Creating Perfect Mantel Displays
Tips for getting yourself organized |
| Take the mystery out of mantel and hearth displays by learning these basic design points. |
Make your mantel express your personal style. | Balance
Good mantel design is just a focused use of the design basics of balance and proportion. The high visibility of mantel decor can make this a decorating challenge. A bit of practice quells anxieties.
Gather up the items you deem mantel-worthy. Play with placement before you do anything permanent like hanging pictures or mirrors. |
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| Symmetrical displays |
The default-mode for mantel display is symmetrical: center one item on or above the mantel, and flank it with a series of identical items on either side -- vases, Staffordshire-style dog figurines, candlesticks.
This arrangement results in equal balance and mirror image matching of each half. Draw an imaginary line through the center of a symmetrical arrangement and each side will be a mirror image of the other side.
The reason this choice is so popular is that it just about guarantees success. The grouping becomes more cohesive when items in the foreground overlap the items in the back; so place items by height. | 
Symmetrical arrangements raise a room's formality. |
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Because of the balance and perfection of symmetry, it is generally associated with formal rooms.
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| Asymmetrical |
Successful basic asymmetrical arrangements have good balance, yet each side is not a mirror image of the other.
That means the items on each side of the center are different, yet are close to being equally weighted, either physically or visually.
For example, a grouping of lightweight items on one side can be balanced by a single heavier item on the other side. Or a lightweight tall grouping on one side can be balanced by a shorter single item or grouping of greater weight or darker colors on the other.
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Asymmetrical arrangements require a good balance of items. |
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Clearly, this kind of arrangement takes a bit more practice. Yet the results can be pleasing and offer a loose, casual approach to display that is perfect for casual settings. |
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| Radial arrangements |
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Items swirling around a central point define a radial arrangement. The center item, regardless of shape, is the anchor that allows the items around it to circle pleasantly.
This kind of arrangement has the high visual movement of an asymmetrical design, but it usually best done in a close-to-symmetrical format. It's a pleasant combination of formal and informal elements. |
The wall stencils above the mirror and varying-height items on the mantel create a sense of movement. |
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Sizing
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Tall, slender candlesticks play nicely against a horizontal art piece and near-square fireplace. |
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mantel displays
Getting the proportions of items right can be tricky. Consider the size and style of the fireplace, the height to the ceiling above, and the turn of the space -- is it tall or is it wide? Decide what aspects you want to play to: Accentuate the height of a tall room, or downplay it?
Those answers often make the choices pretty clear. And keep in mind that down the road you can always change your mind -- and change the arrangement.
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Singular sensation
The most common approach is use a large single item. Mirrors, large art pieces, and wreaths are good choices for single-item mantel decorating.
There is a paradoxical strength in putting just one item on a mantel or over the fireplace: The sense of calm and order this conveys can visually quiet a room because there is just one thing trying to draw one's attention. |
This dramatic painting draws the room together. |
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Ecletic
Artwork, collectibles, plants, and general
paraphernalia express a home's personality. |
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| wanderings |
At the other end of the spectrum is the mantel and hearth that are completely covered. This choice speaks of an ebullient, outgoing spirit for the room.
Follow these two tips to create a pleasing eclectic grouping: Know when to stop and learn to layer.
Look at the arrangement from all angles -- top to bottom, side to side, and front to back. When it flows in all three dimensions, a satisfying arrangement has been reached.
This style works best in a cottage-style room that's got a lot of visual activity throughout. A busy mantel grouping in a spartan room is often visually disconcerting.Eclectic Wanderings
At the other end of the spectrum is the mantel and hearth that are completely covered. This choice speaks of an ebullient, outgoing spirit for the room.
Follow these two tips to create a pleasing eclectic grouping: Know when to stop and learn to layer.
Look at the arrangement from all angles -- top to bottom, side to side, and front to back. When it flows in all three dimensions, a satisfying arrangement has been reached.
This style works best in a cottage-style room that's got a lot of visual activity throughout. A busy mantel grouping in a spartan room is often visually disconcerting. |
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Tips for contemporary rooms
Not every room with a fireplace has a standard-issue scenario. Here are some ideas for working with out-of-the-ordinary situations.
Fireplaces in contemporary rooms sometimes have little or no mantel. The trick with whisper-thin mantels is that just about anything you put on them looks too heavy.
So the wisest choice may be to simply leave them open. Instead, focus attention on the space above by creating a strong point of interest. A large, single artpiece or mirror works well in these situations. |
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Height and angles
In a tall room, choose an item that goes far enough up the wall to keep the area by the ceiling looking bare. Tall mirrors are an excellent solution because they don't cause one to focus too much on the top portion. Keep the room in human scale by focusing on the mantel arrangement; that keeps the view closer to eye level.
Color helps, too. When most of the dark color in a room is below eye level, the room feels anchored. Think the same way if you use a large painting; landscapes, for example, are earth-up-to-sky and suit the sense of a tall room.
Angled rooms can make a room visually lean one way. Again, the solution lies in holding the visual center with a large piece over the fireplace. |
This room has extremes of both angle and height. Notice how the tall mirror solves the problems. |
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