The Art of Creating a Cardboard Fireplace: A DIY Project

As we approach the holiday season, many of us look for ways to add a touch of warmth and coziness to our homes. For those living in apartments without fireplaces, creating a DIY fireplace can be a great solution. In this article, we'll explore how to transform a cardboard box into a realistic-looking fireplace using hot glue, tape, and some creativity.

Measuring Up

To begin this project, it's essential to measure the space where you want to install your new fireplace. The size of the box will depend on the area available, so take note of the dimensions before starting. The creator of this project used a TV box as the base, but feel free to experiment with different shapes and sizes to find the one that suits your space best.

Cutting and Trimming

Once you've measured out the space, it's time to cut open the cardboard box. Use a saw or utility knife to divide the box into large pieces of cardboard. Be sure to wear protective gloves and eyewear when handling sharp objects. Next, use a utility knife to trim off any rough edges from the cardboard. The creator of this project used a sharp utility knife to get the job done.

Creating the Base

The base of your fireplace is crucial in creating a realistic look. Take advantage of any pre-made pieces provided by the manufacturer, such as the 1-inch tall cardboard and foam piece that came with the TV box. Tape these pieces into place to create a sturdy base for your fireplace. To visualize the shape of your fireplace better, tape the cardboard to the wall and draw a rough sketch of the design.

Cutting Out the Curved Shape

To achieve a smooth curve on the inside of your fireplace, use the following trick: cut out the shape first with straight lines, then cut out half of the curve, flip it over, and trace the remaining curve. Cut out the second half to complete the curved shape. This technique may require some patience, but the end result will be well worth the effort.

Building the Structure

With all the pieces in place, it's time to start building your fireplace structure. Use hot glue to attach the cardboard pieces together, starting with the base and working your way up. Be patient and take your time, as this process may require some trial and error. The creator of this project used a combination of hot glue and tape to hold everything together.

Adding Decorations

Once you've built the structure, it's time to add some decorations to give your fireplace a cozy feel. Use black paper to create the appearance of a brick wall behind the fireplace. Cut out brick shapes from cardstock and attach them using double-sided tape. The creator of this project used a combination of tape and fabric to create a unique look.

Final Touches

To complete the look, add some final touches to your cardboard fireplace. Drape a piece of fabric over the top to create a cozy atmosphere. Add some fairy lights in glass jars to create a warm glow. Finally, hang some stockings on the fireplace using the fabric as a makeshift hook. With these simple steps, you can create a beautiful and cozy cardboard fireplace that will add warmth and charm to any room.

Conclusion

Creating a cardboard fireplace is a fun and creative DIY project that requires patience, attention to detail, and some creativity. By following these steps, you can transform a simple cardboard box into a realistic-looking fireplace that adds warmth and coziness to your home. Remember to always use caution when working with hot glue and sharp objects, and don't hesitate to experiment and try new things along the way. Happy crafting!

