5 Quick ways to refresh your mantelpiece
Sometimes you want to update your living space but don’t necessarily have the time or the budget to do the whole room. The fireplace and surround are a main focal point in your lounge so I focused my decorating ideas on that area and came up with 5 quick ways to refresh your mantelpiece. Read on to see my before and after photos.
What is a mantlepiece & why should you refresh it?
Mantelpieces are part of fireplaces they are the decorative surround around an open fire, gas fire or wood burning stove. They are often a focal point in a living space and if you are looking for a quick diy update to your lounge. They can be a great place to start updating.
How to incorporate lighting into your mantel decoration
Here is a before picture of our mantelpiece, as you can see it’s a big space and the tiny picture light that only ever had one bulb working just didn’t go with the period carved wood fire surround.
We wanted to add something that complimented the room and could compliment the mix of contemporary and period furniture we have.
We found it in this Romilly Etched Glass Double Funnel French Style Wall Light. £99.99
Quick and simple to fit, with this one change the whole vibe of the room has changed.
It looks beautiful in the day and at night the glass shades cast a beautiful pattern of light. I tried really had to capture it, but photographing lighting is hard! So you’ll have to take my word for it.
The light came from elesi.com which has a great range of lighting as well as sockets and switches. When we get the time and the budget to complete the whole room and not just update the fire surround, all the plugs are getting a refresh swapping to these Lieber silk white ones £25.00 rather than the chipped and yellowing ones we’ve got.
Add a mirror above the mantle
Mirrors dont have to just be the place where you check your hair in the morning. Adding a mirror creates drama and reflects light around your space. I picked up this one from a local antique shop for £15.00 and it had been hanging in my dressing room vertically, but turning it landscape and placing it above the fire has really change the room.
Quick refresh your mantelpiece with flowers
I love having flowers in the house and the beauty of growing your own is you can always have a fresh supply.
I cut swathes of cow parsley for the central statement case and then added two smaller vases filled with lilac and azaleas to compliment them.
Just be mindful that if you are lighting your fire the flowers will dehydrate quicker so you will need to regularly top up the water.
2 ways to Create a Stylish Look with Paint
Two ideas we have yet to try out, but would be quicker projects for a refresh are using paint.
If you have a chimney breast inside your house (ours is on the outside) why not add a pop of colour to just that. I love the combination of turquoise and white for a white living room.
Image credit – Furniture choice
Or if you were feeling brave enough why not paint your mantelpiece to match in with your walls. Not one I think we’ll do as ours came from Cadbury house and I love it just the way it is.
