DIY decorative fireplace made from boxes - step-by-step instructions

What you need to make a fireplace from cardboard boxes

Cardboard is considered an excellent material for crafts. When it comes to a fireplace, the best option is to find boxes. Packaging containers are thrown away at grocery stores. You can look at home for a large box left over from buying household appliances. Depending on the quantity and size of the packaging found, the future design of the fireplace is designed.

Boxes will fit any size, but the smaller they are, the more you need to pack. Tip! A good preparation is the packaging from an LCD TV. A flat and dimensional box is an almost finished fireplace. You just need to make a few slits and the base is ready. It is convenient to make a fireplace from a flat box from an LCD TV

In addition to the boxes, you will need a minimum set of tools: scissors, a knife, a hot gun, a ruler and a pencil. It is important not to forget about finishing. Here you will need paints and colored paper. Brick-like wallpaper, plastic panels remaining after renovation, foam baseboards and other similar materials are suitable.

Advice! To decorate a New Year's fireplace, you need to take care of illumination. They use LED garland and light bulbs for furniture lighting.

What boxes to make from?

Much depends on what box or boxes you will use to make your false cardboard fireplace. If you take a TV box like this, you can make this option:

All the work consists of measuring the length with your own hands, drawing the necessary lines, bending the cardboard inward and gluing it. Then turn it over, paint the inside with dark paint, attach several glued sheets of cardboard or any other board on top with double tape, you can use the remains of the laminate, and so on.

If you add another box, you can use this technology for making a false fireplace:

Another option for a fireplace made of cardboard. The box is also from a TV, the recess of the false fireplace is cut differently.

We decorate it with “bricks” made of cardboard. Pieces of foam plastic on top and bottom. This is a very simple but quick option.

Now let's move on to a more detailed master class.

Box fireplace dimensions

Everyone determines the dimensions of the future craft for themselves purely individually. Typically, the width and height of a false fireplace varies from 800 to 1000 mm, thickness - from 200 to 300 mm. Sometimes the dimensions are already determined by the dimensions of the found box. If you managed to get packaging from the TV, then it is easier to use it without changing the size.

The size of the fireplace often depends on the box found, but no more than 1 m in width and height

When assembling a fireplace from several boxes, it is also stupid to remake each box to a certain size. Firstly, this is extra work and wasted time. Secondly, old bends cannot be perfectly aligned. The box will not get a nice rectangular shape.

When using several boxes, do not change their sizes

The video shows a DIY decorative fireplace made from boxes indicating the exact dimensions:

Option #3

Let's look at another simple way to make a fireplace out of boxes with your own hands for the New Year. False fireplaces of various shapes can be cut out of large cardboard boxes. The simplest, most basic shape is created by simply cutting a rectangle from one side of the box.

Cutting the box and giving it the required shape

To make the correct cut, first measure the length of the box and draw it out with a marker or hand. To cut cardboard, it is convenient to use a stationery knife and a metal spatula so that the cutting line is even. Fold the cut pieces inside the box to create the required volume. You can secure the elements with tape or masking tape.

Construction phases of a simple fireplace

After the general outline is made, it can be strengthened by gluing cardboard to various parts of the future fireplace using double-sided tape. First of all, it is worth strengthening the tabletop located on top. The inside of the fireplace, the firebox, can be painted with dark paint, and the outside with white. This contrast will help distribute areas of attention.

The final look of a simple fireplace out of the box

At the final stage, decoration is carried out using imitation bricks, polyurethane foam molding and a plastic corner. You can stick foam in the form of bricks on the outside of the fireplace or buy plastic imitation brickwork and stick it too. A similar imitation of a fireplace, made for the New Year, will allow you to create a unique atmosphere of a winter holiday.

It is worth noting that the TV box can be cut in a variety of ways. The most important aspect here is your imagination.

Creating a home model from a TV box

You can cut a hole in the box, symbolizing a real, classic hearth in the form of a semicircle. To make an even cut, it is better to use suitable patterns, but even small irregularities will not spoil the appearance of your product in the future. For fixation we use the same masking tape. Foam plastic is excellent as a pedestal and tabletop.

