FIREPLACE MANTELS

Fireplace Mantels

Decorative mantel earned its domain 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 vide 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 skilful 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.

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.

If you don't have a fireplace mantel, just an opening, and want to wait before purchasing one, 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 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.

Stone, tile and even 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. Designs of all our fireplace mantels 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.


Fireplace mantels from this collection are hand-carved from solid kiln dried spruce wood. Fireplace mantels come in easy to install three piece kit (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 décor, 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. This 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.

 

Designing and Building a Fireplace Mantels

If you have very large fireplace and it is difficult to fined a large mantel that will be able to accommodate an oversized firebox, you might consider custom make your own fireplace mantel. With wide selection of carved wood products available on this website in our wood carvings collection you can create and build your own fireplace mantel. The best thing about building your own mantel is that you can construct all of the mantel in your workshop, and then install your mantel in one piece.

Look through our wood fireplace mantels collection for inspiration, and pay attention to the structural and decorative details of the fireplace mantels. All of the wood fireplace mantels are inspired by historical designs and meticulously constructed. Most of the parts you'll see on our wooden fireplace mantels are available to be purchased separately on our website.

There are no strict guidelines for fireplace mantel design, but traditional wooden fireplace mantels tend to follow a few basic mantel design criteria. The one specification that is very important in mantel design is proper clearance between the fireplace opening and any combustible parts of the fireplace mantel. (This dimension should be confirmed with local fire-safety codes).  Other design considerations are based on the type of fireplace you have and the mantel's style.

For the sides of traditional wooden mantels you might choose to use:

- fluted pilasters
- columns or half-columns
- recessed or raised panels

This vertical fireplace mantels parts extend from the floor to the underside of the shelf and are narrower than the vertical field boards, even with molding applied.

Here is some examples:

Click on images to see more details of the featured fireplace mantels

 

Four-fluted pilasters used on the sides of the Sacramento fireplace mantel.  Oval rosettes grace a square upper blocks on each side of the fireplace mantel.

<< Sacramento Fireplace Mantels

Augusta fireplace mantels are another example of the mantels designed with fluted pilasters on the sides.

 

 

Providence mantel features beautiful fluted half-column with intricate running coin trim used as a decorative side element of the fireplace mantel. These fireplace mantels designed with square plinth bases that add visual weight to the mantel.

Above fluted half-column a square upper blocks on each side are added to provide an additional support to the fireplace mantel shelf. The top blocks are decorated with round carved wood rosettes.

<< Providence Fireplace Mantels

 

Panels are very popular way for side treatment for the fireplace mantels. Recessed panels often framed with thin decorative trim. Vertical carved wood onlays can be applied inside each panel.

Charlotte fireplace mantels and Tampa fireplace mantels are showcasing elegant floral and leaf drops inside the side panels. Charlotte fireplace mantels have a recessed central panel as well. Mantel's frieze magnificently carved with impassive swags motif.

If this fireplace mantels are too elaborate for the style of the home you might want to take a look on the Craftsman style fireplace mantels (shown below).

 

 

 

Craftsman style fireplace mantel (sown on the right), are wonderful example of paneled mantels. The frieze part of the mantel decorated with one horizontal raised panel. The sides of this fireplace mantel have vertical recessed panels trimmed with simple wood molding. The shelf is supported by four simple brackets.


<< Craftsman Fireplace Mantel

 

More Craftsman and Mission style fireplace mantels:

Craftsman Wooden Mantels :

Mantels with raised panels: Belmont fireplace mantel, Mission fireplace mantel with arched central panel

Mantels with raised panels and fluting: Dakota fireplace mantel, Concord fireplace mantel

Mantels with fluting: Craftsman fluted mantel, Mesa fireplace mantel

 

The wood columns for fireplace mantels can be fluted, reeded, middle section of the columns can have a carved decorative design.

Delaware mantel features hand-carved wood half-columns with acanthus leaf on the top and the bottom of the column. The middle part adorned with the bend featuring carved running coin motif.

Above half-columns you can see a square upper blocks with carved-out centers, creating a recessed panel look with decorative rosette center.


<< Delaware Fireplace Mantels

 

 

If the side view of the fireplace mantel is important in the particular interior setting, you might consider using a whole- or a quarter-column on the sides of your fireplace mantel.

 

Quarter-columns with elegant uprising scrolled acanthus leaf capitals were used in construction of the glorious Baltimore mantel. This configuration of traditional fireplace mantel components provides eye pleasing view of the mantel from any angle.

<< Baltimore Fireplace Mantels

 

 

 

Great example of the mantels with whole columns as a structural and decorative element of the fireplace mantel. Fluted column with Ionic capital and "egg and dart" design featured as a part of Pensacola fireplace mantel.


<< Pensacola fireplace mantels

 

 

The plinths and bases add architectural weight to the fireplace mantels, pilasters and columns as do top blocks and capitals. Square-edged plinths and blocks also serve as fireplace mantel projections for wrappings with molding as well as for an additional support for fireplace mantelshelf. Shelf can be supported with decorative corbels as well. Four elegant corbels support shelf of the stately Marietta fireplace mantels. Frieze panel features carved in a deep relief scrolled leaf design
 

The front frieze mantel's panel can receive almost any type of decoration. Just remember, that traditional fireplace mantels styling calls for symmetry and balance. For large fireplace mantels use of central block helps break up the frieze and can project for additional molding or carved onlays details. Structure of Pensacola fireplace mantels and Annapolis fireplace mantels is a good example of center block use.

 

Design of Annapolis mantels features raised side and center blocks adorned with intricate carvings. Central block on the central panel of the fireplace mantel brakes up long frieze, adds an extra definition to the center panel, and allows for additional fireplace mantel embellishments.

Two beautiful solid hardwood half-columns with rising leaf and Ionic capital were used on both sides of the mantel.

<< Annapolis Fireplace Mantels