DIY “ Built In” Fireplace Shelving

When we first bought our home in April of 2023, my brain couldn’t turn off. I was so excited to finally have a home with good bones, that we’d potentially be raising our family in for a long time to come. So many ideas flooded in to my mind every night when I laid down to go to bed. My Pinterest exploded with new pins, my google search basically consisted of DIY project guides and renovation inspirations. Although we would be putting the majority of our yearly budget in to clearing and repairing our backyard for our one year old and our dog to run around, I knew I wanted to do something special in our living room. While there are few things I don’t LOVE about this house, we do not have a dedicated playroom. Families have lived for centuries without them, even though social media makes every mother these days feel inadequate without one. Homes are meant to be shared, and of course as a designer I harp on the aesthetics, I also want my home to be lived in and enjoyed by all members of my home. No room is off limits for my son.

Long story short, our very average sized living room quickly turned in to a mess of toy piles upon moving in and it was STRESSING ME OUT! Our beautiful floor to ceiling fireplace deserved to be a show stopper and currently was overwhelmed by chaos. Back to my Pinterest board I went…

I have always wanted a large wall of built ins framing a beautiful fireplace where my family and I can cozy up in the winter. And coming from Florida to North Carolina, we may actually USE this fireplace and have a “real” winter.

As I mentioned, budget would be tight this year for interior renovations and decor. Thankfully my mom and I were both born with the “how hard can it be” gene and have become quite handy with a saw and drill. So we got to planning. We developed an idea for some easy built-ins to surround our fireplace, but that would only reach about 4 feet high. Floor to ceiling was a little more that we were willing to take on for this project.

Using a sturdy 1” plywood, we created three levels of shelving. Because I wanted to continue the built-in look, I also created a base for the shelves using 2x4’s so that I could reapply the original baseboards around the bottom. We used a 3” wood screw to secure everything to ensure that it was stable. We also secured each board to the wall as we went because we have a toddler that climbs everything.

Once the shelving was built, I went back in with wood filler to fill any screw holes that were showing and then caulked all of the seams. Again, just trying to achieve that seamless (built-in) look. Finally, I painted the shelving to match the walls using the Behr Marquee paint in the color swiss coffee. Most people argue that its full strength coloring is too yellow, but I honestly LOVE IT in our house just as is. I find it to be very warm and complimentary to our space. I should also note we do not have very bright natural light in our space so the yellow is not going to show through like in would in a space that has strong lighting or tall windows.

Completed shelving!

This is immediately after completing the shelves, I had to decorate them literally the second the paint dried to host our friends for a fall cook book party. But I am in love with them.

All in all, I am extremely happy with the shelves and they have held up super well! I love decorating them seasonally and they’ve been very easy to clean and organize. I did purchase these massive baskets from The Container Store to neatly house all of my sons miscellaneous toys, and then have one shelf dedicated to his wood toys and things he is often fussing with like his puzzles and stacking blocks from Loveevery.

The only consideration I’m still toying with is adding in a “divider” piece in the middle shelf. For two reasons - 1. I think it would give the shelving a unique look and would also serve as a decor separation. 2. I think the extra support would serve as a great column for heavier pieces and give the shelves an extra layer or strength.

I love my shelves, and especially since the fireplace was painted I feel like this space is fully bringing my original vision for our living room to life.

Hope you enjoyed this breakdown of this project!