14 Ideas for a Fireplace with Bookshelves on Each Side on a Budget

Two bookcases, two plug-in lamps, two wall straps. At IKEA US list prices this month, that adds up to $237.98 before tax, and it’s the first fireplace with bookshelves on each side on this list.

If your fireplace sits alone on a long blank wall, it probably looks a little lost. Maybe you rent, so real built-ins are off the table. Maybe a carpenter quoted a number you laughed at. Either way, the framed hearth you keep saving on Pinterest doesn’t need custom millwork.

These 14 bookshelves around fireplace ideas start with the lowest-cost complete setup and branch out: trim tricks that fake a built-in, a paint fix for the back panels, a one-sided layout for awkward walls, and a freestanding unit for homes with no fireplace at all. You’ll also get a three-measurement check to run before you buy anything, plus the safety spacing that matters when shelves sit next to a real fire.

Every price here comes from a real retailer listing. Every measurement comes from a spec sheet or a documented build. Grab a tape measure. You’ll need it in idea #2.

1. The $238 Two-Billy Flank That Fills Both Sides

Start with a pair of white IKEA BILLY bookcases, one on each side of the fireplace. Each one is 31 1/2 inches wide, 11 inches deep, and 79 1/2 inches tall, and the white version lists at $79 at IKEA US.

Add a plug-in wall lamp above each case and a strap kit behind each one. Here’s the full total, line by line.

Two honest limits. Some IKEA reviewers say long BILLY shelves sag under heavy hardcovers, so park your heaviest books on the fixed shelf and the bottom shelf. And each side needs at least 31 1/2 inches of clear wall, which idea #2 helps you confirm.

Safety note: anchor tall furniture to the wall, keep candles and cords away from fabric, and use a licensed electrician or contractor for hardwired lighting, ceiling mounts, or anything structural.

2. Run the Three-Tape Check Before You Buy Anything

Most flanking projects go wrong at the tape measure, not the store. Three numbers decide whether a fireplace with bookshelves on each side looks built-in or crammed in.

Here’s what those numbers looked like in one documented build. Green With Decor’s contractor-built flank on a flat wall used 13-inch-deep open shelves over 13 1/4-inch cabinets, with 36-inch cabinet sets beside a fireplace about 64 inches wide, all under 8-foot ceilings. They kept the depth shallow on purpose so the fireplace wouldn’t look recessed.

For a working fireplace, the National Fire Protection Association’s heating safety tips say to keep anything that can burn at least three feet away. Built shelving follows a different rulebook: your fireplace manual sets those clearances. Read it before a single board goes up. <!– NO IMAGE PROMPT: the visual element carries this entry –>

3. Trim the Gaps So Two Bookcases Read as One Built-In

Gaps give it away. A freestanding bookcase looks like furniture because of the slivers of wall around it, and closing those slivers is most of the trick behind built ins around fireplace walls.

Hardware matters as much as trim. In one Apartment Therapy feature, the owner credited the trim and new brass pulls for making her BILLY wall look built-in, and the whole wall came in around $650. If you want more ways to dress up flat-pack shelves, browse these IKEA reading nook hacks for small spaces.

4. Paint the Back Panels the Color of Your Fireplace

White shelves against a brick or painted fireplace can look like two separate projects. A color on the back panels stitches them together.

Designer Carla Aston used a taupe inside the backs and sides of white built-ins for exactly this reason, and it hid the vertical shelf standards too.

Owner route: paint, matched to a chip from your brick or tile. Renter route: peel-and-stick paper cut to the back panel size, which peels off at move-out.

There’s a deeper green version of this trick in these modern bookshelf ideas for small walls. Pick one color. Two looks busy.

5. Go One-Sided When the Wall Won’t Split Evenly

Some walls just won’t cooperate. A window, a doorway, or a thermostat can eat one side of the fireplace.

