A fireplace adds a cozy touch to any room and is often a focal point with or without a fire.
If you’re not sure how to decorate the top of your fireplace, it’s time to get inspired and customize the decor atop your mantel to suit your home and your personality.
1. Display Family Photos
Since a fireplace is a natural gathering place for you and your loved ones, it only makes sense to display photos of your tribe in that location. Include the vacation pics from the beach, the photo you used for your holiday greeting cards and the latest school pictures of the kids.
2. Create a Mini Garden
The natural look of greenery against the wood or stone of a fireplace mantel easily draws attention to the area in an attractive way. Choose a variety of plants to decorate the mantel and place them in colorful pots that complement the decor of the room.
Create an herb garden atop the mantel of a fireplace that’s located in a kitchen to serve both a practical and an aesthetic purpose.
3. Install a Mirror
To make a room with a fireplace appear even larger, select a sizable mirror with a decorative frame and situate it on or above the mantel. Since large mirrors are often heavy, ensure that the mirror is securely attached and cannot fall from the space inadvertently.
4. Fire It Up
You can double the merry glow that comes from the fireplace by situating several candles atop the mantle. Light them at the same time as a fire to create a romantic look or light them when you’re short on the time or energy required to start and maintain a fire.
5. Exhibit Artwork
If you’re an art lover, the mantel above your fireplace provides the perfect place to exhibit your favorite paintings. Choose one large portrait, abstract or landscape or a collection of smaller paintings to hang where you can enjoy them while you sit by the fire.
6. Enjoy Entertainment
In a family room that serves as an entertainment space as well, the space above a fireplace can provide a place to install a flat-screen television. When there’s a fire burning, you can watch the fire and your favorite programs at the same time. When you run out of wood, pop in a DVD that fills the screen with crackling flames to watch until your next delivery of firewood.
7. Promote Yourself
If you’ve ever visited a stately home or castle when you traveled on vacation, you may have noticed that there’s often a portrait of the lord and/or lady of the manor atop the fireplace. Just because you’re not royalty doesn’t mean you can’t do the same. Hang your image above the fireplace to let all who visit know that this is your kingdom.
8. Display a Collection
When you have a collection of which you’re proud, particularly a small one, the fireplace mantel provides a place to present it. Whether it’s china cups and teapots, model airplanes or antique vases, the mantel can house them in an attractive way.
9. House Your Books
10. Celebrate the Holidays
At any time of the year, the fireplace mantel provides a place where you can add a touch of holiday decor. Display ceramic Christmas trees and snowmen in December, pumpkins, and goblins in October and red, white and blue knickknacks in May, July, and September.
No matter how you’ve chosen to decorate your fireplace mantel, you can be sure it will gain the attention and compliments of friends and family when you all gather around the place that warms your hearts and hands when the days turn cooler.