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Frame Your Fireplace With A Mantle For The Right Effect
When it comes to creating a fireplace there are two main areas
that need to be considered. The first is choosing an appropriate fire.
The second is choosing a mantle to frame the fire and set the tone for
the room. Choosing an appropriate fireplace
mantle is critical because you want the fire to be the center of the
focus, not the actual mantle. The surroundings should primarily act
as a tool to complete the area and disguise any installation deficiencies.
There is no doubt that an open fire is the heart of a room. Whether
the fire is there for practical purposes or simply for effect, you will
want to ensure that the area immediately surrounding the fire is looking
its best because all your visitors will be paying extra interest to
the area. The best way of ensuring it looks its best is to install a
fireplace mantle piece.
Wooden mantels are extremely popular for all types of homes,
especially period style homes. They are characteristic of a time when
families spent a large amount of time sitting around the fire in the
evenings. The dark, intricately carved mantels are a throwback to Old
English homes.
These carved pieces are not as popular today as in the past as
many people prefer to stay away from dark colors in decorating. Wooden
mantle pieces that can be given various treatments however, are still
proving popular with home renovators. They are the most cost effective,
readily obtainable and versatile mantels available on the market.
Fireplace mantle pieces are also manufactured in a range of other
materials including Marble and tile. Marble mantles unfortunately still
suffer from the stigma associated with some poor craftsmanship and connections
of Marble with the highly affluent.
As a result, many people overlook this material even as a possibility.
In reality Marble can be a very attractive, hard wearing and cost effective
surface to use as a surround. More and more people are choosing Marble
although it is still most prominent in modern, formal settings.
Another common practice is to use bricks to build your mantle
and render this outside with concrete or plaster. This is a particularly
inviting proposition for people who choose to install a built-in fire
place and make a feature wall of the area.
Rendering the outside means that you can then have any color
that you choose for your mantle. For those more creative there is the
potential to build in display areas into the wall. In some instances
people also choose to place a faux mantle over the fire. This is done
more to define the actual fire area rather than act as the focal point
itself.
Any renovation to a fireplace requires a suitable mantle piece
to complement the fire. Whether you settle for a plain wooden mantle,
a carved focal point or a rendered finish to blend in with the rest
of your decor, the mantle surrounds the fire and sets the tone for the
room.
For more information on fireplaces, try visiting
www.fireplacechoices.com
- a website that specializes in providing fireplace related tips, advice
and resources including information on fireplace
mantles.
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