How to Decorate a Fireplace without Mantel
The heart of a living room is the fireplace. It’ll be the focal point of your design scheme and it’s natural for seating to be positioned to face both a source of warmth as well as creating an exciting visual.
Traditionally you would expect there to be a mantel dressed with some ornaments such as candlesticks or flowers. But today’s contemporary fireplaces are without fuss and fripperies and generally have no mantel.
So how do you decorate a fireplace that doesn’t have a mantel and how do you best emphasize your cool, clean lines? There are so many inspiring ideas you’ll be rushing to recreate them in your own gorgeous home.
Keep it Simple
Especially in new homes, but also in renovations and mid-century properties, there has been a trend to install modern fireplaces.
So what does a modern fireplace comprise? Ordinarily, you would expect a modern fireplace to be glass-fronted and flush with the wall. You may find the fire is long and situated horizontally in a ribbon effect close to the floor.
There might be a chimney breast but you will have no mantel. Here it’s the sleek lines that count for this look.
Choose plain, minimal furniture and decor to pair with the no mantel fireplace scheme. A soft rug will complement the design and for plants, think of silhouetted twig arrangement to complete the look.
Impressive No Mantel Chimney
If you like a monochrome theme then a modern fireplace will work perfectly in your design scheme. A chimney breast going up to the roof will increase the feeling of space in the room.
Keep things minimal with a simple sofa and some marble flooring. Sheer white curtains will soften the look without detracting from the fireplace with a bold color or pattern.
Wood Fire Surround
If you like warmth in your modern look then consider a natural mid-wood fireplace. A horizontal shiplap will give you the clean lines of the no mantel style while injecting character into the room.
For a little coziness pick a few well chosen ornaments in natural materials such as glass. And to make the color pop, and also to increase the warmth of your wood finish, choose shades on the opposite side of the color wheel for maximum impact.
Shiplap No Mantel Look
How do you make a room with a beamed ceiling look modern? With a smooth, sophisticated fireplace, that’s how!
Choosing gray hues will indicate a contemporary tone and vertical shiplap is a modern classic and simple to fix to a chimney breast.
For modern boho touches, add monochrome woven baskets and a rug in geometric designs. This will soften the edges and give you some coziness in your beautiful modern home.
Movie Experience Fireplace
Have you ever dreamt of having your own home movie theater or entertainment room? These days we are seeing more and more in our homes.
Gone are the days of hiding the TV away in a bulky cabinet! Instead, particularly with the rise of streaming, we celebrate our viewing and want a big screen and theater style comfort.
So make your TV a part of your fireplace design. An on-trend feature horizontal fireplace set next to a slatted wood feature looks refined against a large in-built screen. This look will put you on the A-list!
Beautiful Logpile Feature
If you like a real fire then you can have all the experience of a natural wood fire with a sleek design. A horizontal glass front fire can be inset into a smooth gray painted chimney breast.
And, to up the design stakes, create a recess next to it and stack neatly sawn logs next to the fire. Here you’ll have the combination of modern, a real fire and a super impressive designer feature in your living room.
Character Corner Fire
This is such an unusual feature and yet so simple you’ll wonder why you hadn’t thought of it sooner! If you create a smooth plastered chimney breast at the end rather than the center of your living room wall, you can install a fire with two sides.
This means you can enjoy the look from multiple viewpoints and even add a bench to cozy up next to your fire.
In the talking point stakes, this corner fire is right up there in standout designer features. You’ll be inviting your friends around to come see in no time!
Room Divider No Mantel Fire
If you have a very large room and a healthy budget then you can install a fireplace as a means of dividing the space.
A real fire can use a glass chimney and be set at one end of the dividing wall to have the view of the fire on both sides of the wall, as well as a stunning designer feature. You may even want to build in a home entertainment system to maximize the use of the wall.
Bench Seating by Your Modern Fire
For the ultimate modern fireplace styling throw in a slatted chimney breast, a dark gray to define the lower part of the fireplace wall, a corner fire, a bench that comes with space for logs underneath. And wow, you have a super trendy fire!
This look works well with a mid to dark wood floor, a soft gray rug, a few free casually strewn designer accessories as well as some plain pale gray cushions.
No Mantel Stove
If you love a wood burning stove but find those with a hearth and mantel too twee then check out some of the current contemporary designs.
A stove will kick out a lot of heat and can be sleek and neat in your living room. Choose no wall decor to make the fire the focal point and add boho touches such as a blanket, woven materials and a designer log stand.
In Closing
If you have a fireplace without a mantel then you’ll want to decorate with those clean, sleek lines in mind. Everything on your chimney breast including TV should be built in.
The rest of the decor works well in modern monochrome and grays with minimal accessories and textures. To make a fireplace the feature, the eye must be drawn to this on walking into the room so let the design do the talking.
As well as modern electric or gas fires, you can stick with wood fires if you like the experience. And you may even incorporate your log pile into your design.
A fire doesn’t have to sit in the middle of the wall but can have designer impact to be at one end and can also lend itself to fitting an interesting glass corner fire. And you could even use your fireplace to divide a room in a large area.
For those who like cozy with their modern style, you can add a bench alongside your fireplace and snuggle up with cushions and a blanket. In this contemporary scheme, all of the character comes from the fire and its positioning on the wall.
