Having a fireplace is a definite perk for a homeowner. It makes for an automatic gathering place in the cold winter months where friends and family can find comfort curling up in front of it on wool area rugs and still catches the eye in summertime. Besides a television, there are few places in the home people are more drawn to than a fireplace.
With that in mind, if yours doesn’t feel like an attractive place to be unless there’s a warm fire roaring in it, then it’s probably time for an update. From lackluster mantle displays to brick work that makes your entire room feel stuck in the 1970’s, there’s a solution for every unattractive fireplace.
We’ve come up with four ways you can decorate, update, lighten and brighten your fireplace with a little know-how, a little cash, some floor area rugs and just a little paint. Keep reading to find out how!
A modern mantle masterpiece
A beautiful portrait or framed piece of art above your mantle always makes for a nice focal point and seems to tie your entire fireplace area together. If you’ve never gotten around to installing artwork there or the last time you changed it out was during a decade that started with “19”, it’s probably time for a change. Instead of spending an arm and a leg on a new print, you can transform an old framed print by removing the frame and covering the canvas with printed fabric. Simply find a pretty swath of fabric that you love and staple it to the frame of your canvas, making sure to pull it taut. You can then replace it above your mantle without a frame for a modern look.
Not so groovy, baby
If your fireplace has a brick surround, you might feel like you’re stuck with it and stuck in a time warp when lava lamps and bellbottoms were in vogue. Not that brick surrounds can’t be nice looking, but they make a room look dated and can seem like a design challenge if you want to lighten it up. The solution to that is as simple as painting the brick. Choose a color that will help brighten up the space and fits well with your décor. Prep your brick by using sandpaper to remove any loose pieces of mortar. Vacuum it to remove any dust and follow up with a scrub with some hot soapy water. Allow it to dry, vacuum it just once more, and apply two to three coats of high-quality latex paint.
Balance seasonal displays
Decorating your mantle is just as important as making sure the rest of your fireplace has style. Since fireplaces have a tendency to draw visitors in, they’ll spend a lot of time looking at what’s directly at eye level. You can decorate yours with family photos, candles, and seasonal items. Whatever you choose, try and give your mantle a sense of balance if you have multiple items that you want to display. In other words, instead of just placing items on the mantle’s shelf in a random cluster, you could place one tall taper candle at each side and then arrange frames and other items according to size and style across your mantle. Just for fun, you may want to swap out the various items according to season – display a variety of small pumpkins in the fall and the change it out for stockings and greenery once the holidays roll around. Dress up the hearth in the summer time (or really any time it’s not in use) with a beautiful screen or a summery framed print.
Take care of your hearth
Finally, there are few scenes more welcoming than a cozy fireplace. Complete the look of yours and encourage guests to snuggle up around it with a great rug beside it on the floor. You can choose hand knotted area rugs, a classic oriental, or even a semi-circular rug that will fit up against the base of your hearth. Choose your rug in a color and style that complements the décor ideas you’ve decided to incorporate from this article. You can even it change it out with the seasons just like your other mantle pieces. Store a few throw pillows and thick blankets nearby for those winter nights when all you want to do is cuddle up near the fire and hide from the elements.