10 Elegant Living Room Fireplace Mantel Ideas to Style Your Home

One of the few features that serves more than one purpose is the fireplace mantel. It does hold the room when it’s done, but it’s also the place where your personality can be loud and clear, whether it’s a collection of coffee table books, one dramatic vase or a gallery of frames that couldn’t be put together by anyone else. The coloration of the walls around it, the kind of material under your hands, the little items you turn over every season – all influence the mood of your entire living room. A few mantels say hushed beauty.

Many others chatter out loud with texture and color. Here are 10 different approaches to the mantel of the fireplace, all designed to a different color palette and mood, so as to suit you and your life, rather than the one a magazine suggests.

Warm Beige Cozy Living Room with Fireplace Mantel & Brass Chandelier

Though beige may have a bad reputation for being dull and drab, it’s one of the best background colors for a living room when used in the right way. The warm beige walls, a white or cream painted mantel, and warm lighting contributes to a soft flowing atmosphere. A brass chandelier above the heads makes everything move out of “safe” zone and into the “real” zone.

The key to this neutral, cozy fireplace mantel look is that it’s not just about the color of the pieces you choose, but also the texture. Consider linen throw pillows, a chunky knit blanket that hangs over the arm of a sofa, and a mantel piece of matte ceramics and one or two brass candlesticks that echo the chandelier above.

Don’t overstuff the room, perhaps a large, single art in neutral colors. Beige is a fantastic color for living rooms that have lots of natural light, as it can become flat and gray in a dark corner.

Sage Green Living Room with Fresh Fireplace Mantel & Plants

Sage green also has a long shelf life as it stands out as soothing, modern and timelessly fresh, as compared to the more popular greens that seem to go out of style within a few years. A light oak mantel with sage walls provides a place for the eye to rest and is an ideal combination for anyone who likes to lean plants against it without their home becoming too jungle-like.

A trailing pathos trailing at the end of the mantel, a miniature fiddle leaf fig in a corner, and perhaps an isolated stem of eucalyptus in a narrow vase add interest without a green thumb. Organic materials lend a lot of weight here:

The jute rug, the woven baskets that hold the firewood, and the linens curtains that serve as room dividers are just a few examples. The design is typically best for living rooms that have a large window or a garden outlook, where the green on the walls enhances whatever is going on outside.

Mocha Mousse Living Room with Organic Fireplace Mantel Warmth

The warm, earthy brown that’s been everywhere for the past few months – mocha mousse brings a warm, earthy quasi-edible tone to a living room. The overall décor evokes a sense of comfort and warmth, with a wood toned mantel that adds to the rustic charm.

It’s the contrast of textures that make this palette work, not colors. Those warm brown walls feel perfectly at ease with bouclé upholstery, a rattan chair and a chunky ceramic vase on the mantel. Also go for metal accents in warm colors (not chrome) to avoid harsh contrasts with the softness of the room. It’s a solid option for living rooms with less natural light as the warmth of the color palette will make up for a lack of light.

Navy & Brass Living Room with Elegant Fireplace Mantel Display

Navy is an elegant color, one of a handful of dark shades that just don’t feel heavy when paired with brass details and white or marble mantel. 

The room’s keep comes from styling the mantel here. Two candlesticks of brass, a small pile of leather-bound books and a single piece of art, perhaps one with gold leaf or warm shades that complement the brass, makes for a curated, not cluttered, display.

If you prefer to avoid the showroom focus, and have a bit more of a personal touch, navy walls are great backgrounds for framed black and white photos! This palette is ideal for living rooms where you entertain, as it looks great in daylight and with a light, so it’s great for pictures.

Terracotta Living Room with Warm Mediterranean Fireplace Mantel

Warm color terracotta walls always add a Mediterranean touch, particularly when complemented by a textured, not flat and smooth, plaster or lime-washed mantel. The idea behind this décor for the mantel area of your fireplace is definitely to embrace the imperfections in a Mediterranean style.

The styling is loose and unfussy, as the woven textiles and a rounded ceramic vase in a cream or sand tone are matched by a few dried pampas grass or olive branches on the mantel. Try not to go overboard with the shine or symmetry here; the beauty of this style is that it seems like it’s been assembled over time, not bought at once. The atmosphere is completed with rattan furniture and slipcovers for linen.

