Want to design a beautiful mantel in your living room, but not sure where to start? I offer my best tips to fill the empty wall space, add symmetry, and create a balanced look.
Jinkui Stone are exported all over the world and different industries with quality first. Our belief is to provide our customers with more and better high value-added products. Let's create a better future together.
I started my Design Mistakes series many years ago. It began as a way to showcase some of the mistakes I made around my own home while helping others learn the dos and don&#;ts when it comes to home design. Well, it quickly turned into my most popular series here on the blog!
Here are some fan-favorite posts from the series. Or you can peruse them all right here.
Rookie Mistake: Decorate Fireplace Mantel
DIY Fireplace Makeover
I chose this month&#;s rookie mistake after seeing far too many mantels that were in need of some styling TLC. I do have a fireplace mantel in our family room&#;but with our built-ins directly across from it, I don&#;t style mine as the focal point in the space (but you can check out how we DIY&#;ed them to add marble tile and a white mantel right here!).
Jan&#;s Condo Tour
So the truth is, I haven&#;t had that much practice styling mantels over fireplaces. But I&#;ve learned what NOT to do and I&#;m hoping to share my thoughts so your mantel can be gorgeously accessorized and effortlessly styled in no time.
There isn&#;t one specific problem that I see over and over again. Instead, there are multiple rookie mistakes being made when it comes to mantel decorating.
Over Decorated
I&#;ve seen far too many fireplace mantels that are jampacked with decorative items. Picture frames, vases, flowers, small accessories&#;.just too much stuff going on. You don&#;t want to fill up every space on the mantel. Instead remember, less is more.
Under Decorated
In contrast to over-decorating, some people under-decorate and barely put anything on their fireplace mantels.
There is an opportunity to make this the focal point of a space and draw the eye to the architecture of the fireplace and corresponding mantel. So one measly candlestick or a few very short items isn&#;t going to add visual interest. Instead, you&#;ll need to intentionally choose some items to display to make an impact.
Incorrect Proportions
A fireplace mantel presents a great opportunity to really draw the eye up in a space. Hanging a mirror or leaning tall pieces of artwork are great ways to add some height. However, I see lots of fireplaces with small frames cluttering the top leaving lots of valuable wall space above free (like in the MLS photos of my home, above, when I purchased our condo)
So now that we know a few of the fireplace faux pas, let&#;s showcase a few inspirational pictures of gorgeously decorated fireplaces, all showcasing different styles.
Fireplace Mantel Inspiration
Photo via Dina&#;s Reader Home Tour
Dina&#;s mantel look is stunning and has a farmhouse vibe with the shiplap. She showcases a mirror, a picture frame, and candle holders throughout. Plus, the plant brings in some natural elements.
Photo via The Inspired Room
Yes, yes, yes! Love this brick fireplace from The Inspired Room. The leaning art makes a statement, while the large vase adds height to the right side of the mantel and creates a natural look. Gorgeous and simple.
Photo via Emily Henderson
This mantel, from my favorite designer Emily Henderson, showcases many beautiful pieces. The art in the center grounds the space, and the accessories bring life to the mantel. It looks effortlessly thrown together, but every item was chosen very intentionally for a cohesive look.
Photo via Room for Tuesday
Finally, this striking fireplace from Room for Tuesday. I&#;m all about this neutral color palette and love how the framed art draws the eye up to the ceiling.
Step-by-Step: How to Decorate a Fireplace Mantel
Now let&#;s break it down step-by-step, so you too can spruce up this important space in your home and create beautiful vignettes.
Contact us to discuss your requirements of imperial marble fireplace mantels oem. Our experienced sales team can help you identify the options that best suit your needs.
Start with a Blank Slate
Whenever I start styling an area in a home, I always remove absolutely everything off of the surface so I&#;m starting with an empty space. This gives me a good excuse to dust too! So the first thing is to remove everything, dust the surface, and step back and take a look at what you&#;re working with.
Collect Objects with a Similar Color Palette
Now, time to gather all of the pretty items you may display. I suggest keeping a similar color palette so everything goes together. If you&#;re displaying a piece of art, take a look at the colors in the piece and pull from that to figure out what color accessories you should find. Here are some of the things you should gather&#;
- Art or Mirror to act as the focal point (more on this in the next section)
- Vases or Containers (great for flowers or plants)
- Books or Boxes (really just items to create height and layers)
- Pretty Objects (candlesticks, special items, etc.)
Add Something to Ground the Space
Now time to add something up onto your mantel. I love the idea of adding a big round mirror (this large mirror is a favorite!), or a large piece of art to your pretty mantel.
This is the time to add some major height to the space, so make sure it&#;s big enough. This blog post has my best tips to make sure the scale and proportion are right.
You can hang your pieces, or feel free to just lean them. If you go with the leaning look, I always like putting command strips on the top of the frame where it touches the wall. That way it won&#;t move or come crashing down. Also go a bit off-center, to the left or right.
Layer in a Frame
If you go with the leaning frame, then add another smaller frame place in front to fit. This creates a pretty layered look.
Make sure it&#;s proportioned correctly&#;not too small and not too big. Again, this blog post about scale and proportion is a great read when decorating.
Create Different Heights
Just like when you&#;re decorating any other surface, you don&#;t want everything to be at the same height. This is where boxes and books come into play to boost up any small items or low objects.
Add a few hardcover books to the surface and place a box on top. Or add a tall vase to one edge of the mantel to bring some height onto the end of the fireplace mantel.
Incorporate Life
You can never go wrong with flowers or plants. A vase with fresh flowers or eucalyptus plants could be pretty! This faux eucalyptus branch looks like the real thing and could add some height to your mantel in a geometric vase.
Or go with an indoor plant (here&#;s a list of my favorites) to add some greenery up there. I also love the idea of adding a plant that is a bit &#;drapey&#; so the stems hang a bit over the fireplace. Just make sure it isn&#;t too long where it creates a fire hazard!
Favorite Decorative Pieces for Your Mantel
Round Mirror // Brass Candlesticks // Faux Eucalyptus // Vintage Mirror // Rustic Vase // Decorative Gold Bowl // Storage Baskets // Faux Fern // Framed Art // Framed Canvas
I hope this post inspires you to see your fireplace mantel in a whole new light! Use my steps to highlight this gorgeous spot in your home and make it the focal point it deserves to be.
Mantel Holiday Decor For Christmas
P.S. Need some help decorating your fireplace for the holidays? Be sure to check out this blog post that showcases Christmas decor and garland.
Casey
Catch up on More Rookie Mistakes
If you want to learn more, please visit our website handmade white marble angel design granite headstone supply.
Comments
All Comments (0)