As we get ready to hunker down in our homes for the season, we want everything as cozy as possible. Decorating, redoing (or creating) a cottage fireplace mantel in your living room can be an inexpensive way to get some new-to-you coziness in place fast. As it turns out, you don’t even need a fireplace, thanks to the popular “floating mantel”.
Decorate Your Mantel
Swapping out the seasons, amping up the glitz for some holidays: this is the fun part. Each one of us has our favorite rendition of the perfect fireplace mantel, whether it be a country rustic mantel overflowing with gourds, Indian corn, rusty farm implements and beeswax candles, a coastal-inspired mantel showing off delicate starfish, glass buoys, driftwood and twinkle lights, or a lodge look mantel piled high with pinecones, antique lanterns and elk statuettes.
The little touches centered around your theme – coastal, cottage, country farmhouse or lodge – are fun to come by and give the decor our own personal stamp. Remember to keep proportion and color in mind for when you step back to observe your new favorite focal point. But sometimes a mantel need a larger item than knick-knacks to set it off – this is where we can help.
Accessorize Your Mantel
From artwork to mirrors, we have the larger companion pieces your cottage style mantel needs. From the upper left photo going clockwise, we will show you examples of like-minded accessories we offer at Cottage Home Furniture.
Sea captain’s mustard painted mantel: How we love the old time feel of this dining room and the saffron hue of the mantel. This nautical folk art piece suits this cottage dining room, but if you don’t have the original, we have something to fit the bill. Our collection of vintage vinyl floor cloths include some seagoing scenes, and although they are primarily meant for the floor, we don’t see any reason why you couldn’t frame one (available in 23″ x 30″ and 43″ x 56″). Go with what you love. This one we call Pleasant Point:
Ocean theme mantel with artwork: Pretty and pale, this ensemble proves that not all pictures need to be hung to be taken seriously. The large model sailboat needs balance and finds it in this sea blue painting, propped up nearly on a level. We have a large assortment of custom-made canvas giclee wall decor to hang over your prized mantel, from abstract sea horizons to pastoral landscapes. The giclee that rings true to the one in this sea-inspired living room is called Sea Breeze:
Rustic farmhouse country barnwood beam mantel: Throw another log on the fire and stay a while! This fireplace is too pretty serving as a cordwood container to change a thing. Lanterns, pottery planters and botanical touches encourage the feeling of elegant rusticity, and the large, bold clock face ensnares your interest. We offer a variety of cottage wall clocks to pair with your mantelpiece, including the Hampden 1864 Wall Clock:
Ocean theme mantel with mirror: Adding depth and an ocean hue of soft blue to this coastal living room, the mirror is key to setting off the mantel with its adorable sea birds and natural sea grasses (and another sailboat). We offer several mirrors – some are built by the craftsmen who make our farmhouse tables and they come in several dozen different paint and stain colors. Our Stony Brook Mirror is available in several beachy colors and echoes the lines of the white painted fireplace with its interesting jutting edges:
DIY Mantels
Scoring an antique mantel or weathered barnwood at an estate sale always gets the blood pumping. The same goes for inheriting a country estate with fifteen fireplaces, all with mantels elegantly faded to a Byronesque splendor. But if you have no flea market finds – along with a plain mantel, no mantel or even no fireplace – you can still create “the look” with a little elbow grease – and power tools.
Have a mantel that you’re kind of on the outs with? Here is a DIY video on how to decoratively augment an existing mantel.
Don’t have a fireplace? You don’t even need one. Here is a DIY video on how to add mount a rustic barnboard beam on a wall that needs a fashionable focal point to create a “floating mantel”.
Inspired yet? Don’t forget to tell us about your merry mantel adventures and please follow us on Facebook
Photo credits (clockwise from upper left): Country Living, Ballard Designs, The Glossy Nest and DigsDigs
Video credits: This Old House and Living to DIY with Rachel Metz
Ready to create your dream cottage home? Our expert design services can help you every step of the way, from individual product design to full furnishing projects.
Contact us now to get started and let us help you bring your vision to life!
