Indoor & Outdoor Fireplace Design Ideas to Ignite Your Inspiration
Ignite your ideal indoor or outdoor fireplace aesthetic using charming and cost-effective real and faux wood mantels.
By ABBY winstead
Design Specialist
With the right design, a fireplace becomes a focal point that defines a room's overall aesthetic.
The look of your fireplace can immediately enhance the space, making it more rustic, sophisticated, or modern, depending on your preferences. Fireplace designs and redesigns are popular home improvement projects because they offer an easy way to update your home without knocking down walls or ripping out flooring.
At Barron Designs, we believe in DIY-friendly fireplace design ideas. That’s why we put together a list of inspiring, easy-to-install fireplace and mantel trends to get you started on your upcoming project—along with the design products you can use to achieve them:
- Country comfort
- Elegant art display
- Bold built-ins
- Bohemian beauty
- Natural wonders
- Outdoor entertainment area
- Light and bright back porch
Why Mantel Beam Designs Matter
Mantel beams can set the tone for the rest of your fireplace; framing it and establishing the style of the room. Mantels also give your room character that flows into the rest of the fireplace design and ultimately throughout the entire room.
Indoor Fireplace Mantel Design Ideas & Trends
An indoor fireplace can pull together all the elements of a room, making it more cohesive and memorable. Explore these trending indoor fireplace mantel styles to find a look that matches your vision.
Incorporate Country Comfort
Farmhouse and country fireplace design trends are popping up in all types of homes—from small, isolated cottages to condos in big cities. People love them, in part, because of their warm, comforting, and nostalgic vibe.
To incorporate more country charm in your indoor space, place a barn board wood mantel over a traditional fireplace or old-fashioned stove. Installing faux wood panels around the fireplace adds to the rustic feel. Enhance it further with a few simple candlesticks and decorations, such as wildflowers, old photographs, or small wooden sculptures. When your fireplace is complete, you’ll have a perfect place to recharge at the end of a long day—whether you’ve been working on a farm or in a corporate office.
Elegant Art Display
This design idea puts the spotlight on your favorite artwork while also allowing your fireplace to be a masterpiece all on its own. You can opt to surround an elegant black or white fireplace with faux stone panels or leave the surrounding wall bare for a cleaner look. For an earthy effect, create a fireplace surround featuring a variety of shades and layers, like Barron Designs’ Colorado dry stack faux stone wall panels. A distinctive mantel beam, such as a woodland faux wood mantel in java or can also add a charming focal point.
Finish your fantastic new fireplace design by hanging an elegant art piece right above your mantel. The combination of stark colors and eye-catching artwork makes a striking impression on anyone who enters the room.
Bold Built-Ins
Built-in shelves and cabinets are convenient space-savers. They also look great on either side of a fireplace. The right mantel can accentuate your built-ins, drawing attention to them while also making them seem like an integral and intentional part of your design. >
Once your mantel and shelves are in place, decorate with your favorite decor and knick-knacks. The combination of a fireplace mantel and built-ins makes a statement even in an oversized room or provides much-needed storage and display space in a small den, living room, or bedroom.
Bohemian Beauty
Eclectic decor, vivid colors, and mixed patterns define bohemian style, and it’s the perfect way to add life and personality to your fireplace. Next, use a mantel with a clearly defined texture, such as a Heritage faux wood mantel, to make the design even more dynamic.
Now that you have the essentials, have fun with decorative accents. Go with decorative items that emphasize your artistic and free-spirited nature, like vintage glassware, mirrors, and floral arrangements.
Outdoor Fireplace Design Ideas & Trends
Outdoor fireplaces help extend your living space, offering warmth and comfort through every season. If yours needs an update, or you’re considering installing one for the first time, take some inspiration from these popular outdoor fireplace designs for porches and patios.
Behold: Back Porch Fireplace Beauties
Your back porch can be a peaceful, riverside retreat with a few easy changes to your fireplace. Inject new life into a plain fireplace by installing river rock faux rock wall panels around it. And a simple mantel, such as a reclaimed faux wood mantel, is the perfect finishing touch to this relaxing and distinct outdoor design.
Use greenery and flowers to add color to the neutral tones and further connect your outdoor living space to the serenity of nature. When your updates are completed and you sit by your fireplace for the first time, it will transport you to your favorite campsite or cabin, as the modern world melts away.
Enhance Your Outdoor Entertainment Areas
You can use your patio or porch for more than just barbecues. With the right fireplace setup, it can also become your go-to spot for watching sports and movies, sharing laughs, and having meaningful conversations. If you have a covered patio or porch, dress up the fireplace and add a television for an outdoor media center that all your neighbors will envy.
Begin by adding a Beachwood faux wood mantel to a neutral, natural-looking backdrop like Anson Fieldstone faux stone wall panels. You can then mount a television above the mantel and use comfortable, weather-resistant furniture to create a relaxing seating area. This outdoor oasis will welcome your friends and family any time you want to binge yourfavorite show, take in the scenery, and watch the flickering flames—all at the same time.
Create a Light & Bright Back Porch
Natural light instantly beautifies any indoor or outdoor area. Whether your back porch captures the soft morning sunshine or soaks up colorful sunsets, allow the incredible colors of your surroundings to take center stage.
Let the light work for you by choosing mantel materials in muted tones, such as whitewash resawn faux wood. As the light falls on them, the space will feel bright, airy, and inviting. Complete the look with light faux brick or stone veneer panels. With these elements working together, you’ll create a stylish fireplace that draws the eye yet shares attention with the breathtaking scenery around it.
DIY Fireplace Design Installation Resources
Barron’s mantel beams—both real and faux—are lightweight and easy to install DIY-style. Putting in a new mantel is a great weekend project, made easier by faux panels and faux or real fireplace mantels.
When you’re ready to make your fireplace decorating ideas a reality, make sure you have the tools you need for a smooth and easy job. Following our detailed mantel installation instructions helps prevent mishaps along the way, so you can make your fireplace the attractive, inviting home element it was always meant to be.
Important Fireplace Mantel Safety Information
Safety is the top priority when working on your fireplace upgrade. Polyurethane products have similar burning characteristics to real wood and are considered combustible. Most of our products can be used around a fireplace as long as you follow the insert or stove manufacturer’s specifications for required clearances. You must also use a stone or non-flammable border when using our products around an open hearth. Please visit our products around fireplaces guidance for full safety information.
Find More Fireplace Design Inspiration
A fireplace makeover can transform a room, but masonry and installation costs can make installing a wood mantel expensive and labor-intensive. A faux fireplace mantel or stone veneer fireplace offers a lightweight, maintenance-free alternative that’s easy to install.
Barron Designs offers the perfect products and materials for these charming and on-trend fireplace design projects. A new mantel or updated fireplace might seem like a minor change, but it can instantly improve your perception of your home. To further expand your fireplace imagination, we invite you to explore our diverse range of faux wood mantels and real wood mantels.