Tips for Decorating a Fireplace with Two Mantels

The mantel above your fireplace is the perfect place to display your treasured family heirlooms, family photographs, and other decorative items. While many fireplaces are designed with a single long mantel, others have a different design. If you have two separate mantels find a different way to decorate and accessorize that space. Choosing the right items and the right arrangement allows you to make the most of both of those spaces.

Know What You Have to Work With

Before you can start designing a display for your dual mantels, you first need to know exactly how much total space you have to work with. Begin by measuring each mantel so you know precisely how much space you have to work with. Use those measurements when determining which accessories, photographs, and decorative items to display on each mantel.

Metallic Paper

You can find this metallic paper at most craft stores. Use colors that match the decor of your room. For instance, if your room has a black and white motif, decorate one mantel in black and the other in white. Choosing complimentary colors helps to create a unified look and feel throughout the room while drawing the eye of the viewer from the first mantel to the next.

Choose Your Treasures

The fireplace mantel is the perfect spot to display your treasures, from priceless family photographs to sports trophies and awards. A dual mantel can give you even more room to display those treasured items, but you still need to choose those items with care. Choose the photographs, mementos, and other items you want to display on your two mantels. Decide whether you want to display a different type of item on each mantel, or if you want to display a mixture of different kinds of items on both mantels. You could, for instance, display family photographs on one mantel, while using the other to display awards and trophies.

Critique Your Arrangement

Once you have the items you want to display arranged in your mantel, it is time to stand back and admire your work. Start by arranging the items you want to display on the two mantels, then stand back and assess how those items look, then rearrange them if you wish. Rearrange the items on your two mantels from time to time to give your room a brand-new look.

Changing items often helps to keep the room more interesting. Having two mantels to work with gives you even more freedom and flexibility when it comes to changing the look, feel, and style of your room.
 

Create Interesting Groupings

Having more than one mantel to work with gives you a number of interesting design options for your fireplace. For instance, you can group three similar items of similar size at one end of one of the mantels, then place a larger item at the other end. Mirror that arrangement on the other mantel for a dramatic look. For instance, you can place three similar-sized candles at the far end of both mantels, then place a large family portrait at the near end of each mantel to the next, creating a single line of sight and giving your entire room a more unified look and feel.

Once you have your fireplace mantels decorated, you can change that decor to match the seasons, replacing those summer beach photos with the annual Christmas portrait, Santa Claus photos, and pictures with the Easter Bunny. Pretty soon your mantel will become the focal point of your home, the place where you tell the story of your family through pictures and other priceless treasures.