Decorating a hearth out of a box

Decoration can be done in any way convenient for you, for example, using polystyrene foam and then cutting out rectangles from it that imitate bricks. Uneven foam will give the homemade fireplace a natural appearance. In the future, such a fireplace made of cardboard can be painted properly and installed in a suitable place in your apartment.

Good to know: How to make a corner false fireplace with your own hands, manufacturing technology

How to make a fireplace with your own hands from a box

Two types of fireplaces are made from cardboard boxes: corner and rectangular. The first option is intended for installation in the corner of the room, and the second is leaned against a flat wall. Before deciding on a design, they find a free place for it. After this, it will be clear which fireplace needs to be made from a TV box or small boxes.

How to make a false fireplace from one box

The simplest fireplace can be made from one box. However, this will be the main building. You also need to find three small elongated boxes. They are needed to form the portal. Wallpaper with a pattern that imitates brick is used as decoration. Self-adhesive film will do.

The false fireplace is decorated with wallpaper or self-adhesive film “like a brick”

To make a craft, follow these steps:

The bottom of the box is sealed with tape to prevent the shelves from opening. You can simply cover it with thick paper.
On the opposite side, one long shelf is folded back. It will remain on the outside and act as a protruding base.
The second long shelf and two short doors are not folded back, but simply glued together. It turns out a small window that needs to be expanded and form a portal. To do this, three small boxes are leaned against and markings are applied. Use a utility knife to trim off excess pieces of cardboard.
Boxes are inserted inside the expanded window and placed on glue, forming a portal.
A canopy is cut out of foam plastic boards and glued to the fireplace. It should protrude 5 cm beyond the boundaries of the main body.

The structure is ready for decoration. The outer side is covered with wallpaper or film with the image of brickwork. The inside of the portal can be decorated with black and red paints to create an imitation of fire.

How to make a fireplace with a chimney out of a box

A truly beautiful fireplace is obtained if it is equipped with a chimney. According to legend, it is through the chimney that Santa Claus will deliver gifts to the baby. It is optimal to place a fireplace with a chimney in a corner to give it a voluminous corner shape.

To work, you will need large sheets of thick cardboard and flat TV boxes. The presented master class on a fireplace made from boxes will help realize the idea:

Cut out 4 triangles for the base from sheets of cardboard. One side opposite the right angle is rounded. On two strip blanks, a border is glued around the perimeter. Stiffening ribs are glued inside along the plane.
The remaining two triangular blanks cover the top of the resulting structures.
The joints are glued with a hot gun and reinforced with tape. Advice! If you have two flat TV boxes, then just cut off one of the corners, rounding off the side of the triangle, and then glue the side from a strip of cardboard.
Panels are cut from sheets of cardboard. The parts form an angle and connect triangular elements. Inside the resulting portal, a back wall is created from stiffening ribs and a rectangular piece of cardboard.
The finished body is painted with white emulsion paint and allowed to dry. For decoration use paper, self-adhesive film or orange cardboard. First, cut rectangular shapes. They are glued along the body with a gap of 0.5-1 cm. The result is an imitation of brickwork.
The next step is to start making the chimney. The main body is cut out from sheets of cardboard. The front side is given a semicircle. The back part is formed at an angle from two cardboard blanks. The parts are connected to each other by stiffening ribs. To do this, vertical strips are glued inside the chimney. The ribs will help maintain the desired shape.
The finished chimney is painted with white water-based emulsion. You can use thick paint, apply it with a rag or smear it with your hand to give it an interesting texture.

When the paint has dried, the chimney is installed on the fireplace body. The structure is decorated with snowmen, gnomes, and garlands.

Artificial fireplace made from boxes with an arch

The fireplace portal looks more natural if it is made with an arch. It is better to form it from foam plastic. The body itself is made from two cardboard boxes.

