A Magnificent Mantel: 5 Styling Ideas

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A Magnificent Mantel: 5 Styling Ideas

A fireplace makes the ideal centerpiece for any room, whether you’re styling the room for your personal enjoyment or staging the space for sale – and best of all, you can design your fireplace to suit any style. If you’re ready for a fireplace upgrade, these five ideas will make your mantel the star of your space.

Choose A Centerpiece

Sure, your fireplace might be the star of your room, but the mantel needs its own centerpiece. As you start to style your mantel, then, choose one large item such as a vase or piece of art to anchor the space. You’ll want to choose something at least two-thirds the size of your whole mantel’s width, and that’s in keeping with your overall aesthetic theme, whether you’re aiming for a modern style or something more rustic.

Consider Fireplace Function

You might be surprised to realize that, when staging a fireplace, many people fail to consider how the fireplace is actually used and whether their setup is safe – yet the items you need to use a fireplace can all be part of how you style it. If you have a gas fireplace, for example, you can choose different log styles to suit your space, while if you have a traditional fireplace, you’ll want to consider how the tools you need, such as a shovel and poker, can be used in setting the scene.

Play With Height

Another element to consider when designing your fireplace display is height; you want to vary the height of the different items you include and layer them to fill the space. You might have a few items that are nearly horizontal, such as books or garlands, higher pieces like candles and vases, and you can even stack items to create a greater sense of dimensionality.

Where do you get all of these pieces? You can use pieces you have around your home or, if you’re staging your home for a move, a professional stager can rent items for you. You might also consider going to thrift stores to look for items in a particular color scheme or to fill gaps in your design.

Style The Surroundings

As with fireplace function, it’s easy to let mantelpiece styling overshadow everything that goes around the fireplace. With that in mind, look for a wood basket, ash bucket, and chair that are in keeping with the overall mantel design. You might also consider adding a blanket or magazine rack. These little details make the space looked lived in and, from a practical perspective, make it more likely that you’ll curl up by the fireplace on chilly nights.

Keep It Tidy

Finally, as you style your fireplace, don’t forget how important it is to keep things tidy. Sweep up any ash, give the fireplace a fresh coat of paint, and clean the soot from the walls. Fireplaces can be messy, but when well cared for, they can also set the tone for your whole room. That’s the look you’re aiming for: warm and welcoming but clean and well-kept. And you can have it all, no matter your defining style.

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