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FireplaceGuide.com » Fireplace Mantels
The range of styles and designs available in fireplace mantels often makes it hard to choose the one you want. You do have to consider the style and the décor of your room when you are purchasing a fireplace mantel. Even if you already have a fireplace you can give it a whole new look by adding a mantel. You have to look at the overall effect that the mantel will have on the room and then choose accordingly. The use of fireplace mantels as decorative touches to a room dates back to the time of the Italian Renaissance. At that time, ornate columns and different styles of architectural moldings often decorated fireplaces. The same styles exist today with the routed features of the edges and trimmings to give the appearance of a really expensive mantel. There are many different designs to choose from in the line of fireplace mantels. You might like a Victorian style in various hardwoods and an antique finish. Combined with Queen Anne furniture in a living room, this mantel will be an exquisite focal point of the room. With a family portrait above the mantel or pictures of the family lining it, this will be the crowning glory of your home. Mahogany has always been a wise choice for a mantel above a fireplace, but walnut, elm and oak look stunning as well. In an older style home with a lot of wood, what would look nicer than one of the colonial styles of fireplace mantels? For a really authentic design, you can also have a genuine stone mantel. Unlike the stone mantels of the past the modern cast stone mantels are amazingly lightweight and you don't have to hire a stonemason to install it in your home. The mantel is made of non-combustible material and therefore you don't need to have a specific clearance from the firebox. The color of a stone fireplace mantel is usually beige and has an antique look. Most of the time, fireplace mantels are larger than the fireplace itself. You do need to have the measurements of the fireplace with you when you place your order. The design must be one that you really want because it is not a cheap purchase and one that you will have to live with. The various mantels on the market all appeal to different tastes, yet each one adds a certain element to the room. There are many different choices you can make in the material for your mantel - gypsum, plaster, glass and the list goes on. A combination of marble and glass would create a spectacular sight, but you would also need a large room to display it to its best advantage. Fireplace mantels add a timeless feeling to any room. With the wood crackling and the mantel holding photos and certificates, it gives you a homey feeling that can't compare to anything else. During the holiday season, the mantel is the place where you hang the stockings and place the Christmas village all decorated in its blanket of snow. The memories that a mantel creates last forever. |
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