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Create Beauty and Drama with a Fireplace Mantle
By Anna Young
If your fireplace is missing a mantle or if the one you have is skimpy, dingy, damage or dated, you can greatly enhance the look of the fireplace and the room by adding a beautiful mantle. Updating the surround – the area around the firebox – is another way to make a fireplace more striking. These upgrades can help define the style of the room, underscore or accent a color palette and make your fireplace the striking focal point it was meant to be. Ideas for Adding a Mantle
There are several ways to go about adding a mantel and/or fireplace surround, depending on your budget and whether you want to do it yourself. 1. Build a Mantle and Surround
If you have skills to build a mantle and surround, gather some ideas from magazines, websites, and interior design books. Specialty moldings and trims, such as dental moldings and corbels, can be used to build as elaborate a mantle and surround as you can imagine. Or keep it simple and sleek, then paint or stain the mantle and surround to complement your decor. 2. Build a Shelf
Buy a stylish shelf and hang it above the firebox to create a simple, modern mantle. Sleek ready-built shelves installed as a floating shelf above the firebox will make enhance contemporary decor. Alternately, use stylized brackets to create a traditional, Old World or country look. A rough cut, heavy duty wood slab adds an authentic rustic touch to a stone fireplace. 3. Add a Tiled Surround
Dress up your fireplace with a surround made of ceramic tile or modern glass or metallic tiles. From mosaics to traditional Delft blue tile and everything in between, tile is easy to install on the face of a fireplace and will instantly transform it. 4. Purchase a Pre-Fab Kit
Online sites sell pre-fabricated kits built to your specifications. An online search will yield several companies that offer these services. In general, you select a style and finish and submit the dimensions of your fireplace. They will build and ship a finished, ready-to-install fireplace mantel and surround along with easy-to-follow installation instructions. 5. Hiring a Carpenter
You can hire a finish carpenter to build and install a fireplace mantle and surround. Present photos of your ideas and look at photos of the carpenters work. This is not an inexpensive option but it is a good choice if you want a unique and detailed mantle and surround and do not have the ability to build it yourself. Ideas for Accenting the Mantle
Once your mantle and surround is built, it’s time to get busy decorating it! 1. The Mantle Itself
The mantle is essentially a large shelf and it is an ideal place to showcase favorite collectibles and accessories, cherished photographs and other decorative items. For a formal room, create a symmetrical arrangement; floral arrangements, mantel clocks, figurines, framed photos, candles, candlesticks and hurricanes, candle snifters, pottery and family heirlooms are just a few items that can be used to decorate the mantle. For a casual look, arrange things randomly or asymmetrically; keep things simple, streamlined and striking for a contemporary look. 2. The Prime Space Above the Mantle
The space above the mantel is prime real estate as far as focal points go. Use it to display a beautiful classic work of art, an elaborated framed mirror or contemporary metal wall art. Wall sconces on either side of the artwork add balance, illumination and make the area more prominent. 3. On the Hearth
Don’t forget the area below on the hearth. Tall pottery pieces with faux flowers or seed pods, baskets, tall figurines and statuary, pedestals and other accessories with vertical shapes are good choices. If you burn a real fire in your fireplace, be sure that no combustibles are close enough to ignite from a stray spark.
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This intel was contributed by Anna Young
Anna Young
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May, 2012
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