Unlike decorative accents such as picture frames or small vases, mantels are major assets and are often the primary showpiece of a room. Because of this, it is important to choose a mantel that fits in with your decor but also makes the right statement. With over 100 mantels and mantel shelf designs, plus a variety of finishes and custom sizing, Mantels Direct is sure to have the perfect fireplace mantel for your home.

Hampton Traditional Wood Mantel, shown in Poplar with white finish, Emperador Marron Marble facing kit

Traditional Wood Mantels Our wood fireplace mantels come in 5 unique collections. The Prestige Collection mantels are characterized by elegant fluting and detailed carvings that pair well with marble or granite facing kits. The Traditional Design Collection includes classic, versatile designs, and the Valueline Collection is composed of value-priced mantels in a variety of basic styles.  We offer adjustable Cabinet and Corner Mantels for unique needs and spaces.  Additionally, the handcrafted Timber Mantel Collection is perfect for a cabin or any rustic decor style.

Marble Fireplace Mantels  We offer 7 high quality imported marble fireplace mantels. Each marble fireplace is hand-sculpted by skilled master craftsmen. They are available in a variety of fireplace sizes and return depths, and they are available in white, black, beige and green marble.  These marble fireplace designs exude culture and class.

Stone Fireplace Mantels  Our stone fireplace mantels are true showpieces and exquisite additions to any room. The Majestic and Classic Series stone fireplace mantels offer over 50 beautiful designs ranging from simple to extravagant, and each is available in 8 stone colors.  They include options for facing, hearths and overmantels. The Builder Series and Standard Mantel Kits include hearths and offer simpler, budget-conscious designs. All of our stone fireplace mantels are lightweight, so installation is quick and simple.

Clark Stone Mantel Shelf

Mantel Shelf Designs  For those who are on a budget, have limited room, or just need extra shelf space, our mantel shelf designs are a great option. We offer traditional wood, Timber, and stone mantel shelves.  Ranging from traditional to contemporary in design, each mantel shelf is easy to install, and each wood and Timber mantel shelf is available in custom lengths.  Many are also available in custom U and corner shapes.

No matter your style and budget, one of our mantels will be a perfect match for your home.  Want more information? View our previous post, and then explore your options at MantelsDirect.com.

In April, we discussed three advantages of a cast stone fireplace mantel.  It is simple to install, is available in a variety of colors and stone finishes, and comes in styles to complement any decor.  Today, we’re going to share the four style series in our cast stone fireplace mantels collection.  Each series in the cast stone mantels collection carries a unique style and personality and has numerous options to make it your own.

Majestic Series The Majestic Series of custom-size cast stone fireplace surrounds is our most elegant collection of timeless European stone mantel designs. The scale and detail of this mantel series is exceptional. The beautiful custom facing, along with optional hearths and overmantels, will enhance the fireplace mantel and create a unique focal point for your home.

Classic Series The Classic Series cast stone fireplace surrounds are hand-crafted stone mantels inspired by European designs. Each stone mantel has variations in color and finish that capture the true essence of natural stone. Optional matching surround facing, hearths and overmantels  are available for this collection and are sized to fit your specific situation.  The Claire stone mantel is the most popular item in this series; it is created using a strong composite stone mantel material and is a beautiful accent to a living room or den.

Standard Series Kits These cast stone mantels are available for immediate shipment in a Limestone color. Each stone mantel comes complete with hearth and adjustable facing panels that allow for both small and large firebox openings. The Standard Series Stone Mantel Kits are great choices for a contemporary decor style.

From the Standard Series, this Craig Mantel is shown in the Natural Stone Finish.

Builders Series Kits Our Builder Series Kits are an economical way to have a terrific-looking stone mantel. These simple American cast stone fireplace mantels can be installed quickly with little effort.  The Builders Series Kits include adjustable legs, header facing panel and hearth.

Mantels Direct takes pride in offering fireplace mantels to fit all styles, needs and budgets.  For this week’s post, we compiled a short list of some of the most creative spaces to install our fireplace mantels and shelves.

In the Nursery, in the Kitchen (or any any room on any wall) Modern electric fireplace technology offers safe-to-the-touch heating options. You can now provide the soft glow and warmth of an electric fireplace mantel package. Set-up is simple and no venting or special wiring is necessary. Just plug in and enjoy the flickering flames and the on demand heat option.

