Fireplace Mantel
That shelf over your fireplace which we call the mantel is an important part of what makes a fireplace such a special part of your décor. It holds a special place in the home that make it more than just another shelf on the wall. Because it is often made of some special material, there is an elegance and a sense of ceremony to it that naturally draws the eye to it. Mantels are often the place where objects of honor such as a family heirloom clock or prized figurines are on display.
The mantel over your fireplace can also assume an important ceremonial role. If you like to have moments of reflection, meditation or prayer in groups or alone, keeping candles over the mantel give the room that perfect feel for those events. And at Christmas time, there is no better place to decorate beautifully and it is the honored spot for those stockings that must "hang by the chimney with care" and for the little ones to find loaded with candy from Santa on Christmas morning.
When you buy a house, you may or may not love the mantel that is over the fireplace. Actually, realtors who know home sales well tell us that a good looking mantel goes a long way to help a home. But if the mantel is boring or just in step with your personal decorating style, they can be changed out. Now this is not a trivial decision. In that the mantel is mounted into the fireplace walls directly, it will take a skilled professional to take down the old mantel and put up the new one. The job will be costly and if the old installation is flawed, there may be some repairs to be done.
One great reason to put in your own custom mantel is to use one that has a special history. If you have a mantel created from the wood of a tree that has importance to your childhood, that can become a valued part of your home and a mantel that comes with a story. In many ways, mantels with sentimental value like this become so much a part of the family that you may never want to leave that home because you are so attached to that part of the fireplace.
You may find that you have to put in a new mantel because the old one is damaged or no longer holding up due to degradation of the fittings that hold it in place. A wood mantel can deteriorate if it was not treated well before being put up. Plus of the wood that was put there does not resist the heat that will come up from a fireplace well, you may find that replacing it is in order.
But this is also an opportunity to select a mantel that ties in with your interior decorating plans and one that speaks to your personal style much better than the one you had to accept when you bought the home. While that chore of changing the mantel over your fireplace is costly and a real undertaking for you, you may end up with one that fits your home and family life much better which in the long run might be a blessing to your family.