"WEBVTTKind: captionsLanguage: enHi everyone, I’m Karen and this is Handmade.So with the holidays coming up, there is aproject I’ve been wanting to try for a longtime now.I live in an apartment, we don’t have afireplace, we don't have a mantel.But I just think a fireplace with stockingsis the coziest Christmas decoration in theworld, so today I’m going to attempt toturn a TV box into a fireplace.Obviously not a real fireplace, please donot light a real fire if you try this project.But it kind of gets the idea across.I'm going to warn you, this was a big project,it took so much blood, sweat and teats, well,actually there wasn't any blood, definitelya lot of sweat, maybe a couple of tears.Definitely a few hot glue gun burns.But I think it came out really well in theend, so here's how I did it.Start by measuring out the spot where you’regoing to put your fireplace.I’m not sharing specific measurements heresince everyone’s will probably be a littlebit different.Then you’ll need a large box - I’m usinga TV box that I would not let my roommatethrow away because I knew that I could makesomething out of it.Start cutting the box open so you end up withgiant pieces of cardboard - I’m using asaw because I’m extra like that, but a sharputility knife would also work.Then use a utility knife to trim off the roughedges.Our TV actually came with this 1 inch tallcardboard and foam piece that’s perfectfor the base of my fireplace.So I’m taping that into place and then Ifind it easier to visualize once we're inthe actual space, so I taped the cardboardto the wall and drew a rough sketch of theshape of my fireplace.Then I put it back onto the floor, evenedout the lines, and cut the whole thing out.Now here’s a little trick to get the curvedinside of the fireplace even.Cut out the shape first with just straightlines.Then cut out half of the curve, flip it overand trace it on the other side, and cut itout again.So, I think that’s looking pretty good.Now it’s time to make the sides of the fireplace.I decided to make mine 10 inches wide, soI just cut a bunch of rectangles for the sidesand the inside.And before I go any further, I just want tosay, there are a lot of ways to do this project- if you look online, a lot of people do itby stacking up boxes which reduces a lot ofthe cutting.But I only had a bunch of random boxes thatwere all different sizes, I didn't have enoughto actually build a structure out of, so Ineeded to cut out all of my pieces separately.Ok so, once you have your sides cut out, youcan use some tape to get them attached, andthen to really help stabilize it, I cut thesepieces of cardboard that I scored on one sideso that they could fold to a 90 degree angle.I used hot glue to attach them, and it justmakes the connection between the two piecesa whole lot stronger.And then to really keep them in place, I alsoglued in some right angle triangles.You can engineer this however you want, thisis just what I found gave the strongest support.For the curved part, use some thinner cardboardand bend it before you glue it down so thatit follows that curve as you go.I also glued in a few smaller tabs here tomake sure it was really well connected.Alright, so it's looking pretty good, so Ijust attached the outside sides the same way.Pro tip here - have a lot of hot glue stickson hand, because I went through basicallymy entire stash making this project.So once the sides are on there, it’s finallystarting to look like a fireplace.This part would have been really boring foryou guys to watch, but I cut down a bunchof other boxes to make cardboard supportsto fit inside so that the whole thing doesn’tcollapse when we put stuff on top.Ok so now it’s time to make the mantel.This is way easier than the fireplace sinceit’s just a simple rectangle shape.Now, if you can drill into your walls, itmight be easier to mount a shelf to use asthe mantel and put the fireplace underneath,but I can't do that since I'm renting thisapartment, so I just made mine out of cardboard.To help stabilize it, I glued in some supportsto the center.And then I covered all of the seams on theentire thing with tape so that it would looka cleaner once I painted it.But before painting, you guys there are like800 steps to this project, I'm so sorry.I also used more tape and more hot glue toattach the mantel to the top of the fireplace.Ok, so now that we have the entire structurebuilt, I brought it outside to spray paint.Once that was dry, it’s time for the bestpart - decorating.Well, first I used painters tape to tape blackpaper to the wall so it looked like it hada back.Then I cut down cardstock into 5.5 by 2 inchpieces and I rounded the corners to get brickshapes.I only did one here on camera but I actuallycut out like, tons and tons and tons of thesewhile listening to a podcast.So then I just used double sided tape to attachthose all the way around.I like using double sided tape here becauseit's not permanent so I can take them offand decorate the whole thing differently nextyear if I want to.So, to finish it off, I draped a piece offabric on top and added some of my favoritedecorations.Using fabric on top means that I can pin mystockings directly to the fabric, so I don’thave to glue anything to the fireplace itself.And finally, obviously I can’t light a realfire in there.Please don't light a real fire in there, thatwould be very very dangerous.Instead I filled the fireplace with gold decorationsand fairy lights in glass jars.And we are finally done.It was a lot of work, but I think it was definitelyworth it, because this is one hundred percentthe coziest Christmas setup I’ve ever made.I cannot believe it is only cardboard andhot glue under there.And, since I didn’t attach anything permanentlyto the fireplace, I can take all of the decorationsdown and style it completely differently onceChristmas is over.So before I go, I also just want to mentionthat this project was inspired by a similarone that the Crafty Lumberjacks did last year.I love their version of it and I’m goingto link their blog post right down below - theydid it a little differently than I did, soyou can just follow whichever tutorial fitsthe supplies that you have.So I would love to know when do you put upyour Christmas tree.I always end up putting mine up even beforeHalloween just because I ned to film videoslike these, but I just love having it forall of November and December.But maybe you’re a Christmas purist, youalways wait until after Thanksgiving.Why don't you let me know in a comment rightdown below.Don't forget to like this video, please likethis video.This video took so many hours to make.That project is the biggest project I've donein a long time.And don't forget to subscribe for new DIYvideos every single week.I'll see you all next time.\n"