that the side part is not a rectangle, but a trapezoid. How to do it?

Master Class:

• We make an add-on to the main box

• Making a hole for the firebox

• We strengthen everything with tape.

• Decorate with baguette.

• Let's putty.

• We apply the pattern.

All that remains is to give it a New Year's look with the help of garlands, a Christmas tree and toys.

Necessary materials

The main material for creating a false fireplace is thick cardboard. It is best to use equipment boxes. In addition, you will need (depending on the complexity of the planned project and the imagination of the author):

• adhesive tape (scotch tape);
• sharp knife;
• pencil;
• well sharpened scissors;
• glue;
• roulette (ruler);
• elements for decoration (disposable paper napkins and paint for creating bricks or wallpaper with a corresponding pattern, real firewood or artificial corrugated cardboard logs, garlands or flickering “candle in the wind” lamps, salt lamp).

The choice of decor depends on the imagination of the author.

Preparatory stage

Before you start work, you need to stock up on all materials and tools.

What you will need to create a false fireplace:

1. Large corrugated cardboard box. Any packaging from large household appliances will do: TV, refrigerator.
2. Polymer glue (for example, “Dragon”). We will use it for gluing decorative elements made of polystyrene foam.
3. PVA glue will be needed to attach pieces of thin paper to cardboard and corners.
4. Scotch tape – wide, masking tape. It will make it easy to cover the corners.
5. White water-based paint, which is useful for priming the surface of the Christmas fireplace and painting the finished structure.
6. Varnish – transparent, water-based.
7. Acrylic paint of different colors for decorative design of various elements.
8. Liquid wallpaper (optional). Some craftsmen successfully decorate the future hearth around the perimeter using this type of coating. In this case, you can achieve an imitation of any finishing material, for example, marble chips.
9. Decorative elements such as moldings, corners, stucco molding, columns and others.

Tools:

• brushes of different sizes;
• office cutter;
• sponge;
• long ruler;
• roulette;
• scotch;
• a simple pencil;
• dry rags.

Everything you need for work can be bought at stationery and construction stores.

Performance

Creating decorative fake fireplaces, although not a difficult task, requires precision, accuracy, and patience. For creative people, this is simply a holiday, because you can give free rein to your imagination, creating your own, unique, magical fireplace, from which on New Year’s Eve Santa Claus will appear and fill the socks hanging on the fireplace with gifts or put boxes under the Christmas tree standing nearby. There are a lot of options for false fireplaces, the creation of each of them differs in some nuances.

Mini fireplace from one box

This idea is perfect for people who want to decorate a small apartment. Even a small toy fireplace, decorated with tinsel or a couple of Christmas tree decorations, will create the feeling of the approaching New Year and Christmas. Such a structure can be placed on the windowsill, and it will fill the room with a mystical expectation of a miracle.

To make the structure you will need:

• shoe box;
• 3 small oblong boxes;
• dye;
• decor;
• a piece of thick cardboard;
• glue.

Step-by-step instruction:

1. The bottom of the shoe box is secured with glue and tape.
2. The long blade is bent to the outer side. Subsequently, it will become the protruding base of the mini-fireplace.
3. The second long sash is fastened to two short ones. There should be a window.
4. Small boxes are placed along its entire perimeter and markings are applied.
5. The boxes are removed, the window is enlarged by removing excess cardboard.
6. Small boxes are glued to the marking site, creating a hearth portal.
7. A shelf is cut out of plastic or foam, which should form a canopy, so it is made 5 cm longer than the false fireplace itself.
8. The resulting small fireplace is painted on each side. Wallpaper or self-adhesive film “like a brick” is glued inside the fireplace.

Finally, the fireplace is decorated with Christmas tree decorations, candles, and garlands.

Fireplace with arched cutout

To make this type of artificial fireplace, you will need two boxes of the same size. They are connected together to form a large box or box. All joints are glued and additionally secured with tape.