The arched portal is formed from foam plastic

To assemble the craft, follow these steps:

Two boxes of the same size are connected to each other into one large box, which will serve as the body of the fireplace. The gluing procedure can be avoided if you find one large package of household appliances.
A rectangular podium is cut out of a thick slab of polystyrene foam, on which the box is installed. A portal window is cut out in the center of the box. The top is rounded with an arch. The sides of the portal are sewn up with pieces of foam plastic boards.
A visor is glued on top of the roof of the housing made of foam plastic plates.

Since many of the parts are foam plastic, it is better to leave the white fireplace made from boxes with your own hands in this color. The structure is painted with water-based emulsion. The hearth inside is decorated to look like brickwork. Rectangles can be painted with brown paint or cut out pieces of colored cardboard can be glued on.

Advice! For crafts, it is optimal to choose high-quality foam plastic boards that do not crumble when touched by hand.

How to make a corner fireplace from boxes

In just an hour you will have a corner-shaped fireplace if you have one TV box. You just need to cut it correctly. It should be noted right away that the box needs to be large, that is, from a large TV.

To form a corner fireplace, cut off the back of the box and combine the side shelves

Perform the following actions:

One wall of the box is cut off with a knife. The side shelves are combined to form an angle of 90 degrees. The joint is glued with tape or a hot gun.
A canopy in the form of a corner tabletop is cut out of cardboard. The blank is glued to the upper end of the body.
The portal window is marked on the front panel. It will look prettier if you give it an arched shape. The internal part of the portal is formed from stiffening ribs and cardboard walls.

The finished structure is covered with wallpaper with a brick pattern. The visor would be better designed to look like natural wood. Self-adhesive film is used for gluing.

How to make a fireplace with firewood from cardboard boxes

A special feature of this craft is the presence of firewood inside the firebox. You can make any fireplace using the examples discussed above. To make decorative firewood visible, it is advisable to paint the portal with black paint. In addition, it will be a good imitation of soot from smoke.

White logs are clearly visible on the black background of the portal

To make firewood you need corrugated material. It can be obtained from packaging boxes by peeling the cardboard into two parts. The size of future logs is calculated so that they fit inside the firebox.

Corrugated cardboard is rolled into a tube

First, a large diameter tube is rolled from a sheet of corrugated cardboard. The edge is glued so that the workpiece does not unfold. The resulting part will go to the main body of the log. Now, using a similar technology, a small-diameter tube is rolled up. Cut it with a stationery knife into pieces 3-4 cm long. The cut is made at an arbitrary angle.

Knots are formed from small tubes

Workpieces of smaller diameter are glued onto a large tube with an oblique cut. The result is log knots.

To obtain birch logs, crafts are painted with white paint.

The finished logs are painted with white emulsion. The ends are left brown and unpainted.

You can place natural twigs inside the firebox, and use a garland of red glow to imitate fire

Option No. 2

To create a large, full-fledged fireplace, you will need an appropriate cardboard box. You can take packaging from furniture, a refrigerator or a TV; their dimensions should be enough for you. To avoid being distracted by searching for tools and materials later, prepare glue, writing instruments, tape or masking tape, and a ruler.

Good to know: How to build a fireplace from polystyrene foam yourself, with your own hands at home

Subsequently, wallpaper with high-quality relief, polystyrene foam, which produces a good imitation of brick, polyurethane foam made in the form of gypsum stucco, and other materials can be used for exterior decoration.

Please note that you will have to allocate quite a lot of time to carry out all the work of cutting, fastening, and decorating. However, if you do everything with high quality and taste, then such a fireplace made of cardboard will look very natural. A New Year's fireplace made from boxes will certainly help you feel the festive mood; it will give you an aura of comfort and coziness.

At the first stage of construction, we need to create a three-dimensional fireplace shape from an ordinary cardboard box and secure it. This can be done with a sharp knife and tape or crepe. It’s even better to use crepe (painting tape), since with further decoration it will be easier to stick other elements on it or paint it.

Creating a given fireplace shape

Then the resulting layout should be painted to give it a noble appearance. We create additional volume, a certain status and grandeur with the help of foam elements.

