What to Do With Your Fireplace Alcoves
Interesting alternatives to built-in shelves and cabinets will make your living room stand out
It’s tempting to jam your fireplace alcoves with built-in shelves and cabinets, and then pack them with books, photos, toys and paperwork. But if you have the clutter under control, you can use your alcoves much more creatively. Here are just a few ways to make the most of them.
Say yes to symmetry. If it’s an elegant finish you’re after, this is the formula to copy, with everything on one side mirroring the other.
What other benefits does this setup give you? Lamps with mirrors behind them add depth and reflect light, while delicate console tables like these — instead of solid, chunky pieces of furniture you can’t see through — enhance the feeling of space.
Browse mirrors
What other benefits does this setup give you? Lamps with mirrors behind them add depth and reflect light, while delicate console tables like these — instead of solid, chunky pieces of furniture you can’t see through — enhance the feeling of space.
Browse mirrors
Display art. Typically, the chimney surround is the focus of attention, but that’s a missed opportunity. Filling each alcove with a large piece of art makes a focal feature of the whole wall and tricks the eye into seeing the room as wider.
What’s more, if you choose complementary pictures that flatter the color scheme, and each other, the room will feel more cohesive too.
What’s more, if you choose complementary pictures that flatter the color scheme, and each other, the room will feel more cohesive too.
Create a cozy reading corner. In a narrow living space, it’s practical to push seating toward an alcove, which isn’t possible if it’s full of shelves or cabinets. Doing this can look a little unnatural, however, unless you give the seating a bit of context. Creating a reading corner like this is the simplest solution.
A sofa can sit square on, but an armchair will look more welcoming placed at an angle.
A sofa can sit square on, but an armchair will look more welcoming placed at an angle.
Allow for breathing room. A living room on the smallish side will actually feel bigger if you don’t pack every corner with furniture. So if your clutter’s well under control, give yourself the luxury of an empty alcove or use it for something tall and striking, like this floor lamp, to draw attention to the space.
Opt for freestanding bookcases. Just because you aren’t building in custom shelves doesn’t mean you can’t have freestanding ones in your alcoves.
What’s the benefit? A freestanding a bookcase will create a more informal, laid-back look for the room overall, and you can use it as an opportunity to work out whether you have the layout of the space right — ideal if you’ve recently moved in.
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What’s the benefit? A freestanding a bookcase will create a more informal, laid-back look for the room overall, and you can use it as an opportunity to work out whether you have the layout of the space right — ideal if you’ve recently moved in.
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Carve out a home office. If your living room has to cope with lots of demands, using one of the alcoves — usually the one farthest from the window — as a home office is a practical option.
To keep it looking stylish, match the height of the TV in the other alcove to your computer screen (back to symmetry again).
To keep it looking stylish, match the height of the TV in the other alcove to your computer screen (back to symmetry again).
Be deliberately unconventional. If formal symmetry leaves you cold and you want to create a living room that looks relaxed and inviting instead, choose mismatched treatments for your alcoves — and banish the TV to the opposite wall.
In this room, the reversal of the traditional layout makes the room look instantly welcoming as you come through the door, with the TV refreshingly hidden from immediate view.
In this room, the reversal of the traditional layout makes the room look instantly welcoming as you come through the door, with the TV refreshingly hidden from immediate view.
Show off greenery. The depth of an alcove makes it the perfect space for indulging in architectural foliage, whether it’s a houseplant standing tall on the floor or an extravagant arrangement resting on top of a sideboard.
Here’s the trick to getting the impact of the display just right: Aim for foliage that’s more than half the width of the alcove and at least two-thirds of its height.
Here’s the trick to getting the impact of the display just right: Aim for foliage that’s more than half the width of the alcove and at least two-thirds of its height.
Visually stretch the space. Typically, alcoves make for dark corners full of unwanted shadows, so filling yours with mirrors makes perfect sense. They will banish shadows, add depth and bounce around lots of light.
Tell us: What’s in your alcoves? Share ideas and photos in the Comments.
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Tell us: What’s in your alcoves? Share ideas and photos in the Comments.
More
Read other stories designing a living space
Find a pro to help with your interior design
Browse living room products
Built in or not, benches with lift-up lids or drawers beneath allow you to hide away seasonal items or the clutter that even the smartest of living spaces attracts.