On the Patio Mantels and shelves look great above an outdoor fireplace such as the Napoleon Outdoor Gas Fireplace Insert or any of our Rockwood Outdoor Fireplace Kits.  Our line of Timber Fireplace Mantels offers a rustic, natural feel that is the perfect addition to your outdoor fireplace.

Above an Entryway Fireplace mantel shelves such as the Madison or Hunter Fireplace Shelf models look fantastic above an entryway. If you are thinking of installing a mantel shelf in this space, you’ll want to order a custom shelf size to ensure that it fits into the entryway seamlessly.

Mantels Direct customer Pat Todaro installed a Madison Custom Mantel Shelf above this entryway. How creative!

Part of the fun of purchasing a new fireplace mantel from Mantels Direct is decorating it once it’s been installed.  Here are five creative suggestions to keep in mind when planning your mantel decor:

Make it seasonal. The fireplace mantel is a natural family gathering place that is easy to reach and accessorize, making it a great spot to celebrate the season. Reflect an upcoming holiday with simple touches such as lining the mantel’s edge with seasonally-appropriate ribbon, or placing holiday items like ornaments or Easter eggs in a tall, clear vase.  Another way to add a seasonal touch to your mantel decor is to incorporate accents from nature.  For example, welcome summer by enhancing your mantel with seashells, starfish, and a lantern.  Also consider purchasing a natural timber mantelto achieve a year-round natural look.

Timber mantels make for wonderful holiday decorating in the right setting.

Embrace the fire, even in the summer. Just because it’s summertime does not mean that you have to ditch the fire.  With most electric fireplaces, you have the option to activate the beautiful flame feature without the heat.  These products provide four-season enjoyment and have options to fit every style and budget. So remember to light your electric fireplace to complement the mantel and add a soft, welcoming ambiance to your home.

Try layering. Layering the decor on your mantel is easy to do and works on just about anything, whether it is frames, candles, vases, or other accessories. The trick is choosing items that represent a variety of sizes and share some characteristic such as color family or basic shape. Then, place (or lean) the smaller, more detailed accessories in front of the larger, plainer items. This picture demonstrates how proper layering can transform a cluster of objects into a lovely, consistent design.

Be bold. Use the fireplace mantel to make a statement and set a fun tone for the rest of the house.  The simplest way to do this is to use bold colors.  For example, frame the mantel with an orange and yellow wallpaper, or paint vintage vases a bright blue and set them on a contrasting white mantel.  You can even paint the mantel itself! Purchase an unfinished mantel shelf from Mantels Direct (select “unfinished” option at checkout) and color it however you’d like.  Be sure to coat it with a protective sealant once it’s been painted.

Get personal. Your mantel is a centerpiece of your home, so use it to tell your personal story.  Incorporate vintage family photos, frame heirloom jewelry, or place a stack of favorite books on the shelf’s corner. These possibilities are endless, and they give an instant dose of character to your fireplace mantel.

With the summer renovation season quickly approaching, many homeowners are searching for a way to add beauty and value to their homes. Ironically, the warming of outside temperatures every summer ensures that prospective renovators often overlook remodeling one of the most valuable heating elements of their home, their fireplace. A fireplace mantel upgrade can add thousands of dollars in value to a home and are highly valued by almost every consumer looking to purchase a new house. One of the best ways to add to this value is by installing a cast stone fireplace as part of your summer renovation plans. With this in mind, this post list 3 advantages stone fireplaces can offer consumers who are looking to complete a fireplace remodel.

A Beautiful Stone Fireplace Installation

1. The first advantage of remodeling with a cast stone fireplace is the ease of installation. Cast stone fireplaces are much lighter than traditional stone or marble mantels, allowing for an easy installation that can be completed in a single afternoon. These stone fireplaces are made by utilizing old-world techniques, ensuring top of the line quality is produced with every single unit.

2. The second advantage of these stone fireplaces is the variety of colors and finishes that are available with cast stone. Cast stone fireplaces come in a variety of colors including olive, chocolate and taupe. Depending on your color selection, each mantel is available in a variety of finishes including Natural Stone and Honed. With this many options to choose from, it is clear that cast stone mantels can be customized to fit almost anyone’s interior design taste.

