Interesting Designs For Your Fireplace Mantel

Your fireplace is often the centerpiece of a room and can have a dramatic effect on the decoration of your room. Decorating this part of fireplace can set the style and tone for the entire room, which is why you should take some time to spruce up your fireplace rather than leaving it bare. Whether you have an old-fashioned brick fireplace mantel or you have renovated to a more contemporary design, here are some tips for decorating.

Cast Stone Fireplace Surroundings

Cast stone fireplace surroundings can completely transform the design of your living space. These exquisite mantels are generally available in a variety of styles ranging from ornate traditional mantels to contemporary mantels with clean lines, making cast stone fireplace surroundings an ideal renovation idea if you want to enhance the appearance of your fireplace. Manufacturers create cast stone elements that fit any size or decor and they are even made for indoor or outdoor use. Whether you are looking for rustic, old world designs, classical designs, or contemporary designs, you can definitely bring out the "wow" factor of your fireplace mantel with cast stone fireplace surroundings.

Other Fireplace Refacing Alternatives

If you have a larger budget and you want to radically change the style of your fireplace, you may choose to reface your fireplace. There are a range of companies today that provide materials, from tile to stone surfaces that can be installed on your fireplace. Fireplace refacing can transform the design of a room, and today there is a wide range of refacing options that fit contemporary and traditional decor.

Decorating for the Holidays

Decorating your fireplace is a great way to get in the holiday spirit. Indeed, we can all imagine a beautifully decorated mantel at Christmas, complete with holly, stockings, and some Christmas ornaments. However, regardless of the holiday, your fireplace mantel can set the tone for celebration. Show your creativity with lights and knickknacks for Halloween, Thanksgiving, and other holidays you and your family enjoy celebrating.

Dos and Do Nots

Never decorate your fireplace mantel with flammable materials unless your fireplace is decorative only and you do not light fires.
Use your creativity. Traditionally, fireplace mantels have been the ideal place to display family photos or important memorabilia, but your fireplace mantel can do much more. Don't just line up objects of similar size, but try for a more dynamic design using various objects with different sizes, colours, and textures.
Fruits and flowers add colour and freshness to a room and your fireplace mantel is a great place to display them.
Mirrors on your fireplace mantel add depth while helping to brighten a room.

Finally, remember that when you are decorating your fireplace, the sky is the limit. Use your imagination to create a stunning focal point that sets the mood for your room. You can decorate and redecorate your fireplace as often as you like so you can always have a bold new style in your home.

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Electrical Fireplace Inserts

Have you ever watched Ellen or the Colbert Report and thought to yourself, what is that electric fireplace behind them? Is it a special monitor? What are they called? While the talk show hosts have a high resolution monitor that can double as a backdrop for their points as well as being an electric fireplace insert, there are also specifically electric inserts for the fireplace. These electrical fireplace inserts have been getting more and more realistic over the years and have been becoming more affordable. If you love everything about a fireplace, including the ambiance, the atmosphere, the look, or even the crackle of wood, rejoice for the fact that there are inserts, rejoice in the fact that there are highly realistic inserts on the market today that can suit your needs of getting a great illusion of a fire going without any of the hassles of a real house fire or the potential dangers surrounding it. You don't have to do it old school anymore. You can have the cake and eat it too.

The benefits of an electrical fireplace inserts can become more apparent if you make the switch. How much money do you spend on getting logs and how much time do you spend cleaning out your fireplace after the party is over? How many months or even weeks do you use your fireplace over the course of a year? If you calculated in your head about how much your energy bill costs or heating bill costs, you might be surprised to find that in the modern age, while everyone can appreciate a summer bonfire once in a while, it might not be the greatest economic decision to make.

Here is where an electric fireplace inset comes in. An electric fireplace insert requires no maintenance other than plugging your insert into an outlet. The rest of the illusion is taken care of. You get a highly realistic rendition of a fire going and if your insert comes with sound, you can even hear crackles in a quiet room. This saves you money on getting logs, saves you time on cleaning out your fireplace, and most importantly, gives you the peace of mind and the assurance that your fireplace won't set your place on fire and have thus reduced the chances of danger for your home. This is especially a wise decision if you have small children. This is also a great decision if you live in a warm area and want the benefits but not the hassle of a traditional fireplace.

Sabina Silverstein is an expert on interior design. She invites you to learn more about non traditional decorative appliances. Learn more about electric fireplace inserts and fireplace design ideas.

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Stone Fireplace Designs: Natural and Cutured Rock

There is nothing to compare to genuine stone fireplace designs for your hearth. The rock solid appearance and characteristics speak of stability and strength. It is also a reminder of literally centuries of time where stone was used almost exclusively to construct a reliable place of heat for both temperature control and cooking. They have been and continue to remain popular all over the globe.

