Fireplace Mantles and Design
Fireplace mantels and fireplace mantel shelves are excellent opportunities for
adding architectural elements to your home. Fireplace mantels often serving as
focal points in a room. Our fireplace mantels and mantel shelves collection
manufactured in the purest tradition of craftsmanship is a revelation of the
talents of the present-day masters.
Decorative mantel earned its important role in interior architecture. A
fireplace mantel is a decorative frame that surrounds the fireplace and facing
on the top and two sides. The term "mantel" refers to the entire decorative
surround of the fireplace, not just the shelf part. The facing is the protective
frame that surrounds a fireplace opening, and is usually marble, brick, tile, or
slate. Fireplace mantels evolved from a simple open hearth in the middle of the
floor to the wide variety of surrounds we know today.
Fireplace mantels add considerable grace and charm to the room. Historically, the quality of a mantel
indicated homeowner's status. The form of the fireplace mantel was a showcase
for the architects personal style and skillful craftsmanship. In our days
fireplace mantels remains as the social an aesthetic focus of the any room it
appears. Replacing an old mantel or embellishing a bland surround not only
transforms the appearance of your fireplace, it is changing the architecture of
the entire room.
The Effect of Fireplace Mantles on the Interior
If you have a working fireplace you can improve its
appearance with an addition of fireplace mantel. You can choose wood, stone, or
marble mantel, this architectural element will greatly enhance the room and the
way you feel sitting next to a warm fire. The refinement will smile back at you
as you gaze into the glow of the fire and at the beauty of the surrounding
fireplace mantel.
Every room needs a focal point, and a striking fireplace mantel draws your eye
into the room. Select a fireplace mantel in the decorating style you most love
in furniture. Usually a fireplace mantel is well located in the center of a wall
with solid walls on either side so there will be plenty of room for a furniture
grouping.
The Use of Fireplace Mantles
If you would want to wait before purchasing a fireplace
mantel, and have just an opening, consider installing a fireplace mantel shelf
above the opening for displaying decorative objects. You can use beautiful
wood corbels to support a mantel
shelf. Most mantel shelves are between 51 and 63 inches above the floor.
The height of the shelf based on the size of the fireplace opening and whether the
fireplace hearth is raised or is flush to the floor. For best appearance, the
sides of the mantel should be aligned with or extend just beyond the sides of a
flush fireplace hearth width.
Sprucing up an old fireplace might involve as little as changing of paint color
of the existing fireplace mantel or as much as remodeling the entire fireplace
wall.
Of course, budgets vary, but there are a lot of materials and design
possibilities with which to work, for both do-it-yourselfers and professional
projects. If you've updated the rest of your home and your old fireplace mantel
looks a little neglected and out of touch, paint the mantel to match the
surrounding decor. If the results are not satisfying, try slightly more invasive
approach, update the mantel's trimwork, add decorative wood carvings or replace
it altogether ...
Fireplace Mantles' Style
Stone, tile and smooth solid surfaces used today for
fireplace mantels creation, but marble fireplace mantels along with carved wood
mantels are the most popular in traditional-style homes. Wonderful selection of
fireplace mantels is available on our website. From simple and classical
craftsman-style wooden fireplace mantels to elaborately carved solid hard maple
fireplace mantels, or choose from our solid marble fireplace mantels collection.
All of our fireplace mantel designs are inspired by classical examples.
Traditional styles of fireplace mantels provide charm and filling of
authenticity. You don't have to spend a fortune on an original, antique mantel
to achieve same pleasing effect. You can buy a reproduction in raw wood and
paint it the same color as your trim, or stain it to mach your existing wood
work. Our wood
mantels are hand-carved by master European craftsmen who have passed their
art down from generation to generation, our hardwood mantels come unfinished,
finely sanded, ready to accept any stain. Most of the wooden mantels come in two
sizes accommodating most common dimensions of the fireplace box opening.
If you are dreaming of sitting by the fireplace and enjoying
a calming cup of tea but your fireplace is not exactly inspirational or anything
you would relax by, there is and easy way to change that with InvitingHome.com’s
new line of Craftsman mantels. Craftsman style mantels are simple and organic.
The style of the fireplace mantels relies on the natural beauty of the wood as
opposed to ornamentation. The classic wooden fireplace mantel's frame facing
decorated with fluting or panels.
