Dressing up Your Fireplace with Elegant Fireplace Mantel Shelves

Dressing up Your Fireplace with Fireplace Mantel Shelves

Sitting in front of a fire is one of the best things in life, especially if the snow is falling outside and you can cozy up with a book. Fireplaces range in styles and looks, but the most common options seen today are a black face which is inserted into the wall. It looks fairly boring until you add some accoutrements like tile or rock around the fireplace edge.

You also have fireplace mantel shelves as an option for dressing up your fireplace. Mantel shelves provide you with a place to store some beautiful belongings while also making a simple change to your otherwise boring fireplace.

The types of mantel shelves will range from metal and rock to wood. Wood fireplace mantel shelves are the most common. Whatever type of material you opt for there are some benefits to fireplace shelves. First, you have a place to store certain items such as the lighter or box of matches you might use to light the fire.

You can also place pictures on the shelves, or breakable objects you want to display but have out of your children’s reach. Depending on the structure of your home you might use the fireplace mantel for your television.

Flat screen televisions make it easy to look at the fire and your TV. With fireplace mantel shelves you can sit your electronics over the fireplace and not have to worry about them becoming hot. If you buy a wall mount for your TV you will have even more space.

The fact is these shelves are great for storage or displays of objects. If you go with a flat surface wood without edges it will work better for TV components. However, if you love to read and want books or even DVDs over the mantel you could have a higher edge to act as bookends.

Pearl, Agee, and Mantels Direct are a few company names you will encounter when you look for fireplace mantel shelves. There are plenty of choices out there based on your preferences. You should expect to pay between $150 and $400 for the shelves. The cost will be based on the material and style of the frame. The more intricate shelves will be a higher cost.

Before you buy the shelves you find online or anywhere else you need to measure the length of your fireplace. You want to make sure you can center the shelves over the fireplace for an appropriate appearance. If you live in a cabin or have a rustic appearance to your home you will most likely appreciate a wood style shelf.

More modern dcor will work better with a metal shelf. Within the choices you have are European collections. The European collection is more for a Victorian or Gothic style home.

Above all you want to make sure the fireplace mantel shelves will match your fireplace. If you have a simple glass door with black casing almost any type of mantel shelf will work.