Contemporary Fireplace Mantel Suggestions

Keep It Classic

• For a large room, warm up your fireplace space by keeping your mantel classic and going for a more traditional look. Traditional mantels often feature a single mantel shelf and either simple or elaborate carvings along the posts or sides of the larger mantel. Purchase a modern, traditional-looking mantel for your home from your local home improvement store, or add a touch of history to your home by finding an old, historic mantel and restoring it.

Build It in

• To create a truly sleek and contemporary look, build your fireplace and mantel into the wall. Leave the area completely free of shelving so only the fireplace itself is visible inside the wall, or install a stone mantel shelf that seems to float from the wall without any supports. If a simple wall isn't your style, open up the top of the wall around your fireplace's pipes and expose them to the world to create a mantel-like space.

Add Shelves

• If you're always searching for space, extend your mantel area and add shelves to create a contemporary feel. Install multiple floating shelves to make your mantel seem like a simple float shelf, or add cubbyholes and other types of shelves throughout the space surrounding your fireplace for a larger, more elaborate effect. Once your storage mantel space is completed, don't store flammable or electronic items, like DVDs, too close to the heat of the fireplace. The heat could ruin them.