About Mantels
As a cover is to a book, or a frame to a painting, so a mantelpiece is to a fireplace. It is the ornamental front of the oldest home heating source, the face of the fire so to speak. It may be wood, iron or stone, but it sets the tone for the house. It is almost always the focal point of the room where it is found, and it tells the world how tasteful, prosperous, traditional or contemporary the owners are. Homeowners love their fireplaces, and love their mantels even more. Does this Spark an idea?
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The Early American History
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In the early days of the American colonies, settlers built a fire box and set it into the wall surrounded by brick, with a brick or stone hearth. After a while, the mantel came along, simple and functional and plain, providing a shelf for useful objects. Not until the 17th and early 18th centuries did the mantelpiece start being more than utilitarian.
From Across the Atlantic
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In the later 18th century, the colonists were remembering life across the pond, and English influence brought more elaborate mantelpieces. Large overmantels appeared, reaching up all the way to the crown molding. Above the mantelshelf was a perfect place to inset a mirror or display a painting.
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Museum Mantel
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This chimney piece and overmantel was commissioned for the drawing room of Winchester House in Putney in the 1700's. James Baudoin of France came to Putney and rebuilt Winchester House in 1729. Carved wood in the overmantel, combined with the marble fire surround, is a Rococo technique and look. Some carvers worked in both wood and marble, and probably created all the elements of this spectacular full mantle in one workshop.
The Look of Stone
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Brick, wood, iron, marble and stone have been the most prevalent materials for fireplace mantels and chimney pieces. In the later 20th century simulated materials could replace marble, and gypsum sometimes replaced stone. The stone look is still very popular in mantels today, looking very formal, as in the picture, or very rustic and earthy.
Recycling an Ugly Fireplace
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What if you find yourself in a house with an ugly, dated red fireplace that goes from floor to ceiling, with no mantel at all? What can you do? Try a fireplace paint kit and make it a weekend project (see Resources below). The materials in the kit can cover brick, or rough-hewn limestone, with a clean, new looking coat of paint. No more old, dirty red brick. Then you can buy a mantel you love to go over the fireplace, and you can hang a mirror above that. What an accomplishment: You have an attractive focal point instead of an eyesore, and your entire room looks fresh and updated.
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