Fireplace decorating ideas

During our house search I was only sure of two things; the place needed to have a good sized garden and I wanted some sort of period features. This pretty much ruled much all of the new builds in our area which were generic and too sterile.

I should note that I was 15 weeks pregnant during our search, a little bit snippy and convinced that I was going to have this baby in our one bedroom, second floor flat with a balcony and barely any room to store my shoes let alone a baby. So you could say I was a bit of a demanding customer with a seriously tight timeline, in other words every estate agents nightmare.





When we walked into the house the first things I noticed were the paneled ceilings, original doors and the working fireplace in the living and bedroom. Tick tick tick. Period features were finally found in the form of a three bed 1930’s terrace. The price was right, the garden long and we made an offer right away.

And since then my love affair with fireplace decor has blossomed. For me it’s the easiest way to change the decor in these two rooms. You can move art work, ornaments and flowers around to create a different feel and I do this at least once a month. Sometimes I love the style I’ve created, other times it’s too cluttered and I leave it bare for a while.

Making your fireplace the focal point of your room is great way to introduce new seasons or holidays into your home. Fresh spring flowers or holly wreaths showcase the best of the seasons and the fireplace is the place to put them! So I thought I would share some of my tips for dressing your mantle pieces.

Create an anchor

This is an object which stays all year round and ties together all the design elements. It sits in the centre of the fireplace and becomes the focal point. I choose this mirror from La Redoute as the bamboo elements were neutral and would work with gold and copper filler items as well as fresh flowers. In our bedroom fireplace I’ve used a large print from desenio as the anchor as I don’t do as much seasonal decor in this room. A mirror like the one above from La Redoute is an example of a feature item which would be a beautiful focal point above a fireplace. Available here

I also love a wall mount, this one from TK Maxx is only £19.99 and its a really cool addition to any living room.

Create height 

These can be objects which fluctuate around your home. I tend to use vases with seasonal foliage to create height beside the anchor, but still be smaller than it. You can create a balance by duplicating it on both sides of the fireplace with different items, potentially candle sticks or an ornament. I either buy fresh flowers from Aldi as I find they are really good value or you can buy a few faux flowers and add fresh in among.

These vases from HM Home will add a good height with or without fresh flowers or a plant. Available here

It’s all filler

The final piece is to add the filler items to add texture to the overall atheistic. These tend to be the seasonal variety such as Christmas ornaments or pumpkins during Autumn. Or I use picture frames or candles to create a completed look. Plants are my favourite so I always have a few on the fireplace too. Have a look on Pintrest to get ideas on how ornaments, books and mirrors can add depth and texture to your fireplace. A piece like this glass terranium will bring nature onto your fireplace. Available here