Some of our craftsman-style mantels include a
wood mantel shelf with simple brackets or blocks with round rosettes for
support. Use of molding for fireplace mantel shelf or front panel is minimal.
Our wooden fireplace mantels are perfect feet for Craftsman- inspired interiors.
The rich wood hues and charming simple decoration of our fireplace mantels are
the epitome of domestic comfort. If you would like an elaborate fireplace that
will go with the existing décor, you may like to add on some of our beautiful
rosettes and carvings of your choice, making this a truly unique piece ...
The Easily Installed Fireplace Mantles
Fireplace mantels from this collection are hand-carved from
solid kiln dried spruce wood. Fireplace mantels come in easy to install three
piece kits (assembly hardware and molding for interior opening included).
Fireplace mantel kits are a great option for those who do not want to build a
custom mantel. This classically designed fireplace mantels come in different
sizes, however, mantel opening remains the same. Fireplace mantels shipped in
three pieces, plus trim and accessories. Assembly and installation of our
fireplace mantels is very simple: attach the side mantel pieces to the
mantelshelf; install a mounting board to the wall: than fasten the mantel shelf
to the mounting board and the side mantel pieces to the wall. Our fireplace
mantels look great when stained or painted. Fireplace mantels are finely sanded
ready to accept any stain or paint to mach your existing decor, making this an
easy and dramatic change.
Today you can enjoy our classically inspired fireplace mantels designs – designs
that stood the test of time. Graceful curves and elaborate carvings of shell
motives, country flowers, rinceau scrolls, floral baskets and swags, deep relief
fluting, bellflower drops on our carved wood fireplace mantels speaks gently of
understated elegance and undeniable refinement. Any of our fireplace mantels
create a dramatic look worthy of the finest homes.
Our marble fireplace mantels collection manufactured in the purest tradition of
old-fashioned craftsmanship is a revelation of the talents of the present-day
masters. For our marble
mantels we use only the finest “statuary” grade solid marble, known for its
purity, translucent nature and consistency. The Marble has a creamy Ivory white
color with very little saturation, holds the most delicate and subtle of details
and is perfect for hand carving. As you would expect with any purely natural
minded products slight imperfections in the marble fireplace mantels may exist.
This gives each fireplace mantel its uniqueness which is only enhanced during
the hand carving process. Most popular marble fireplace mantels are manufactured
in two sizes - medium and large. (Versailles
Louis XV style marble fireplace mantels,
Palazzo marble fireplace mantels,
Elysee marble fireplace mantels,
Rene marble fireplace mantels,
and Baronet marble mantels).
All of them you can fined on the first page of our marble fireplace mantels
collection. These fireplace mantels carved from solid white marble. Some of the
marble mantels are crafted from color marble.
Structural Parts of the Fireplace Mantels
The classic decorative mantel was a product of the Italian
Renaissance. The basic structure of the Renaissance fireplace mantels is still
used today. A traditional fireplace mantel includes four main components: the
field. the pilasters or columns, the mantel shelf, and the decorative molding.
Some fireplace mantel include an overmantel - a decorative treatment applied to
the wall above the fireplace mantel shelf, often intended to receive display
shelves, framed art or mirror.
The field is the frame of the fireplace mantel,
made up of two vertical side boards and a horizontal frieze board. It is a
foundation of the fireplace mantels to which the other parts of the mantel are
attached.
Standing at each side of the fireplace mantel opening, a pilasters or
wood columns add a since of
structure to the mantels and visually carries mantelshelf above. In the
classical fireplace mantels order, carved pilasters or columns usually mounted
at the top of a plinth blocks or bases and crowned with capitals or blocks.
Traditional fireplace mantel shelf is a solid piece of wood or marble with a
milled front edge ore decorative molding added. Shelf can be supported by
molding, blocks above pilasters or columns, brackets, or any kind of decorative
projection centered along the fireplace mantel frieze. Carved
wood molding finishes the
fireplace mantel. As with a built-up crown, a combination of relatively simple
trim pieces can add up to a deceptively complex mantel treatment. Carved wood
crown, frieze and pierced molding are used to add rich details to fireplace
mantels while cleverly hiding gaps and joints. In addition to carved wood trim
wooden fireplace mantels often adorned with other meticulously crafted wood
products: onlayed wood carvings,
rosettes and
plaques.
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