You have two honest choices:

One writer documented a single 31-inch BILLY on the right of her fireplace because the left side was too tight. On a Houzz thread about uneven walls, a commenter suggested the same fix in reverse: shelves on one side, then a chair, floor lamp, and side table on the other. One reader on The Inspired Room went the other way and pulled out her one-sided built-ins because the fireplace felt off balance. Balance the empty side with height, and it reads as a plan.

6. Buy the Whole Wall in One Box When There’s No Fireplace

Renters with no hearth at all still get this look. A freestanding electric fireplace with bookcases built into each side plugs into a regular outlet, and nothing touches your landlord’s walls except two anchor straps.

Home Depot lists the Ameriwood Elk Grove, a 61-inch freestanding electric fireplace with side bookshelves, at $282.36. It puts out 4,600 BTUs.

Read the shelf limits before you load it. A similar Ameriwood model sold at Kohl’s rates each shelf at 15 pounds and says the mantel isn’t built for a TV. Paperbacks, yes. A full set of art books, no.

It’s still a heater, so the three-foot rule from idea #2 applies to throws and baskets.

7. Turn One Flank Into a Reading Seat With a Plug-In Sconce

Here’s the angle most fireplace roundups skip: the flank isn’t only storage. It’s the best reading seat in the room, with the fire on one side and your books on the other.

What it takes:

• A chair angled toward the fireplace, tucked tight to one bookcase.
• A plug-in wall lamp mounted over the chair’s shoulder, not over the shelves. IKEA’s VARPTROSS bamboo wall lamp runs about $30.
• A warm 2700K bulb, so the lamp matches the fire’s glow instead of fighting it.
• A small side table within easy reach of your mug hand.

Livingetc’s designers point out that shelf lighting should be layered with the room’s other light so the wall doesn’t glare. One warm lamp at reading height does that job. Keep the chair itself outside the three-foot fire zone.

8. Pull Out a Shelf or Two Before You Style Anything

Full shelves fight the fireplace. When every inch on both sides holds a frame, a vase, or a paperback, your eye has nowhere to land, and the hearth stops being the star.

Interior designer Mike Siewert’s first fix for clients is simple: take a shelf or two out. Fewer shelves leave taller openings, which hold bigger pieces and calm the whole wall.

Group small things together, or don’t use them. <!– NO IMAGE PROMPT: the visual element carries this entry –>

9. Hide the Clutter Behind Doors on the Lower Half

Remotes, chargers, and board games don’t belong on display next to a fire. Doors on the bottom third keep the top open for books.

IKEA sells BILLY with OXBERG doors already fitted. The walnut-effect version listed at $189 regular and $169 on sale this summer. Glass-front doors are the middle ground: Livingetc notes they keep dust off while still showing what’s inside.

Green With Decor’s contractor moved a heating vent into the base of a cabinet and set the light switch inside the bookshelf. Anything that touches wiring or ducts is a job for a licensed pro.

10. Let the Mantel Tie Both Sides Together

Think of the mantel as the bridge. When it repeats something from each bookcase, the three zones read as one wall instead of three projects.

In October, that might mean a rust vase from one side and a cream pumpkin echoing the other. These simple fall mantel decor ideas keep it to three pieces.

Adding a mantel shelf between the bookcases? Check the clearance chart in your fireplace manual first. On one hearth forum thread, an owner’s manual called for about 14 inches above the opening for a 9-inch-deep shelf, and deeper shelves need more. If you burn wood, keep dried stems and garlands off the mantel while the fire is going. <!– NO IMAGE PROMPT: the visual element carries this entry –>

11. Add Height Extensions for a Ceiling-High Look

Standard BILLY cases stop 16 1/2 inches short of an 8-foot ceiling. That gap is what makes them look rented.

• ▸A BILLY height extension adds 14 inches and lists at $30 at IKEA US.
• ▸79 1/2 plus 14 equals 93 1/2 inches, leaving about 2 1/2 inches under an 8-foot ceiling.
• ▸A strip of crown molding across the tops closes the last gap for owners.

Two extensions add $60 to the idea #1 total. IKEA notes you need enough space above the furniture to anchor it, so dry-fit one extension and your strap before buying the second. Rooms with taller ceilings can stack open cubbies up top for baskets you rarely touch.

