How to style a mantle is a common question among my decorating and staging clients. The design of some fireplace mantles makes it difficult for the average homeowner to accessorize. There is a tendency among homeowners to fill the entire mantel with small items lined up in a row. Scale is the most important aspect to keep in mind when decorating. Also, less is more applies more often than not.
When decorating your home you may choose pieces that have personal meaning, like family portraits, but when staging a home to sell, it’s better to stay with more neutral accessories that complement the fireplace building material rather than stealing the show. Common pieces that appeal to a broad audience are simple artwork, candlesticks, vases, etc. Below are solutions for styling a variety of mantle types.
Challenge: A fireplace with a mantle that runs the length of the room over shelving. (below)
Solution: Instead of trying to accessorize the entire length of mantle, choose some larger pieces that will balance each other on either end of the fireplace while anchoring the mirror with smaller, different height accessories. The key is to avoid using accessories that are all the same height.
Challenge: A large scale fireplace surround with a narrow mantle and a full stone wall. (below)
Solution: Instead of scattering many smaller pieces that are all the same size, choose one large statement piece, like a piece of art that will balance the scale of fireplace surround. While the artwork adds a touch of color, it mostly blends with the stone rather than competing with it.
Photo Credit Above: Design Imaging Studios
Challenge: An off-center fireplace with a large mantle. (below)
Solution: The biggest mistake I see in homes when styling the mantle is scale. Many smaller pieces scattered just looks busy and cluttered with no real focal point. Keep it simple with one large piece of art and a few smaller pieces to balance out the off-center fireplaces.
Challenge: A simple fireplace with very little architectural detail. (below)
Solution: Styling the fireplace is just as important as adding furniture to the room. A mirror helps reflect light in the narrow room as well as making it feel larger. Three large scale pieces with texture and dimension add much needed interest.
Challenge: An off-center fireplace in a formal living room. (below)
Solution: Centering artwork over the fireplace gives the space symmetry while adding in the plate between the art and topiary fills the entire mantle and gives a balance to the irregular fireplace.
Challenge: Architectural details built into the wall. (below)
Solution: Instead of removing the original details that were added to this room with molding, painting over the wallpaper inside the molding and adding a piece of dimensional art inside of it accentuates the area rather than covering it. Adding small lamps on either side provides more lighting and ambience to the space without over cluttering the small mantle.
Challenge: A random, small window on one side of the fireplace that is centered in the room. (below)
Solution: To balance out the small window, a large mirror was placed on the other side of the fireplace at about the same height. To fill the space in between, a large piece of art was placed over the fireplace to keep the wall simple and uncluttered.