This palette is especially effective in a living room with high ceilings, or exposed beams, as the warmth of the terracotta helps to warm up a tall room space to prevent it from becoming cool.

Butter Yellow Living Room with Cheerful Fireplace Mantel Charm

Butter yellow came into a quiet existence and then out of nowhere, and why not? It is warm, but not loud, and turns a living room into a sunny little room on a cloudy day. The color is complemented by a white mantel, keeping the overall ensemble subdued yet striking.

Here, the mantel should be simple and somewhat whimsical, with a couple of ceramic items, a little framed print, and, perhaps, a candle or two in a cozy fragrance. Throw pillows with gingham or stripes in them bring in the bright and happy vibes without making them appear too childish. This palette will work well in smaller living rooms.

Soft Lilac Living Room with Dreamy Pastel Fireplace Mantel

Lilac is an underrated color until you see it is done well. For a living room with a lilac finish, a white mantel or blush-toned finish adds a touch of romance and drifts away without becoming too precious or twee.

The only thing that will make this palette seem grown up and not nursery-like is restraint. It’s okay to have one or two lilac accents, perhaps a vase or some art against the walls, too. If you are using a mantel, limit the decorative elements there; a single sculptural piece, a mirror against the wall above, and maybe a small dried flower piece.

Metals don’t compete with the softness of the color with brushed nickel or soft gold hardware. This style works best in a living room that is more of a reading room or place for relaxation and not a busy family room.

Verdigris Green Living Room with Vintage Eclectic Fireplace Mantel

It’s that worn blue green ‘Verdigris’ that you see on old copper, and it lends a distinctly individual character to a living room. Most people don’t consider it as a color to paint their walls, which is what makes it stand out. The mantel should be paired with a vintage or antique style mantel, preferably with some figured work or an old surface finish to give the room a collected and well-travelled look.

This is the palette that will allow you to blend eras and styles without too much concern for matching. The wall color is already doing something unexpected, and the gilded mirror, the mismatched pair of lamps, and the old books, the small brass bust, or the odd find all support each other. This eclectic vintage fireplace mantel styling is ideal for those who already collect items, as it’s designed to add personality to the room instead of removing it.

Mocha Mousse Brick Fireplace with Oak Mantel in Organic Modern Corner

Exposed brick doesn’t have to be rustic or industrial. The brick side-to-side meshes into that warm mocha mousse color and complements a clean-lined oak mantel for a decidedly organic modern effect. It’s a great look when paired up in a corner, as the texture of the brick isn’t distracting.

Keep the furniture around clear and low—boucle sofa, one large floor lamp and little artwork to keep the brick and wood center stage. The ceramic pieces and the neutral-toned books create a subtle emphasis on the mantel, while the ones on a shelf give a more subdued, understated feel. This style is for open concept living rooms, where the fireplace must be strong but not overwhelming.

Whitewashed Brick Fireplace with Rustic Beam Mantel in Cozy Farmhouse

 

Whitewashing brick is a great way to make it soft-hands, while maintaining all that rustic character, and is one of the easiest ways to modernise an old fireplace without redone. The wood beam mantel is also a bit rough-hewn and chunky, but it’s not overly themed or dramatic, and combined with the wood floor, it helps to create a farmhouse aesthetic.

Here, it’s best to mix in some galvanized metal, woven baskets, as well as a few dried flowers or wheat stems in a basic stoneware vase. The iron candle holders on either side of the mantelpiece give some height and warmth without overwhelming the scene. This style looks great with shiplap walls, wide-plank floors and linen slipcovers, and is perfect for a living room that gets a great deal of use each day where the materials can take some wear and tear.

Ready to Refresh Your Fireplace Mantel? 

Whichever style appeals to you, the best fireplace mantel is the one that truly fits the way that you use your living room throughout the day. Make one small change, add a new mantel finish, a fresh coat of paint, or just a simple restyle of the top of the mantel. Your fireplace is here to be more than just a source of heat, let’s give it the character it deserves.