In order to make a fireplace out of cardboard with your own hands for the New Year, step-by-step instructions involve performing the following steps:

1. A podium for the fireplace on which it is installed is formed from polystyrene foam.
2. Separately, an arch of the portal for the false fireplace is cut out of a sheet of paper. The size of the window should correspond to the size of the artificial fireplace itself.
3. The template is applied to the front of the structure, positioned symmetrically so that the future portal is located exactly in the middle.
4. They outline it with a pencil, and then cut out the fireplace firebox in the form of an arch with a sharp stationery knife or scissors.
5. The mantelpiece and decorative plinth are glued on top.

At the end, the entire structure is covered with paper, and then an imitation of brickwork is created using “bricks” cut out of cardboard, wallpaper or self-adhesive outside and inside.

Corner fireplace made of cardboard sheets with a chimney

To create such an artificial structure, it is extremely important to first measure the angle in which the fireplace will be installed. It is necessary to ensure that it does not protrude, as it will constantly interfere, but you cannot make the fireplace shorter than the protruding walls. This will create the feeling of being pressed into a corner.

To create a corner fireplace, you will need several sheets of durable cardboard. Instructions:

1. 4 semicircular triangular blanks are cut out of cardboard. A wide strip of cardboard (border) is glued to one of them along its entire length. It turns out to be a box.
2. Thick cardboard or wooden shingles are inserted inside for structural rigidity. The second part of the structure is glued on top.
3. The same is done with the other two blanks. For reliability, all joints are additionally taped with tape.
4. After the top and bottom of the future fireplace are ready, they are connected by side walls made of thick cardboard (several layers of cardboard can be folded together).
5. The junction of the two “sides” is secured with a glue gun and additional tape.
6. From the inside, the joint is covered with a strip, which acts as an additional stiffener, and then with a rectangular piece of cardboard.
7. The structure is primed and painted with white paint.
8. “Bricks” are carefully cut from cardboard. Moreover, to create contrast in the pattern, it is better to make the internal “bricks” shorter and wider, painting them in a pale pink color. And for the exterior design, the “bricks” need to be cut narrower and longer, painting them red.
9. They begin to create a fake chimney. To make it you will need 2 corner rounded parts. The lower one should be the same size as the surface of the fireplace, and the upper one should be slightly narrower, since the chimney should taper upward.

At the end, two corner semicircular parts are connected with side panels, further strengthening them with stiffening ribs. The front part of the chimney is made from a sheet of cardboard. The false chimney can be painted any color and attached to the structure.

Step-by-step instruction

1. In the front wall of the selected cardboard package, make a semicircular slit so that the cut fireplace element can be folded inward. In the upper part of this part it is necessary to “cut” two arcs. As a result, the structure folded inward should resemble a triangle.
2. Secure the result with masking tape or glue.
3. Now work on the back wall. Cut part of the side so that the shape of the structure completely follows the parameters of the space. The walls are connected with tape.
4. Move on to decorating. Of course, you can paint the surface in the desired color, but we recommend covering the fireplace with self-adhesive wallpaper, the pattern of which imitates brickwork. Bricks are an ideal solution, since the shape here is already non-standard, and this ornament will add originality and sophistication to your building.
5. For the top shelf, use a sheet of plywood or a blank consisting of several layers of cardboard. Paint the product “like wood” or cover it with special paper.

Cardboard fireplace decor

To fully imitate a real working fireplace, it is necessary to refine the resulting structure from the outside and inside. It's hard to believe, but even an artificially created hearth can radiate heat if its firebox is designed correctly. There are several options for creating flame light:

• LCD monitor. If you have created an island fireplace, which is located in the center of the room, then you can insert an LCD monitor into the portal, when turned on, flames will appear;
• picture. Another option for decorating a fireplace is to print an image of a bright flame and then glue it to the back wall of the firebox. Candles with artificial flickering fire are placed inside the hearth;
• garland, candles, salt lamp. The light scattering effect is created by a garland placed in a frosted glass bottle. You can also place several artificial candles with a flickering flame or a salt lamp in the middle of the hearth, which, in addition to the excellent flame effect, will also improve the air in the room. The salt lamp should be camouflaged with small logs or tree branches.

