It’s that time of the year when the fragrance of spring is twitching our nostrils and celebration is in the air. It will be Valentine’s Day soon. In fact the world over this week is being celebrated as the Valentine week. So, if you’re looking for something special to tell that special person what he or she values, surprise her with something astounding. How about a fireplace mantel that is a central place in our living room? The mantel above the fireplace holds all the lovely moments framed in pictures, so turn it into that the central spot from where the celebration could begin. It would be a real surprise. Image credit
1. Express your personal memories
Mantel place is central and generally not very large, so make sure you start thinking about ideas which will not clutter the place. You also want it to look unique so think of items to include which are personal and bear sweet memories attached to it. Like a bracelet he gifted you on your second date and turn it into a festoon hang right in the middle, or slip it around the neck of a wine bottle to be place on the mantel. If she gifted you a tie you can turn it in to something similar and surprise her. The idea is to make it unique and special.
2. Opt for a Theme
Make sure that your design correlates to the design of your living room and keep the message and the decoration on the mantle simple, or it has chances of looking gaudy and overdone. One way to do this is think of a central theme. Like honeymoon, or that one special night of the beach, or just all his love letters or maybe her fetish for shoes and the ones you bought for her. See it is beginning to sound fun too. Image Credit
3. Try Red Berry Vine
Red Berry vine seems like one great option to use this year. It is rather a simple and elegant looking option and won’t give your mantel overkill. Choose from the deeper colors, which allow the rest of your design to stand out. Try and lay it out in a whimsical manner to give it a contemporary chic look. Avoid the bright reds as they will only end up reminding you of Christmas which has just gone by. The small and simple version will give it an elegant and sophisticated look as compared to the big ones, which will make it look unnecessarily ornate.
4. Add a Silver Metallic Vase
Once again if you are thinking of getting a Vase as part of your design, then remember to go in sync with the decor of your living room. A metallic one can add an accent color rather than a colored one which will only make it too colorful. Make this an eclectic design by bringing in a nice art-deco vase or a modern one from a decent collection in the market. It might even make your mantle stand out with just that one element.
5. Candles
I personally think that such a warm occasion is not complete without a set of candles standing in smart candle stands. Here again try and keep the candle stands metallic in finish and take color or the candles with a bow tied at the bottom to finish the look. You may look at a choice of candles stands, candelabras, and votives. Then you could also have an array of simple white candles in candelabra stringed with white flowers below all the while think of correlating with your living room. The mix of varying heights can help break predictability in design and add to visual interest. Image credit
6. Picture frames with picture of your love
With picture frames you will bring out the personal and private in your design and make give your mantle an emotional dimension. So, choose from 5-6 of your best memories and frame these photos different frames. One can be in an antique wood finish frame and the other in Pewter, one in sterling silver and yet another in metal. Make sure they are of varying heights, but keep the photos in the same color tone: either go colored pictures only or black and white or sepia tone. Try not to play with tones here as the emotional chord needs to be strung at the right note. Arrange them from the center big going out both sides with the small or just do a neat random heights with a small curio item to go between each picture like her bangle, his cuff link, the cork of your first champagne bottle or your lipstick kiss on a napkin.
7. A small bouquet of flowers
A friend of mine is a soul right out of the Victorian era and she jumped at my suggestion of doing her mantle up like a mini garden. So there you go get the plants and flower pots from around your house and set up the mantel with a staggering arrangement of flowers. Some in vases can do wonders. Add flowering branches leaning out from the mantle, creepers curtaining the fireplace, dogwood perhaps, cherry viburnum or lilac and certainly don’t leave out the deep red roses. A miniature bonsai pot can make it special and then just a few sets of photo frames to give it an emotional dimension. Image credit
The outcome of this labor or love, literally speaking will be great, but the process itself is therapeutic and should leave you filled with fondness and cheer. So, when you finish sit back on your sofa and admire your piece of art over a cup of hot chocolate or iced tea.
