A well dressed fireplace has the potential to create a sanctuary that you’ll want to settle down in after a long day at work. Your living room should be a place that exudes warmth, relaxation and well-being. And your mantle is often the focal point – but how can you give it that special spark?
Focus fireplaces are a great way to make your mantle the main feature of your living space. The key is to find a balance of utilising empty space, layering mantel decor, and making the most of the mantelpiece shelf.
Feature Fireplace Wall
The first step is to fill the ‘dead space’ on the wall above the fireplace. Hanging or leaning a mirror effortlessly takes away that feeling of an empty fireplace. Mirrors in any living space whilst being a visual interest, also add natural light and open spaces up. They make spaces feel bigger, brighter, and lighter, which is perfect in the winter months when there’s little natural light coming in. The general rule when selecting a mirror for your fireplace wall is to choose a frame that’s at least ⅔ of the size of the mantel. Choosing an interesting frame, rather than a square, can also add an extra interest point to your feature fireplace wall.
The Silver Mushroom Label Vintage Reclaimed Wood Overmantel Mirror, for example, would be a captivating accent, without distracting too much from the fireplace. The last thing to check before hanging is the mirror reflection. The mirror won’t be as effective if it reflects a dark wall, or an unorganised shelving unit.
Working From The Bottom
Now that you’ve styled your fireplace wall, it’s time to move onto the fireplace itself. Consider simplicity, and symmetry or balanced asymmetry. Balanced asymmetry can essentially be achieved by adding the same sized or number of products to each side, without repeating the product. You can also mix elements of symmetry and balanced asymmetry above and below the fireplace.
Think about balancing visual weights, and creating decor groupings. Avoid filling your fireplace with lots of mismatched ornaments.
Large, interesting decor can fill up space whilst avoiding an over cluttered look, particularly fireplace plants. A large floor vase is also a great opportunity to implement some easy, but effective seasonal updates in your living space. As the seasons pass, you can change the greenery in your floor vase. Artificial plants and stems make seasonal updates that little bit easier, and can be brought out year after year. Adding a ‘living element’, whether it be real or faux, also stops the space feeling so static and square.
Mantelpiece Ornaments
Adding ornaments, sculptures and candles are the final touch to your mantelpiece decor. They are an opportunity to bring in character, personality and tie together colour themes or home decor styles. Our favourite ornaments for the fireplace are those that are multifunctional. The Silver Mushroom Label Ceramic Acorn Jar is both charming decor, and a stylish storage space to pop your matches, and other fireside essentials.
Sitting by a lit fire is proven to relax you, and even lower your blood pressure. Adding candles in the fireplace adds an extra layer of soft, warm lighting to further exude an ambient, charming mood. Larger lanterns, such as the Silver Mushroom Tall Gold Tree Candle Holder make a great striking focal point below your fireplace, where smaller tea lights or candles make for elegant symmetry on the mantelpiece shelf.
Final Touches
Now that you’ve styled your fireplace, and it’s dressed to impress, the final step is to consider some accompaniments. Log baskets and fire tool companion sets are essentials for fireplace maintenance and organisation. They can also add to the overall style in a room, whether you want to add to a rustic mantelpiece or simply add some natural contrasting elements to the space.