This imitation will create a romantic atmosphere of decay. The presence of a smoldering fire, which seems to squint with warmth and comfortably close its reddish eyes, will create indescribable comfort on a cold winter night.

To create an imitation of a bright flame, a mirror is placed inside the hearth to each wall or the walls are covered with a film with a mirror surface. A bright yellow-orange garland is laid around the entire perimeter of the hearth.

Imitation of fire

So, the fireplace is ready, now all that remains is to simulate the fire. What is used to simulate fire in a false fireplace: candles (both wax and electric), garlands, colored paper, Quiet paper, flames can be painted on thick paper or cardboard or printed on a large sheet, felt, LED strips, night light, etc. Do not limit the flight of your imagination and be sure to share your creative ideas in the comments!

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Firewood effect

An important attribute is the imitation of burning, smoldering wood. To create it, take a log of small diameter, saw it in half, and then into several smaller logs. They put it all in a pile, and insert a garland rolled into a ball inside, alternately flickering in red or yellow. Small pebbles and shells are poured into the hearth itself, which combine perfectly with artificial fire.

If you don’t want to use natural wood, you can easily imitate logs using corrugated paper. It is rolled into rolls of various diameters and lengths, secured so that the paper does not unfold, and painted on top with white or grayish paint with black stripes. The result is an excellent imitation of birch logs. The artificial ash in the hearth looks original. It can be created by repainting ordinary fine sand in gray-white, black shades.

Finishing a false fireplace

The effectiveness of a fireplace depends not only on its shape, but also on the finishing and additional decor used. If it is not possible to purchase a real fireplace, then you can make an artificial one, and the cost of its production will be minimal. Everything can be made from available materials. As a finish (usually you need to give the surface a “brick” effect), you can use plywood, drywall, polystyrene foam, cardboard, wallpaper in a themed tone, wood.

Mantel

Decorative brickwork can also be made in a variety of ways. The simplest of them is to stick wallpaper or self-adhesive film with imitation brickwork. You can paint the entire fireplace with red paint, and then create gaps between the “bricks” by painting gray stripes.

Handmade specialists imitate brick by simply soaking a regular dishwashing sponge in red or orange paint and applying it to the surface of the structure in a checkerboard pattern.

The most labor-intensive, but high-quality way to create the effect of a plastered relief brick surface of a fireplace is to cut out “bricks” from thick cardboard. To do this, cut out a sample of the “brick” so that it looks neatly in the overall “layout” of the false fireplace. A large number of “bricks” are made from it so that they can cover the entire surface and interior of the fireplace.

Next, all the “bricks” are glued in a checkerboard pattern using PVA glue to the fake fireplace. After this, you will need disposable napkins of red, red, white (it all depends on what color the fireplace will be). The surface of the glued cardboard “bricks” is smeared with glue and napkins are carefully applied to them, carefully ironing them with a brush so as not to tear. Under the influence of glue, the napkins literally melt, and when they dry, they form a surface similar to soft plaster, which is very pleasant to touch. After treating the entire surface of the fireplace with napkins, you need to let it dry. The effect will be amazing!

Finally, the mantelpiece needs decoration. On the eve of the holiday, you can put a decorated small Christmas tree on it, glue foam crafts in the form of angels, and put tangerines next to it. Or pick a few pine branches and sprinkle with tangerine, grapefruit or orange oil. Decorate the shelf with tinsel, sparkles, pine cones, and hang socks for gifts. All this will create a magical, languidly sweet feeling of your favorite holiday approaching! An artificial homemade fireplace made of cardboard, made with love, will give you a feeling of celebration, magic and enchantment on winter evenings.

