Mantel Inspiration

When it's not fireplace weather, and when your fireplace is not a source of heat and comfort, it is still the focal point (more often than not) of the room. And your fireplace mantel is a wonderful opportunity to infuse more interest via art, color, texture, and objects into your home. There are about as many ways to style a fireplace as there are fireplaces, so let these examples inspire you to curate your own collection of blossoms, art, and fun and meaningful objects.

A mantel can be an art gallery...

...or a place to express a favorite narrative. Here we see what must be some sort of homage to vaudeville and comedians! It is quirky, off-kilter, and fascinating! Create your own narrative: mountains?...Italy?...music? Your jumping off point could be anything.

A collection of Russian nesting dolls brings color to a black and white fireplace and mantel. The smoothness of the dolls contrasts well against the spiky antlers behind! Remember Design mantra #1..."Contrast brings interest!"

A ram's head and some ethnic objects--a hammered silver plate from India, a porcelain statue of Quan-Yin--lend a sense of world travel and exotica.

Fireplace breasts are traditional spots for mirrors. But why not go BIG with an enormous convex mirror? It bounces light around and serves to visually expand the room. Groupings of blossoms and branches below bring outside in.

I can't help but think that the following tableau is composed of articles and objects that are personal treasures of whomever created it. To replicate the look, scour antique stores, flea markets, and thrift stores for interesting objects like the metal watch faces, mercury candle stick holders, and old frames we see here. Keeping things in a single or limited color family helps unify your tableau. But be sure to include different textures, and include short, medium, and tall objects for variety and visual interest.

Brass accents on this mantel look wonderful against the black and white painting and photo (of one of David's hands from the Accademia in Florence!). Go ahead and layer your art...lean pieces up against other pieces.

If you have a Mid-Century Modern ranch house, embrace the time period with a mod piece of art, some blown glass bottles in an appropriate color, and a George Nelson wall clock!

This modern art work provides a textural backdrop for an antique framed piece (again, leaning against the larger painting), and lovely turquoise and celedon vases. The look is fresh for either spring or summer.

The ornate fireplace surround here calls for something more simple and sleek. Modern prints and etchings look fantastic next to the Georgian carving of the surround.

For maximum impact, group like objects together. This collection of artisanal vases looks great in a row. A white feathered Juju hat presides over it all. Notice how the height of the vases is arranged in an inverted pyramid. The dip in the center allows the Juju hat some space.

This tableau groups together black and white objects in a pleasing way. Plaster, glass, marble, paper, metal...

This arrangement in the home of interior designer Tommy Smythe uses the pyramid principle: larger anchor objects at either end, a tall piece of art work in the middle to form the peak, and intriguing curio objects fill the spaces in between.

Don't be afraid to try large pieces on your mantel. It might feel at first as if the objects are overwhelming your fireplace, but it's probably that you're simply not used to it. Be bold.

Notice how, in nearly every example above, the arrangement takes advantage of asymmetry. Many of the sculptures, vases, or art works are positioned on one side of the mantel. Play with this idea and see what you can come up with. And remember Design Mantra #5: "Odd numbers work best!" When in doubt, use three or five objects in groupings. It will instantly lend design cred to your tableau!

Happy designing!

The Art of Tableau: Four Tips For A Better Display

I love to style a space and create tableaux. It has always been one of my favorite aspects of being an interior designer. I suppose it plays to the inveterate "collector" in me, to be able to group things together, to display objects of beauty or curiosity, or to assemble pieces which would ordinarily not be noticed on their own. Creating a tableau, or a "tablescape" as some call it, is one of the quickest ways to set a tone for a room. It's almost like creating a three dimensional piece of art, a sculpture if you will.

Here are four key things to keep in mind when creating a grouping or a tableau:

1) Think about the shape your grouping makes and how that works with what is around it.

2) Include tall, medium, and low objects for a variety of levels.

3) Odd numbers work best. (This works for things like pillows and furnishings as well.)

4) And remember Design Mantra #1: Contrast brings interest (previously here)! Put rough next to smooth, organic next to man-made, antique next to modern, light next to dark, large next to small.

In the examples below by Robert Couturier, notice how the table lamp and the objects grouped around it make a general pyramid shape. The trio of vases (odd numbers work best!) make a little tableau in and of themselves with differing heights, colors, and textures. They also create a pyramid shape echoing the overall arrangement. In the next tableau, the large black marble bust on the left balances out the grouping of smaller objects to the right; the two groupings are mirrored by two framed pieces of art above.

Above tableaux by Robert Couturier

The following collection of organic and ethnic elements is unified with color and texture but the arrangement is that of an inverted pyramid, a concave shape: the table lamp at the left and baskets at the right are large anchor pieces for the progressively smaller objects in the center.

 

The tableaux below by the fabulous Kara Mann are great examples of levels. In the first one, Mann creates a great waterfall effect from the chandelier to the peacock to the palms to the chest to the seat, drawing the eye down and up. In the next, she has arranged boxes and books in a step arrangement, from the surface of the table up to the skull and shade of the table lamp.

Above tableaux by Kara Mann. Photos used by kind permission.

This next tableau may be simple but it is bold, strong, and very effective. Two slim pyramids are balanced by a painting of an echoing shape: the painting's size and negative space are a good match for the pair.

Tableaux can tell stories, they can add drama or humor, they can be minimalistic or ornate, they can feature pieces of art work, objects from nature, even personal mementos from exotic vacations or charming pieces from childhood. So grab a vase, a book, a branch or seashell, be adventurous and have fun creating your own tableaux.

This is the first in a series of tableaux posts. Look for more in the future.
Thanks for reading and happy designing!