Fireplace Mantle

A designer once told me that mantles should have only THREE items. If it is a big mantle in needs three large objects.

I googled that.
And I had a very hard time finding enough to inspire me.
There were a few, to be sure, a handful of sophisticated simplicity.
But most were stuffed with an array of well-blended details and textures and objects.

This was the fireplace room when we bought the house:

I did paint the insert black. With the idea in mind that if I really wanted to go back to brass one day, surely it couldn't be too difficult, right? I didn't want to paint the wood mantel though - this seemed too complex to undo. So I built a cheap shelf that just sits right on top. The shelf boards cost under $10 - though I did cut and measure incorrectly and it was an ordeal.

Decorating with random bottles and feathers and plants and ripped up old clothes is the current state of the mantel.

I wanted a rug that didn't have a defined edge to it - since it's a bit of an odd walkway when a square rug defines it. This one was on clearance and even though I preferred the look of the light silky gray ones, this was the one that was around $100 instead of $500. So. Bear it was. And it matches my floor and works just fine - though the gray ones would have been sweet.

Working around life and budget is what Mcquillyn Smith (The Nester) calls a "lovely limitation" and I agree wholeheartedly. My house wouldn't be very original or have much story to it if I had no lovely limitations. One of these is the wicker basket in the corner. Recycling wasn't happening in our family because it was too inconvenient to put items outside. And there was no good area in the kitchen. Under the sink needed emptying too often to be practical and our built in trash can didn't have a second area for recycling. Since it is important to be as a God-follower to fulfill our first command from Him and care for the earth - recycling did need a practical spot. This hamper is now our recycling bin. And that is why my livingroom décor has a big wicker basket in the corner.

These chairs were a trade - and then recovered in a labor of love by my nice mama. They're one of my favorite things about the fireplace room. They have charm and feminine curves and colors and pattern to help balance my manly rug and sofa. Aren't they sweet?

The last area is this little school desk niche that I created against the low wall between kitchen, diningroom and fireplace room. It was a strange space and wasted until I found this little desk for $9 at Salvation Army. The rug had been $11 at Goodwill and the chair $3 at a different thrift store at a different time.

I do love blending in family life - things for my boys, areas that are practical and used - into available space instead of just filling it with stuff for the sake of décor.