How to Decorate Around a White Fireplace

Paint the wall on which the fireplace is installed to create instant drama. Jewel tones like ruby, burgundy, emerald, hunter and sapphire all help make an eye-catching fireplace stand out. You also can buy textured paint and go for a suede finish. This kind of paint is more expensive than regular paint, but the finished look can be worth it.

Build bookcases around the fireplace to give your room the nostalgic feel of an old world library. Use rich cherry wood or walnut for optimal contrast. Load the shelves with books, and mix in collectible art that's primarily white -- such as marble, bisque porcelain, whitewashed pottery, etc. -- to harmonize with the white fireplace. If bookcases aren't your thing, cover the entire wall surrounding the mantle in terra cotta bricks for an earthy, organic contrast to your white fireplace.

Go for the sophistication of a high-key white-on-white decorating scheme that gives the room the illusion of being bigger than it really is. Paint surrounding walls a flat white, especially if your fireplace has a high-gloss finish. But be cautious when you make this match; not all white is the same. There is warm white and cool white. Take home small paint samples to find the white that works best with your fireplace.

Mount your collectibles around your fireplace. Whether you love blue and white Danish collector plates or small botanical prints, you can frame up the fireplace nicely by setting small easels atop the mantel and then nestling small, framed lithographs or plates into the easels. Hang coordinating plates or prints vertically on either side of the fireplace. You can choose an eclectic mashup of frames or frames of the same color and style for the series.

Add more light. There's no rule that says you can't keep your fireplace lit year round. Fill your mantel with candles in varying sizes and colors that showcase your white fireplace. Search for cascading, vertical sculptural art with candle mounts to carry the theme down either side of the fireplace. Attach Lucite hooks to the wall surrounding the mantel, and artfully arrange strings of small Italian lights around the periphery.