To highlight the contours of the fireplace, you can frame it using foam molding and baseboard, which is sold in all hardware stores. The molding is glued to the made model using special glue, although regular PVA can be used. To ensure that the color of the elements does not differ, additional coloring should be carried out on a product that is already acquiring a decent appearance.

Painting a makeshift fireplace from all sides

Next, we carry out further decoration, relying on our imagination. The main task is for the cardboard box to acquire the noble appearance of a real fireplace. This can be achieved by gluing pieces of foam to your model to symbolize brickwork.

Ready-to-use structure

In the future, the decorative fireplace made of cardboard can be further decorated according to your preferences. For example, stylize it for the New Year by hanging appropriate toys, rain, or socks, or for another holiday.

Homemade fireplace decor from boxes

How beautiful the craft will look depends on the decor. The rich look is given by pasting the body with polyurethane foam elements. They are placed symmetrically, having previously marked them. With this decor, it is optimal to paint the fireplace white.

Polyurethane foam elements are glued symmetrically onto the cardboard body. On a completely white background, the stucco molding is difficult to see

To make the stucco stand out from the white background, it is painted golden. Additionally, the entire body is opened with a transparent water-based varnish. It will be more convenient to wipe dust from such a surface without damaging the decor.

Imitation of marble is performed with crumpled wet paper

The mantelpiece with imitation marble looks beautiful. To do this, the surface is covered with crumpled paper. No glue is used. The paper is simply placed damp on the shelf. After drying, the texture will remain.

Liquid wallpaper is used to decorate brickwork

Liquid wallpaper helps to better convey the imitation of the texture of stone. First, bricks cut out of cardboard are glued inside the portal. The parts are painted with an emulsion with the addition of a brown color. When the paint dries, liquid wallpaper is applied.

How to turn a box into a fireplace?

If you manage to find packaging from a large flat-screen TV, then you can consider half the work done. To make a simple rectangular portal (photo below), all that remains is to mark and cut the firebox hole, paint and decorate the frame, and install a mantelpiece on top. But you can give the hearth a more original shape.

It’s not at all difficult to make a white New Year’s fireplace from boxes. A step-by-step guide will help you with this. First, look at the photo of what effect you can achieve:

Decorative white fireplace for the New Year's interior

Find and mark the center vertical line of the front of the box. Construct a square, leaving approximately equal distances to the edges at the top and bottom. To make the arched vault beautiful, the rounded part should start at about ½ the height of this square. To build an arch, you need to measure its vertical sides and place marks at the required height. These points need to be connected with a smooth line to the point of intersection of the central vertical of the box with the upper side of the square.
Set aside equal distances from the center of the box to the left and right. Draw vertical lines where the portal bends. Cut the back wall vertically, parallel to one of the two fold lines on the facade.
Cut out the outline of the combustion hole with an arch. Bend the façade along the marked lines. Pull the part of the portal with the combustion hole forward a little. Fix the position of the rear wall parts.
Measure the depth of the combustion chamber. Cut a strip of cardboard to form the side walls and roof, and glue it inside the firebox. Cut out a rectangle for the fireplace hearth and secure it.
Cover all joints with masking tape. On the arch of the vault, it is convenient to place the adhesive tape in separate pieces, perpendicular to the edge. This will prevent the formation of wrinkles.
Prime the front and sides of the box. After drying, level the surface by applying a thin layer of gypsum putty.
Cut out a fireplace mantel from foam plastic so that it forms overhangs 5-7 cm wide in front and on the sides. Cover the edges of the shelf with foam plastic borders.
Decorative ceiling plinth will serve to finish the lower part of the portal. You can attach it with liquid nails or glue.

Ceramic tiles were used to decorate the fireplace in the photo. It is used to frame the arch and trim the sides of the facade. The cardboard bends are finished with plastic borders. After sticking the decor, the portal needs to be painted again with white acrylic paint.

Decorative plaster with mother-of-pearl applied with a sponge will give the fireplace a slight shine. This type of finish can be replaced by painting the surfaces in shades of light ocher, highlighting the decor of the tiles and baseboards in contrast. Emphasize the pattern imitating stucco by applying gilding. This will make the New Year's fireplace even more elegant and create a festive atmosphere in the room. Complete its decoration with felt boots and socks for gifts from Santa Claus, Christmas tree decorations, firewood and pine cones piled in the firebox. You can place candles on the mantelpiece.