If you are considering stone for your fireplace, you'll want to take into account both the cost of the materials, as well as the labor and expertise of your stonemason. See if you can get 3 referrals for both a stone source and a stone mason. Ask for testimonials from customers. This will give you an idea of the reliability and quality of the people you may opt to hire. Also, make sure that a structural engineer (or similar professional) assesses your home structure to be certain it can bear the load of the stone without any danger of collapse.

Are you already in a home (either with or without a fireplace intact) and you're thinking about the possibility of stone fireplace design ideas for your hearth? if so, you have many options from which to choose!

If you live on a single level, your structural concerns will not likely be as serious. Still check with your local authorities, though - you'll want to be certain your project meets safety guidelines.

Faux Stone and Cultured Stone

Do you love the look of stone but dread the back-breaking labor and material charges that come with it? Then you will want to take a good look at cultured stone, or an artificial rock sometimes called "faux stone". Although actually a manufactured product, much of it is quite realistic looking. Plus, you'll find big savings over the cost of natural stone, plus the labor required to get it installed. Of course, you will still want to find a quality installer that has experience working with cultured stone.

There are several advantages when comparing cultured rock to natural rock for your fireplace such as cost and labor savings, as well as less concern over the issue of load on the structure of your home. But I caution you to ask your potential installer to show you some real live examples of work he has done for others. Here's why - I have seen cultured rock that is so realistic that I literally rapped on it with my knuckles to determine if it was actual stone or not. And I've seen other homes where the rock looked awfully "artificial" to me. I recommend that you look for some brands of cultured stone that you think look quite realistic, and also ask for referrals to a cultured rock "stonemason" who has a reputation for quality work and the customer base to prove it.

When you opt for cultured rock, don't worry that your options will be limited. It comes in all forms - big stones, granite, shale or slate looks - and in so many combinations you may find it mind-boggling!

My advice is to trek to some local shops to see some of the "rock" up close, and that you also search online to get a number of ideas of what kinds of designs appeal to you. Keep a notebook and folder of stone fireplace design photos and ideas, and jot down the location (either web address or company) of each. Noting the cost as well will also be helpful as you reflect back on your options and compare those with your budget. Keeping all of your ideas in one place will keep your mind at ease in knowing that you are remembering all that you wanted to consider for your design. It can prevent that feeling of anxiety that you've forgotten about something you saw somewhere.

Enjoy your research, idea gathering, and decision-making processes, and allow yourself to imagine what relaxation and beauty your new fabulous fireplace will bring to your hearth and home!

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Fireplace Mantel Designs: Materials and Options

Looking for some fireplace mantel designs ideas? There are so many options of both materials and looks available, that you're sure to be able to either buy or create the perfect mantel design for your family. You'll have the choice of choosing a mantel that can be adapted easily for a new look (particularly if you get bored with your surroundings), or the more permanent variety such as big logs, heavy beams or even stone shelving.
A traditional or colonial type look never seems to go out of style. Or perhaps you would go for the pioneer, or rustic look for your design. One of my previous homes employed a mammoth wooden beam for the mantel, which was a stunning complement to the stone that surrounded the masonry fireplace. It made a perfect backdrop for memorable family photos!
Corner Fireplace Mantel
Somewhat of a relative newcomer on the scene are the up and coming corner fireplace mantel designs. Ideal for smaller areas (the mantel can extend no further than the wall, of course), there are many options available here as well. Are you interested in a do-it-yourself kit which you can then decorate to your heart's desire?
Or maybe you'd prefer to hire a pro to create it according to your precise instructions. You could choose to buy or order locally or from an online vendor. Ideas are literally at your fingertips when you search online for pictures and ideas for your project. Collecting a number of styles that appeal to you can help you to decipher what you like the most.
Options for Styles and Materials
Your fireplace mantle designs don't have to be constructed of wood anymore. You can choose from many materials, including brick, marble, slate, stone, or even granite! Perhaps you lean towards a Victorian feel, or maybe you prefer the timeless colonial look. Whether you like simplicity or ornamental carvings, you can create the perfect mantel design with some time and effort.
Decorating Fireplace Mantel
You've decided on your choice of material. Now what is the best way to decorate it to enhance its natural beauty? Popular in many new homes are the wide-screen televisions that are placed above the mantel. Tall decor on the shelf would interfere with the picture on the tube, so you might opt for some simple vases or shorter decorations on each end in this case.
Quite appealing also is to center a painting above the fireplace and then fill out your decor with assorted knick-knacks or seasonal decorations. My favorite is to place a small ceramic village with people figures all across the top of my shelf. I then add seasonal changes to vary the feel, and it looks great with my small fireplace mantel design.
Let your imagination run free, gather lots of ideas and photos of features that appeal to you, and enjoy planning that focal point of warmth for your home.