This summer when Covid19 became a global pandemic, we thought there’s no better time to do a reno.. so we decided that our basement was up for a facelift. The furniture we had down there was in great condition, it was actually what we brought over from our old house, but it just wasn’t the style I was looking for and it wasn’t the same rustic look as the rest of the house. Here is a photo of what it looked like before.. the wall unit was finished in a dark cherry wood..

As I started thinking about ideas for the basement, I started looking for an electric fireplace. The only thing is, I wanted one that would suite the rustic/farmhouse look I was going for.. unfortunately I couldn’t find anything, until I discovered Modern Blaze.

Modern Blaze “fireplaces do not require chimneys, or venting, creating endless design opportunities without expensive structural modifications.” @modernblaze They “provide a unique, modern, and eco-friendly solution for contractors, designers, and architects, as well as home and business owners who are looking for an alternative to a traditional wood or gas fireplace.” @modernblaze

Once I reached out, I discovered that Modern Blaze has a wide range of high quality products, easy online shopping, free/FAST shipping/free 30 day returns, expert advice, and responsive customer service. This is the fireplace I chose..

We planned our project around the electric fireplace. So I decided I wanted to build out the fireplace, finishing it with stone, and finishing it with cabinets on either side. When I first looked into cabinets, I looked at PotteryBarn, and Restoration Hardware, and for the style I liked they would have been approx. $2200 each! I thought this is crazy, we were looking for a quick inexpensive facelift, not a $5000 plus reno. So I decided to look on Ana Whites DIY website, and I found how to build hutches, and rustic coffee tables. Here are a few progress pics of the hutches we built..

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Once the hutches were done, we started framing the fireplace…

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Then my hubby and one of his best friends put up the brick, and once that was done my hubby and I white washed the brick. I then added a wood mantel from Windsor Plywood.

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Once all the hard work was finished, it all started coming together. Overall this project was quite inexpensive, and well worth it. This was our biggest DIY to date! And it was all inspired by this beautiful @modernblaze fireplace. I am just so happy we decided to add this beauty to our basement, because let’s be honest we get 7 months at least, of cooler weather..and this gorgeous electric fireplace will keep us warm all winter long, and actually you can enjoy the flames without turning the heater on for cozy ‘looking’ summer nights! This diy was all firsts for us, first time building cabinets, first time framing out a fireplace, first time putting up stone, first time grouting/white washing brick..so we went day by day, step by step.. but I am so happy with how it all turned out!!

Let me know what you think of this DIY project!

Xo

Lindsey