Do you believe this cute fireplace is made of cardboard boxes? And this is actually the case! Even if your house or apartment does not involve a fireplace, you can still create such a New Year's miracle with your own hands. Children will be especially happy with such a magical appearance, so let them certainly take part in the process!
What you need for a false fireplace
- cardboard boxes (for the frame);
- glue or duct tape;
- decoration material (paint, colored paper, polystyrene);
- tools (scissors, breadboard knife, brushes, etc.).
Making a fireplace will take a lot of time, so it is better to start this in advance: before the New Year. And finding the boxes is also not a quick business.
They can be both from large equipment (for example, from a TV), and small rectangular boxes of the same size. They can be bought in construction hypermarkets (cost from 30 to 80 rubles per item). Or arrange with sellers at your nearest store to give you unnecessary boxes of groceries.
As for the decor: it all depends on what kind of cardboard fireplace you choose.
Calculation of parts and pattern
The picture below shows the standard size of the portal, however, you do not need to make the same. It all depends on the number and size of the boxes you choose. You can make both a regular and a corner false fireplace.
If you have a large box, you need to mark the portal opening with a ruler and a pen, then cut the cardboard with a breadboard knife and bend it in the right places. In the photo example - a box from a TV. Corner and regular version.
Small boxes are glued together with glue or double-sided or ordinary tape so that a symmetrical U-shaped figure is obtained.
How to finish a false fireplace?
Now that the frame from the boxes is ready, it remains to finish. Most often it is an imitation of brickwork. It can be made with red paper. A4 sheet is enough for just three "bricks". In Ikea, you can buy Mola paper of A3 or A4 format, there are a lot of sheets of the same color, it should be enough for a whole fireplace. You can also buy wrapping paper in red or any other color (in Ikea, Leroy Merlin and other similar stores).
The coolest idea: use wallpaper imitating brickwork or plaster (you can buy the cheapest roll and use it for finishing). True, in this case, you need to purchase a pack of wallpaper glue that matches the type of wallpaper.
In addition to these options, "brickwork" can be made from a sheet of thin foam (by cutting it into rectangles). In this case, the fireplace will be white (the cardboard base will also need to be painted white beforehand).
Another way is to make a finish with a laminate backing. It is sold in sheets in hardware stores and looks like the photo below. It comes in different colors, but more often beige, which is quite suitable for a New Year's fireplace!
The substrate is also cut into pieces and the frame is glued over. This is how it looks in the end.
And the simplest way is to paste over with white paper and / or paint the boxes with water-based paint. Whatever you choose, we are confident that your fireplace will be unlike any other!
Simulated fire in the fireplace
Now the time has come for the most interesting: the arrangement of cozy lighting (artificial fire).It is probably unnecessary to say that candles with an open fire should not be put into fireplaces from cardboard boxes. Even if it seems to you that they are at a respectful distance from the cardboard. All candles and lights must be powered by electricity or batteries to avoid fire.
What can you think of:
- Draw a fire with your own hands, cut it out and install it in the portal.
- Put on LED candles.
- Use LED strips or garlands.
- Garlands and candles can not only be left open, but can also be hung with a piece of cloth depicting fire, or with a plain piece of cloth for a more uniform glow.
- Put Christmas balls and other New Year's decor in the portal.
How to decorate an artificial portal?
After the “fire” is ready, you need to decorate the finished fireplace on top. The photo shows some interesting ideas.
Now, having invited your friends for New Year's visit, you can unrealistically surprise them with the fact that you have a fireplace. Turn off the light, turn on the “lights”, and for the first few seconds the guests will not distinguish it from the real one! And the fact that the fireplace is made by hand and from cardboard boxes … let it be a little New Year's secret.;)