To the chimes

The simplest New Year's fireplace made from boxes can also be festively decorated. And no less durable. The difference between it and a more complex one, which will take a couple of evenings, is essentially aesthetic. The simplest fireplace will look in an atmosphere of fun, when everyone is “on edge” in the morning, and then warms up even more. A fireplace that is made in detail will retain its appearance in everyday situations. Although both are relative, because The durability of both fireplaces is the same. Here the author’s imagination and finishing methods are more important, see for example. video:

Video: example of making a New Year's fireplace from boxes

A master class on making a festive fireplace; their boxes fit into 4 pictures, see fig. below. The stage of covering with paper is eliminated if the components of the base of the box are glued together, as described below, and the fireplace is covered with self-adhesive (see below), or painted to resemble old brick or wild stone with imitation of masonry joints (also see below).

How to quickly make a festive fireplace out of boxes

What boxes will be useful?

To make a fireplace, you will need ordinary boxes in which equipment is packaged. Naturally, the quality and appearance of the fireplace will directly depend on the quality and type of cardboard. It is better to use wide varieties, up to 50 cm deep, since, for example, a box for a flat-screen TV will result in a rather narrow and unattractive fireplace.

It is also important that the cardboard is durable, then you can place a shelf on it. It is also worth making sure that the drawings fit easily on the cardboard and are clearly visible.

Getting to know the varieties

A fireplace, the portal of which has a purely decorative function, may have more advanced functionality and a number of additional features. Such a false fireplace will be an excellent addition and decoration to the electric fireplace firebox. An electric fireplace will be an excellent alternative to a wood stove and can even be installed in an apartment.

Since cardboard and boxes are classified as flammable, it is unsafe to install a biofireplace or gas fireplace in it. For the same reasons, it is strictly forbidden to install a fireplace with a water circuit.

Installation of such fireplaces is impossible not only because of the strong heating of the housing, but also because of the rather large mass. It is also not recommended to install open fireboxes and an electric fireplace with a heating function.

The best option is a modern electric fireplace with a 3D effect of a burning flame and high-quality sound visualization and lighting.

You can make a false fireplace with your own hands in one of the following styles:

• The category of modern fireplaces includes fireboxes in the Art Nouveau style. The direction is distinguished by its originality of shapes and sizes. It is possible to have and use contrasting shades, bright, catchy and cold tones;
• A false fireplace in a high-tech style will look stylish and original. To create the necessary image, you can decorate the portal in one fairly calm and muted shade (black, gray, white, silver, metallic). Complete the look with a mirror or glass decor;
• The classic style is always appropriate and will be relevant even in ten years. A classic fireplace is a wealth of patterns, ornaments, voluminous decor, and expensive decoration. It is fashionable to complement the frame with columns, candlesticks, and shelves;
• Rustic style or country motifs will make the fireplace and atmosphere in the room as cozy and homely as possible. Natural and environmentally friendly materials are always used for finishing in this direction. However, for a false fireplace you can use photo wallpaper with a pattern and texture of stone. You can decorate the combustion chamber with firewood.

Questions and answers

What are the most convenient tools for painting a fireplace?

A regular sponge is best. For hard-to-reach places, a thin brush is useful.

Is it possible to replace Moment glue with regular PVA?

“Moment” will provide better adhesion. For cardboard you should choose only really high-quality PVA.

What paints can be used to decorate a fireplace?

In addition to water-based paints, you can use acrylic paints. Regarding color, you just need to add the desired color to white paint.

Is it necessary to cut out the firebox from the front wall?

No, you can simply apply a matching firebox design to the front of the fireplace.

Where to find decorative firewood?

Decorative firewood typically starts being sold around the holidays in gift shops and home improvement stores. You can also search online or make your own artificial firewood from corrugated cardboard.

Even an inexperienced person can make a fireplace from cardboard boxes with their own hands. The process is not complicated, the main thing is to approach the matter carefully and securely fasten the structure. Such a fireplace will definitely please all household members and will definitely bring beauty and comfort to the interior.