Recreating The Set Of Sherlock: Building A Screen-Accurate Faux Fireplace & Book Shelves

Two years ago John and I recreated the famous Sherlock wallpaper for our friends Chris and Christie, who are MASSIVE Sherlock fans.

Remember this?

Here's the post if you're curious how we did it. What I wouldn't give to have had a Cricut back then...

Back then we planned to transform their entire living room into a screen-accurate recreation of Sherlock's living room, but due to scheduling and the material cost, the project got shelved.

UNTIL NOW.

MWAH-AH-AHHH

 As a refresher, the other side of Sherlock's living room - across from that wallpaper - looks like this: 

To pull this off, John will have to build three fake wall sections, two custom bookcases, and a MASSIVELY complex faux fireplace that opens up to reveal hidden storage for electronics. (Ok, the hidden storage part is optional, but we're extra like that.)

The fireplace is by far the hardest part, so that's where John started. Since he's almost done with it, I thought I'd share some build photos so we can sit back and ooh and aaah together.

Cool? Cool.

First, here's a fantastic 3D rendering of just the fireplace by Gabriela Vanova, which John has been using extensively as his reference:

He printed out several different angles of this, which has been invaluable since the set photos are always so dark.

Next here's John original blueprint showing how the three wall sections will fit in Chris & Christie's room:

 They have an open-concept house, so this will be on one end of a larger living space. The areas with the diamond pattern are faux walls John will be building out, so the shelving and fireplace will look recessed/built-in.

Because everything depends on the fireplace, and the fireplace tiles dictate those dimensions, that's where John started. First, he made some fake tiles:

 These are cut Masonite, the edges rounded slightly. The idea of making faux tiles was my one contribution to the project. They weigh less than ceramic, and John could easily make them the exact size he needed.

Once painted and lacquered to a brilliant shine, you'd never know these weren't ceramic tiles:

John ordered this custom trim through Home Depot. It's the closest design we could find to the actual set piece. 

Tiles and trim cut and laid out:

It's looking very Christmassy, and I like it. :D

 

Now with an Eva for scale.

Next John cut the plywood backer:

 

 Why the cut section? Because these will be cleverly disguised doors on hinges!

 Gluing the faux tiles in place:

 John grouted the tiles with sanded caulking, which looks and feels just like the real thing.

Look how pretty:

 You'd never know these were two pieces!

 The tiles look too bright here, too cherry red, because they're under bright lights. Once installed in the shadows of the fireplace they seem to match perfectly.

John whipped together the interior shelving of the fireplace so fast that this is the only process photo I have:



Apparently building a big box with adjustable shelving inside is the "easy" part, ha.

John's including a faux hearth on the bottom, which will be painted to look like black marble.

Ta-daa!

 

Did I mention Eva really likes this project?

That reminds me, here's how John manages to build such large pieces with only half of a one-car garage for a workspace:

The whole driveway becomes his wood shop. Luckily we've had some nice weather lately, though it crept back up to 90 degrees yesterday. (UG.)

Now, BEHOLD THE MAGIC:

SECRET DOOR! The smaller side panel also opens. It was at this point that I started to catch John's excitement, because this is seriously so cool.

The center section (where the fire would be) will be hidden behind a faux fireplace screen. Since welding is one of the few things John can't do, that will be another challenge. John will use screen - either metal or fabric, not sure yet - so remotes can work through it, just like our own steampunk TV cabinet. (Their TV will hang over the fireplace where Sherlock's mirror is.) 

We're debating between adding a thin metal handle at the very top of the fireplace door  - which should just barely show - or using a magnetic-push clasp, like on a bathroom mirror. The downside with the magnet is you'll have to push on the tile, which could wear down the paint finish over time.

With all the inner parts of the fireplace done, John started framing out the mantle. The inner part slides inside, and is recessed a bit:

 

These next cuts were the most stressful of the whole thing for John, and while I don't understand ANY of this, I happily took a picture while he was whooping over the fact that he nailed them on the first try:

 Look how perfect this join is:

My man is so stinkin' talented, you guys. I'm just so proud of him.

 

 Testing the two pieces together:

Now back to adding some top details:

The top of Sherlock's fireplace is somewhat unusual. John spent a long time puzzling out how to recreate it using cheap plywood, since we're trying to keep the material cost as low as possible. Right now we're aiming for a budget of $700 for the whole project: fireplace, walls, and bookshelves.

 

You can see John stacked pieces of plywood to makes the rounded accent pieces on top. The hard part is getting those end grains super smooth for the paint finish later.

John's been finishing up while I've been writing this post, so I just paused to go take a picture of the completed mantle:

OooOOoooh.

Next comes the faux finishing! I know it seems strange to paint wood to look like wood, but no amount of staining will make that plywood look like this:

So yeah, we'll be dusting off our faux finisher caps soon. (John wants to build the bookcases first, so we can paint them all together.)  I'm looking forward to actually helping at that point, since 'til now my only job has been documentation and the occasional cheering.

Let's pause to appreciate this section in particular:
 
John sanded those end grains smooth as silk. Aw yeah. (The weight is holding it down while the glue cures.)

John took this on purely for fun, and he's having such a blast. He's gone full PROJECT JOHN, out in the garage past dark every night, doesn't want to work on anything else. Which I suppose might annoy some SOs, but honestly I love watching Project John zip around in a haze of happiness. Project John reminds me of myself when I'm taking pictures at a con, so every time he brings me out to show off his latest step I can't help but smile.

  This project lets John stretch his skills with no risk, since it isn't a "real job" for a real client; it's just free work for dear friends. So there's no stress if it isn't perfect, he gets to play with power tools for a couple weeks, and in the end will have something totally badass. That's a win all 'round, right?

I hope this made you smile, and maybe inspired you to do more fandom decorating yourself. Remember, it's your space, so surround yourself with what you love! Whether that means anime posters, Funko Pops, rusty gears, or full-on fake fireplaces from your favorite detective show, seize the space.

And stay tuned for more updates!

*****

P.S. Hey Sherlock fan, you might also like the "I Owe You" apple replica I made for Christie's birthday. It's on display in their room already, plus they've been collecting a bunch of screen-accurate furniture and accessories, like the steer head on the wall wearing headphones. Don't worry, I promise I'll show pics when we're all done.

*****

Oooh, and here's a fun find: This Sherlock print is made up of quotes from the show!

11X17 Art Print by Scott W. Smith

I found "We solve crimes. I blog about it, he forgets his pants," in his coat, so this is definitely a keeper. :D