12. Stay Shallow When the Fireplace Sits Flush

Measure how far your fireplace sticks out before anything else. If the answer is barely at all, 11-inch-deep bookcases will push the firebox back into a hole.

A Houzz commenter put a number on it for flush fireplaces on exterior walls: side shelves top out around 8 inches deep unless you build back into the next room.

Neither option is wrong. Choosing one on purpose is what matters. <!– NO IMAGE PROMPT: the visual element carries this entry –>

13. Anchor Every Tall Case, Then Load Heavy Books Low

Tall bookcases tip. It happens most often when a child climbs the shelves to reach something on top.

The Consumer Product Safety Commission’s campaign is blunt about it: anchor bookcases to the wall. According to CPSC’s Anchor It! campaign update, anchoring education helped cut tip-over injuries and deaths by nearly half over ten years.

A woven nylon strap kit costs about $10 and secures one tall piece. Renters, it leaves one small screw hole per strap, an easy patch at move-out and worth a quick note to your landlord. Keep the heaviest books on the bottom two shelves so the weight sits low.

14. Shop the Thrift Store for Shelf Objects, Then Mirror Them

Thrift stores sell the best shelf filler for pocket change. Designer Carla Aston found many of the styling pieces for a fireplace built-in project at a local thrift store for $2 each.

The trick is buying in pairs, or near pairs, so the two sides answer each other.

Frequently Asked Questions

Should the bookshelves on each side of a fireplace match?

Matching sides give the classic framed look, but they aren’t required. If a window, door, or uneven wall breaks the symmetry, a single bookcase on one side with a chair and floor lamp on the other looks planned, not unfinished. Keep one thing consistent across both sides, like color or top height, so the wall still reads as one design.

How far should wooden shelves be from a fireplace?

Two different rules apply. For loose items, NFPA heating safety guidance says to keep anything that can burn at least three feet from a fireplace. For built shelving and mantels, the clearances come from your fireplace manufacturer’s manual, and the distance usually grows as a shelf projects farther. When in doubt, ask a licensed contractor or chimney professional before you build.

How deep should bookshelves next to a fireplace be?

For books, 10 to 12 inches deep is a common standard, and an IKEA BILLY is 11 inches. The bigger question is your fireplace. If the surround only sticks out a few inches, deep shelves make the firebox look sunk in, so stay as shallow as your books allow, or use wall-mounted ledges instead.

Can I put IKEA BILLY bookcases next to a fireplace?

Yes, and it’s one of the most common ways to fake built-ins on a budget. Check the fireplace manual for side clearances first. Then confirm at least 31 1/2 inches of wall per side for the standard width, or 15 3/4 inches for the narrow version. Anchor each case to the wall, and trim the gaps so they read as one unit.

How much do built-ins around a fireplace cost?

A two-bookcase IKEA setup with strap kits and plug-in lamps totals about $238 at current US list prices. One documented BILLY wall with trim and brass hardware cost about $650. An Ana White community builder framed shelves flush into drywall for about $200 over a 10 to 20 hour weekend. Custom carpentry costs more and varies widely by city.

Are fireplace built-ins worth it in a rental?

Fixed built-ins aren’t, but the look is. Freestanding bookcases with trim fixed only to their own frames, a freestanding electric fireplace with side shelves, and plug-in sconces all move out with you. The one wall change worth asking your landlord about is the anchor screw for each tall case, because tip-over safety matters more than a small hole.

Bringing It Home

A fireplace with bookshelves on each side doesn’t need a carpenter, a renovation budget, or even a real fire. It needs three measurements, two bookcases that suit your wall, and a little trim and paint to tie them together.

Start with the Three-Tape Check in idea #2 so you buy the right width the first time. Then pick one upgrade per weekend: trim first, back panels next, then a lamp and a chair. By the third weekend, that bare wall will look like it was always meant to hold books.

Save this to your living room board so the measurements are there when you’re standing in the IKEA aisle.