Once upon a time I saved this picture with the caption "one day I will have an enormous brick fireplace." And guess what?! Now I do!
While my brick fireplace/wall is surprisingly similar to this in many ways, there is one element that is largely different and therefore largely difficult.
The mantelpiece.
This fireplace has a very small, very simple mantelpiece. They threw a few pretty books on it and BAM. Done.
My mantelpiece stretches ALL the way across the wall. The whole dang wall. One long, huge mantelpiece. And I do. not. know. how. to. decorate. it. At all. It's like I need to hire a special mantelpiece stylist to come over and, from the depths of the random pretty things in my house that I wouldn't mind displaying, decorate for me. But, you know, I can't afford one. Oh, and even if I could, I'd still sort of rather just do it myself.
Do any of you have a super long mantelpiece? What do you do with it? Right now mine feels way too cluttered, but when I take things down, it feels empty and sad. Help me, internet buddies!
Have a great day, preferably without any mantel-angst.
So I was thinking about your question all weekend... and I think that maybe on the long part *not* above the fireplace... maybe you should try using it as a long bookshelf - with books lined up normally, and maybe stacked for interest in some places... and then when you come to the part above the fireplace you would just style it seasonally like a normal mantel?
ReplyDelete... and then... if you like that... one day you could instal some floating shelves above the long part of the mantel?
ReplyDeleteOh man!! I will definitely try that! Thanks!! I want you to just come visit and decorate for me, K? Then I can snuggle the baby :)
ReplyDeleteMaybe this will get your creative juices flowing?
ReplyDeletehttp://www.sasinteriors.net/2011/03/fireplace-series-4-mantels-mantels-and-more-mantels/
Also, have you seen those thin shelves that run along an entire wall and are filled with stacked/layered photo frames? Seems like that could be fun to do on a wall-long mantle.
http://www.coolphotoideas.com/blog/2009/11/12/photo-shelf-gallery-inspiration.html