Fireplace Mantels Design

I think most people under estimate the importance of fireplace mantels. The proper fireplace mantel can truly transform a room from ordinary to extraordinary. Whatever type of wall inserted fireplace you have, it will look better with a mantel.

The importance of fireplace mantels is not widespread knowledge. The absence of a mantel seems to be almost entirely ignored. People don't even seem to notice that something is missing. Approximately 6 years ago I moved into an old Victorian home. I came to learn that the house was over 100 years old. In the living room was the original coal fireplace. It was clad with the original red brick to the 9 foot ceiling and had a small hearth and no mantel. As far as fireplaces go it was fine but just fine. I know for a certainty that we are at least the 4th family group to live in this house. I expect we are more likely to be the 6th or 7th family group to live in this house. I was intrigued that 6 or 7 different house owners over a period in excess of 100 hundred years didn't go to the effort of adding a simple mantel. I came to the conclusion that they didn't even realize the fireplace was missing something.

We quickly painted the fireplace bricks white and built a simple white box (think coffin) and attached it to the fireplace at about eye level. Once the box was attached we added some trim and scroll work and fancy sconces underneath the box to make it look supported. We quickly had a home made fire place mantel and it looked great. In fact, it looks like it has been with the house for 100 years. Do it yourself fireplace mantels are easy and inexpensive.

If you have having a new home built for you make sure the builder includes a mantel over the fire place. Often these days simple gas fireplace inserts are included in new homes but they are flush with the wall and don't include a mantel. Skipping the mantel is simply a cost saving step for the builder. These fireplaces look fine but would look a lot better if they were complimented by a mantel. Most builder will be happy to add a mantel to the fireplace for a small extra cost. Trust me you will never regret paying a little extra for the addition of a fireplace mantel to your home.

If you happen to buy a house with a fireplace but without a mantel don't despair. There are many different way you can add a mantel to your fireplace with little muss or fuss. There are at least three different ways to add a fireplace mantel to an existing fireplace. I will list them below.

1. Contract with a fireplace supply company. Every fireplace supply company will either a fireplace mantel building service or will have a list of area contractors that would be able to help you. Before contacting the company do some research. ask people in your neighborhood or at work if they have every had dealing with such a company. Only use companies that you have found through positive referrals from someone you know and trust.

2. Do It Yourself (DIY). Often DIY projects seem overwhelming but once you gain some confidence doing a few smaller jobs you will be ready to do a slightly bigger job like building your own fireplace mantel. if you intend to build your own mantel the first thing you need to do is to settle on a design. You can design your own mantel from various mantels you might have a memory of. Another option is to start skipping through magazines or spend some time on google images of fireplace mantels. Once you have find a design you like try to sketch it into a plan. At stores like Home Depot and Canadian Tire there are hundreds of decorative wooden pieces that can be delicately nailed or glued on to the mantel before painting to give it some age and charm.

3. Buy a pre-existing mantel that can be fastened to your existing fireplace. This is perhaps the trickiest way of adding a fireplace mantel to your home as you are restricted by size and there can be a limited number of mantels available. Fireplace mantels are available in many department stores and stores such as Lowes or Home Depot. My number one recommendation is to go to an antique salvage company to look for a mantel. Admittedly, these types of companies are not plentiful but once in a while I find some unique piece that makes all the searching worthwhile/ These salvage companies have gone through older homes that under demolition orders and have taken out everything that is still in good shape and is of value. You can find tin ceiling panels, old doors, all types of trim and molding and, of course, older antique fireplace mantels.

Of course there are likely other ways to incorporate a fireplace mantel into your home. I have just listed the 3 most common methods. Whatever method you choose you will not be sorry. The absence of a fireplace mantel in your home is not the end of the world and may not even be noticed. However, the addition of a fireplace mantel can transform the room in ways that are quite remarkable.

One of my favorite ways to find new design ideas is to look through magazines. I found that when I am searching for great ideas for fireplace mantels, I have to look through a fairly large range of design style magazines. Often I only pick up a few magazines, because my decorating style is pretty particular. I like "Architectural Digest", "Florida Homes" (I forget the exact name), "Fine Homebuilding Magazine", and I dislike "Dwell". However, I have found some fabulous mantel ideas in Dwell magazine (when I was forced to read through it at my designer brother-in-law's cottage). Whether you only like the white-washed country cottage design look, it's amazing how you can integrate a completely different look for your fireplace mantel, and it still looks completely suited to the room. A fireplace is one of those things in your home that you can give a totally individual look, and it will still seem to work regardless of the style of the rest of your home.

This is also one of the reasons I love the topic of fireplace mantel design - because a simple fireplace face-lift is so quick and simple to do, and is often even not that expensive. This is one of the easiest quickest ways I know that can entirely change the look of a room without having to redo the paint or decor or accessories. Just change the style of your fireplace, add a few complementary accessories, or take away for that simplified look, and you have a brand new room.