Harnessing your creativity with fireplace surrounds...

A fireplace forms the centerpiece of a living room since everything is arranged in accordance to the placement, style and color of your fireplace. Thus, things that surround your fireplace are of much importance.

Surrounds include not only the mantle but also the sidepieces supporting the mantle and the fireplace.

A beautiful surround is not only a work of art but it also forms the atmosphere of a cozy family hub.

A fireplace surround if well decorated can bring light and life to the living room. So, well decoration is an important factor to be considered.

Types Of Surrounds

Usually fireplace surrounds are made up of natural marble, granite or stone. However various styles of decor are now used and can be categorized into three basic types namely, Traditional style, Contemporary style and Colonial style.

Traditional Style

The traditional fireplace surround decor pertains basically to the Victorian era. Usually made of brick (which can be either used in natural product or as a pre-fabricated one) it lends an overall romantic atmosphere to the entire room.

Sometimes the ambience of birch wood, knotty pine or heavy oak can also be created to accentuate the Victorian surrounding. It can then be highlighted with a frameless oval mirror, a family photograph, coloured water in a crystal glass, beaded candle-stands or doilies.

Contemporary Style

A contemporary surround is usually made up of granite, marble or stone which are the most easily accessible materials these days.

One can then go for the more 1960s modern look with fireplace surround decors like chairs, a portrait or enlarged photograph on the mantle, and a rainbow of pastel shades to highlight the effect.

One can however also opt for the more suave 1970s urban look to the fireplace surround with more bold colours, an artistic lamp with spherical overtones.

The urban look usually reveals a fireplace with asymmetrical designs and arrangement accompanied with more uncommon colours to create a surreal effect. In a techno-world simple accessories, organic shapes, mundane colours like rust, brown or sap green , and more symmetrical tones can also be used to create a natural ambience...

Colonial Style

This kind of surround is usually for those people who intend to lend a more exotic look to their rooms. There is the 1950s Japanese style to contend with on one hand and organically shaped articles to create an illusion of symmetry.

One can also attempt a 1960s Danish outlook of the fireplace surround accentuated mainly with glass and low furnitures to give a symmetrical and yet edgy look.

Easy to Handle and Setup

The market for fireplace surrounds has nowadays become more users friendly to attract customers. Surround kits are helpful in setting up a fireplace mantle without much effort.

Many adventurous homewoners choose surrounds that change with the seasons! And they really ad life and character to ones home.