A fireplace is a wonderful addition to your home. There’s nothing quite as cosy as snuggling up in front of a roaring fire in the colder months, and it makes a fantastic focal point for your living room all year round. To make the most out of the space, you’ll want to dress the mantlepiece in the best possible way. Here’s a list to give you some design inspiration – no matter what the style, layout, and colour scheme of your room, you’re sure to find some decor ideas to suit it!
Types of fireplace
Whether you have an antique or reproduction fireplace bursting with character, or a stylish and modern gas or electric fire, as long as you have a mantlepiece over the top of it these design ideas can work for you. If you don’t have a fireplace yet, check out Stonewoods to browse the different varieties available and decide what best suits your home.
Decoration ideas
Here’s a list of suggestions for decorating the space on or above your fireplace’s mantlepiece. Some of these can, of course, be combined to create a design that matches you and your home.
- A mirror
Hanging a mirror on the wall above your fireplace is not only functional, but it can also help make the room look bigger by adding depth to the space. For something a bit more unique and eye-catching, try hanging several different sized mirrors instead of just one.
- Striking artwork
A fireplace naturally draws the eye, so what better place to feature your favourite piece of art? It’s a fantastic way to add some of your personality to the room, whether you favour abstract images, realistic landscapes, pop art, or anything in between.
- Season-themed decor
For something a bit timelier, why not mix up the decor to match the season and time of year? As well as the seasons, there are holidays and events like Christmas, Easter, Halloween… all of which gives you plenty of opportunities to have fun with this one!
- Fresh flowers or plants
Having some plants or flowers always brings a breath of fresh air into a room and setting some on the mantlepiece also continues the natural theme of the flickering flames below. If you find it hard to look after real plants, you can always opt for fake flowers instead.
- Collectables
If you collect something, the mantlepiece can be a perfect place to put your items proudly on display. Whether it’s pottery, antiques, action figures, souvenirs from your travels, sports memorabilia… whatever you choose, it’s a sure-fire way to inject your personality into the space.
- Candles
Whether you prefer real candles or flameless LED ones, or even a string of pretty fairy lights, you can accentuate the glow of your fire – or make up for the lack of it during the warmer months – by placing warm light sources across the mantlepiece.
- Inspirational messages
If hanging art is not 100% your thing (but still 80%) then why not have an inspirational message to lift the mood of the room? You can get all kinds of messages framed with beautiful calligraphy or even made of Neon lighting. With Neon messages you can get the best of art, lighting, mood, and inspiration. Create yours now if that sounds enticing.
- Books
If your mantlepiece is wide enough, books can be a nice feature to include. This is especially true if you have some beautiful hardbacks and displaying your books can also be a great way to start up a conversation with guests.
- Photographs
In this age of digital photographs, we don’t print off pictures as much as we used to. The mantlepiece has always been a traditional spot for displaying a couple of well-chosen photo frames, however, and there’s no reason not to continue doing so!