The Fireplace Mantel A Shelf For All Seasons

The fireplace mantel goes by several names, grumpy, sneezy, doc, oh oh, wrong story. The mantel is also known as the mantel piece, mantel shelf and chimney piece. In addition, the mantel can include the surround and can extend upwards to the ceiling. Stone circles in the middle of a primitive dwelling constituted the first form of a fireplace. Then in medieval times the early fireplace face was vertically flat allowing smoke from a fire into the room. After the fireplace was moved to an exterior wall the flue became a practical way to carry smoke away from the interior but it still wasn’t enough. The mantel was incorporated into the fireplace as a hood which re-directed the smoke to the chimney flue carrying it up and away from the dwelling. Thus, the mantel shelf came into existence.
Today, mantels can be a simple shelf, mounted above the fire box, a simple surround with a shelf, or an ornately carved masterwork like the Louis XIV designs. There are of course myriad styles of mantel but the point is, the mantel lends itself to unlimited variations spanning every holiday and all four seasons. Winter, spring summer and fa-a-ll yeah-eh-eh. oops, there I go again. Well, you get the picture.
The traditional fireplace evokes images of snow covered landscapes outside and a crackling fire inside with everyone dressed warmly in winter fashion. In reality, we no longer have to ignore the fireplace area outside of winter because the fireplace and mantel form an all season area. Think about it, stockings hung by the fire at Christmas time. Hearts and ribbon and chocolate for Valentines Day. A Lincoln top hat for Presidents Day. Red, white and blue banners for the 4th of July. Black cats, witches and goblins for Halloween. Turkey and pilgrims for Thanksgiving. Add birthdays, anniversaries and parties and the fun never stops.

So! the mantel reflects our individual taste and can be a fun fun fun ’till her daddy takes the t-bird – Drat, did it again, and inventive place the year round. As I was perusing the internet, I found some very nice decorative ideas, especially on Pinterest. Investigate other sites as well and you will see the unlimited variety that can be expressed in and around your fireplace mantel.
That’s All, F….No! I won’t say it.