Corner fireplace made of cardboard

Corner hearths seem more difficult to build with your own hands than straight portals (photo on the left). But building a corner fireplace with your own hands from cardboard is very simple. The angle chosen for installing the portal must be measured along the hypotenuse and legs. Cut the box along the connecting seam, unfold it and lay it on the floor. Transfer the measurement results onto cardboard in the following sequence:

starting from the left cut, set aside the length of one of the legs to the right, put marks and draw a vertical line;
From this vertical to the right, set aside the length of the hypotenuse, mark another line;
To the right, set aside the size of the other leg, mark the border and cut off the excess cardboard.

Depending on the location of the fireplace, the triangle formed in the corner of the room may have different legs that form the backdrop of the composition. Therefore, it is important to measure the length of each of them.

After the general markings have been made, you need to draw the outline of the firebox opening. It will be located in the center of the front side, corresponding to the hypotenuse of the triangle. Having found the middle of the facade, mark it on the box, and then set aside distances equal to ½ the width of the firebox to the right and left. These are arbitrary values, and when choosing them you can only be guided by your own taste and the harmony of the relationship between the opening and its frame.

You will have to assemble the fireplace from the box in several stages:

Cut through the outline of the combustion hole on 3 sides, leaving the bottom connected to the portal. Bend the cardboard inward along the bottom line.
Bring the edges of the back sides together and glue with tape. Cut the bent part so that it forms under the fireboxes and rests against the corner between the backdrops.
Close the remaining holes with separately cut pieces of cardboard, forming the inner arch of the firebox and its side walls.
Cover all joints and folds with masking tape. Prime and paint the surface of the front wall and the inside of the firebox.
Cut a foam triangle for the mantel. It should protrude slightly above the portal, forming an overhang of 5-7 cm. You can decorate the shelf with self-adhesive film to resemble wood or stone, or do the same as in the previous case.
Install a decorative fireplace in the corner of the room, attach a shelf and finish the fireplace to your liking.

One of the façade design options could be imitation brick or stone masonry (see photo). This will require leftover cardboard. From them you need to cut out rectangles that approximately correspond to the long side edge of the brick. If you want to create a surface similar to masonry, the parts can be of any shape. When cutting out masonry elements, you should not try to make their edges very smooth.

The surface of wild stone or old brick always has cracks and potholes. You can imitate them and give authenticity to the masonry using napkins or toilet paper. You need to generously lubricate the surface of the cardboard “brick” with PVA glue, put a napkin on it, crumpling it a little. The folds that form will be very similar to the unevenness of the stone. Glue the finished masonry parts onto the portal, prime and paint.

Fire in a cardboard hearth

Even covered with a layer of acrylic paint, cardboard remains a flammable material. Therefore, the best imitation of a live fire in a decorative fireplace will be LED New Year's garlands. Many of them have a flickering mode at different frequencies. This will be enough to create a burning effect.

Garlands and candles as decoration for a decorative fireplace

You can decorate the fireplace insert in different ways. A New Year's fireplace made from boxes can be complemented with white or silver Christmas tree balls that look like snowballs. A fire flickering between them will look very impressive and create an atmosphere of winter magic.

If you want the firewood to be almost like real wood, you can do it differently:

Collect scraps of spruce or pine branches left over from the installation of the New Year's tree, cut them into pieces of the required size. Place branches and cones in the firebox, hiding a flickering garland between them.
Peel off an even layer of the remaining pieces of cardboard to expose the corrugated part. Roll into a tube to form a log. For greater authenticity, you can glue knots from the same material. Paint the “logs” and place them so that the light of the garland is visible.

The flickering fire in the fireplace will add the charm of a winter fairy tale to New Year's Eve. Even after the holiday, artificial fire will be able to truly warm the hearts of friends and acquaintances gathered around the fireplace, remaining an excellent element of the design of the room.