Your son just won his 3rd consecutive Chess tournament, but you’ve run out of space on his burgeoning bedroom shelves. So where do you put this trophy and all the other trophies he will win in the future? Well, if you have a fireplace mantel you have just solved your problem!

Your In-Home Trophy Case

Even if your kid isn’t a world class Chess champ, the fireplace mantel is the perfect place for showing off even the smallest of your child’s achievements. Whether your child is Mathlete of the year, or JV MVP you can store all of his precious placards on the mantel.

Just to see your child’s eyes light up at the mommy-built shire in honor of all his hard work, makes dusting it all well worth it.  It won’t matter that the only thing of material value on the fireplace mantel are the screws that hold the trophies together, because the feeling of accomplishment will follow him throughout his life.

I know that this sounds a little far-fetched, but sometimes it’s the little things a parent does, that shapes the lives of their children.

Your In-Home Picture Gallery

If you adore the works of Georgia O’Keefe or if Thomas Kinkade is more your style, you can proudly display your works of art on your fireplace mantel. Made from wood, marble, or even synthetic plastic the fireplace mantel can be designed and installed to fit any art lover’s decorative desires. 

Why not add some recessed lighting and mirrors around your fireplace to give the picture gallery effect to your living room. Creating an in-home picture gallery is easy and fun. Just pull your masterpieces out of the attic, put them on or above your fireplace mantel and sit back. The adoring public will be by shortly.

Your In-Home Antiques Store

Visit any antiques stores lately? Have you chanced upon an Antiques Roadshow? Have you been hiding a family heirloom in your dusty attic for years? If you have discovered a musty treasure why not clean it up and put it on display in your living room?

A fireplace mantel can be the perfect place to show off your antique mantel clocks, porcelain rooster collection, or a collection of antique vases. No matter how old or how new your collection, you can cherish it by the fire for years.

I hope that I have convinced you of the many uses for your fireplace mantel. Don’t let it just be empty space. Fill it with those things that truly matter, and let others enjoy them as well.

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The Stone Fireplace can provide a mysterious look to an interior of a house, using stone structures to add warmth and depth to a room is not an uncommon feature in interior design. People who choose to have a stone fireplace in their house should be aware that the stone has a very dramatic and strong presence in the room, and it will not go un noticed, some feel that the stone gives a room a medieval feeling and does not compliment modern furniture and style, but this is obviously a choice of the home owner.

Adding extra features next to a stone fire place will combine the elements into a solid design statement, if the people living in the house would not object to having more stone or iron furniture placed in the vicinity of the fireplace you can create a flow of stone and iron elements and create a sort of medieval, 1500’s sort of look, which can be great in some spaces, especially if it is a room that is not used on a daily basis.

In the past fire places designs were very traditional, and usually comprised the same material and same basic building plan, this made most of the fire places to look the same and feel the same in any given room. In the last 20 years there have been enormous changes to this market, especially due to the fact that people wanted a unique fireplace, this is especially true to places where winter is hard and long and the fireplace is a focal point in the house.

There are modern designs that combine stone, wood and metal, to create a very plain and strong industrial look, emphasizing the usability of the features in the space and letting unique and specially designed parts to speak for themselves, this is why a stone fireplace will be perfect in this kind of an environment, it is also possible to paint the stone, or bleach the bricks so they will not appear dark but have a more bright color, this will bring more luminosity into the room and will also allow the home owners not to break to color theme if they got a light colored living room.

Combining wood and stone can create a very impressive fireplace, both natural materials and are also the base of the fireplace essentials, a wood frame to a stone fireplace base will create a feeling of warmth and will probably not disturb any existing design statements that may already be in the room.

Last but not least, stone made fire places sound great but not everyone likes them, you should make sure that you can live with a stone fireplace before you even start shopping around for one, for those who already know that stone designs are their favorites there is not a question here, but what kind of stone fireplace will it be.

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Outdoor stone fireplaces are the best and inexpensive way to add elegance and style to the outdoor space at a home. Crafted with attractive stones, an outdoor stone fireplace makes a perfect gathering place on frosty nights.

Stone is the most preferable material for constructing an outdoor fireplace, as it is long-lasting and non-combustible. This versatile material can be well-shaped and designed to suit any outdoor setting, both contemporary and classic.

Outdoor stone fireplaces embody strength and durability and are a perfect choice for the patio, backyard or pool. It is easier to install and clean when compared to other outdoor fireplaces. The most notable feature of any outdoor fireplace is that it can withstand the harsh climatic conditions. It reduces overheating and thus prevents fire hazards..

Usually, top quality marble, sandstone, natural stone, cast coral stone, stucco, and granite are used for building the outdoor stone fireplaces. An awesome combination of these stones can also be used for the construction. Some outdoor stone fireplaces come with massive stone beams and rock columns whereas others are as simple as a mantel.

Outdoor stone fireplaces can be wood burning, gas or electric type. Even though wood burning stone fireplace is cheaper and attractive, it can cause air pollution due to the excess output of carbon monoxide and other hazardous gases. The gas outdoor stone fireplace is designed to function with propane or natural gas.

A fine number of outdoor fireplaces, prefabricated as well as masonry construction, are available to add color to the outdoor area of a house. They come in brilliant colors and designs and the hand-carved outdoor fireplace is among the choicest possessions of any householder.

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