Looking for decorative fireplace ideas? Look no further. Whether you want to decorate your existing fireplace and mantle or plan on a complete overhaul of your living room, there are many different ways to style a mantle piece that will make your living room feel well-designed and decorated to reflect your style.
A fireplace is a room’s focal point. It is not only an architectural element but can also be a decorative feature. When well-styled, a fireplace and mantle can alter the atmosphere of the room and make it feel cosy and welcoming. Here are 14 decorative fireplace ideas to inspire you to create a beautiful fireplace for your home.
Decorative fireplace ideas
Exposed brick
Exposing the bricks of your fireplace can create a soft and welcoming texture in the room. This can work exceptionally well if you want to bring a sense of old-world charm and a rustic feel to your home, especially if you pair it with a wooden mantelpiece. If you are unhappy with the bricks’ colour or they don’t work with the rest of the style, you can change the colours with a paint wash. This can be as strong or light as needed to create the perfect colour for your room.
Try a stone finish
A stone fireplace is the answer if you are after a rustic style. There are so many types of stone that they can work for many different interior styles. Granite or slate are both excellent options if you want a modern style. They can both be honed to a smooth finish, giving the fireplace a contemporary finish. A more traditional style will need a more textured stone. A cobblestone or flagstone fireplace surround will add detail and texture to the room.
Hang a mirror
If you are trying to bring some drama and glamour to your living room, a gilded mirror above the fireplace is a beautiful way to do it. Not only will a mirror bounce the light around, making the room look bigger, but it can also make the room look taller by drawing your eye upwards as you enter, especially if the frame of the mirror has an intricate detail at the top.
Use artwork as a focal point
As with hanging a mirror above your place, hanging a large piece of artwork can make your room look taller and create a focal point within the room, this can work incredibly well if your fireplace is simpler and you need an easy way to add some decor to the room. It is also an excellent way to add some of your personality to the room with your chosen artwork. The frame you choose to use with the artwork will also tie the piece into the style you have chosen for the room.
Create a Gallery Wall
If one piece of artwork is not your style, then creating a gallery wall is an excellent way to go. This can include as many or as few pieces as you like, but it is always a good idea to have a theme running through to link the artwork together. This can be as simple as using a similar colour palette or subject matter for the artwork. Gallery walls can also work for many different interior styles. The types of frames you use and the layout of the artwork help to do this.
Utilise space with built-ins
Built-in cabinets can be a brilliant way to add more storage to your space while also adding a design feature. They can frame the fireplace perfectly and create balance within the room. Built-ins can be designed in almost any way to work with all interior design styles. Open shelves will give you a more modern look, while adding doors will make them look more traditional. Adding little details, such as hidden LED lighting, wallpaper to the back or brass detail strips, will make the joinery look more elegant.
Mount your TV above the fireplace
Mounting the TV above the fireplace is becoming more common as people look for ways to incorporate it into the room. Although having the TV on the show is not for everyone, it is a great way to create a focal point, especially in a modern family home. It is important to remember that if you want to hang your TV here, you must ensure that it is recessed or protected to keep it away from the heat of the fire.
Hide your TV in plain sight
If hanging the TV above your fireplace is the perfect place for it, but you do not want it on show, there are many ways to hide it without impacting the style of the room. The first and simplest is to use an art TV. This will look like a piece of art while not in use but still function as a regular TV. Another way would be to hide the TV behind a framed mirror. When the TV is off, it functions as a regular mirror but does not distort the view when it is in use.
Use patterned tiles
Tiles have been used in fireplaces for years. They are not only practical, as they can be easily cleaned, but they can also add character to the room. While a traditional fireplace would be tiled only on the interior, a much more modern approach is tiling the fireplace’s outside, creating a feature in the room. Depending on what type of tile you choose, the interior can be made to have a very modern or traditional feel. Intricately patterned tiles have a more traditional look, while a bold print or plain tile will create a modern look.
Create a traditional fireplace
A traditional fireplace is the perfect way to create a cosy atmosphere in your living room. This can be created in a few different ways. The most common is to use a wooden mantelpiece. This can be left as bare timber or painted to work with the rest of the scheme. A stone mantelpiece is the way to go if you want something that looks a little more high-end. This could be limestone or marble, depending on how bold you want your scheme to be. A traditional fireplace works best with either art or a mirror hung above it with simple styling on the mantelpiece.
Use a bright colour
Painting your fireplace bright is a simple way to make it a feature. The colour you choose will make a big impact on the room. If you are happy to have a bold feature, a bright colour or one with a greater contrast with the other colours in the room will be ideal. A lighter pastel colour will work better if you want something more subtle. This will help to bring a hint of colour to the fireplace without overwhelming it.
Create an eye-catching display
One of the more simple decorative fireplace ideas is to use the mantelpiece to show off a personal collection. The mantelpiece is a natural focal point for the room. Anything displayed there will draw people’s eye. This can be anything meaningful to you, such as a collection of ornaments or photos. Vases with greenery are also a great choice. Just make sure that it has meaning to you. This will help to make sure that the space reflects your personality and style.
Install a glass front fireplace
A glass-front fireplace creates a sleek look and is an excellent option for a contemporary interior. Installing the fire in a sleekly tiled or metal surround will help add to the fireplace’s modern feel. A glass-fronted fireplace is usually installed at a higher level than a traditional one. Because of this, it is much more common to have a shelf below the fireplace that can be used as a mantelpiece.
Use a wood burner
A traditional wood burner is an easy way to give your room a cosy and rustic look. Depending on the look you want for your room, the wood burner can be installed with a mantelpiece or directly against an outside wall. A mantelpiece will make the wood burner feel more traditional while creating a backdrop for your wood burner using tiles, which gives it a more contemporary look.
This post has been all about decorative fireplace ideas to help brighten your living room.
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