Color Variety Available With Cast Stone Mantels

3. A final advantage of Cast Stone Mantels is the variety of styles that are available to consumers. For home owners looking for a more contemporary or ornate style of mantel, the Majestic Series includes some excellent options. Mantels like the Innsbruck Style fit seamlessly into formal spaces, while units such as the Palermo Style are a great choice for a more modern room. For consumers looking for a more traditional, simplistic style of mantel, the Classic Series of cast stone fireplaces is sure to offer plenty of options that can suit your design needs.

With the variety of colors and styles available and the ease with which they can be installed, cast stone fireplaces can make a perfect summer renovation project for home owners looking to add some value to their home.

Often remodeling aspects of your home can seem like a daunting task. Whether you are simply interested in adding a bit of shelf space to your living room, or you are looking for a full stone surround as part of a larger remodeling project, the prospect of a fireplace remodel can be intimidating. Fortunately, the process of installing everything from a wood mantel shelf to a large marble mantel can easily be divided into a series of simple steps. The fact of the matter is, with the right tools and a bit of dedication, almost anyone can successfully complete a mantel installation as part of their fireplace remodel.

Most mantel installations involve only a small set of household tools and a little bit of time and dedication. Traditional wood mantels offer a simple yet substantial way to add sophistication and beauty to any fireplace remodel. Wood mantels such as the Hawthorne and Newport styles can transform a room, adding the traditional look of a wood mantle in only a couple of hours.

Here is an example of a Hawthorne Mantel

Here is a recent review discussing the ease of installing a mantel during a fireplace remodel.

“Just wanted to say that we are COMPLETELY satisfied with our purchase at MantelsDirect. Our shipment arrived on a Thursday and the following Saturday we installed it. The instructions were great, the construction “dead-on”, and the ease of installation a breeze. We were so very thrilled at the finished product, which now looks like it was built at the same time the house was. It totally transformed our somewhat-less-than-desirable fireplace into the focal point of our room. The “return” worked perfectly for our raised hearth and the corresponding lip. Thank you for such a good remedy for our “problem” area! We will share your site with all who view our newly installed mantel.”

Carol & Juan Cajigas

Before

After

With reviews like this the evidence is clear that anyone can transform their room with a fireplace remodel in just a few easy to follow steps.

As the weather begins to turn and your family gathers around the living room fireplace, create a beautiful autumn mantel design to welcome the changing of the seasons. Richly colored leaves, warm fall candles, and classic pumpkins make these mantel designs as fun as they are stylish.

Leaves: One of the classic icons of fall are leaves, which makes the perfect, living room fireplace mantel decoration. While it may be tempting to simply grab a handful of brightly colored fallen leaves from outside, real leaves often crumble and can leave a mess around your home. We recommended opting for fake, craft leaves available at craft and home improvement stores. Here are a few ideas from the MantelsDirect.com team:

• Scatter single, loose leaves across your mantel, our idea is to make the leaves look like they gently fell from a tree. Be sure to mix up the colors and arrange them in slightly different positions to appear natural.
• Place large leaves under candle holders, small clocks, vases, and other accessories on your mantel.
• If leaves are not loose, rather attached to faux branches, gather the branches together like a flower arrangement and place in a clear glass or autumn colored vase to place on one end of the mantel.

Pumpkins: The pumpkin may be the most recognized fall icon! This gourd is easily styled to fit any home decor, from casual kid-friendly, to formal, to ultra modern pumpkins add color and warmth. Selecting the correct size of pumpkin, along with color, shape and finish ensures your fall decorated fireplace mantel blends perfectly into your home. While you can use real pumpkins, but after a week or two they can become soft and lose their shape. Try decorating with plastic, fabric or glass pumpkins to have a mantel design that will last year after year. Here are a few simple ideas:

• Place one small, orange pumpkin next to a candle or clock – simple and elegant.
• Place a line of small orange pumpkins down the line of your mantel.
• If you have children, let them paint faces on the pumpkins or paint the whole pumpkin in yellow, brown, green or gold autumn colors.
• Taller, thinner pumpkins make great end pieces for each side of the mantle.
• Painting your pumpkins white or finding certain varieties of pumpkins that naturally occur in white, allows them to easily blend in with modern or nautical themed home styles.

Candles: Candles always make a beautiful addition to any mantel and fall is a great time to use scented and colored candles to enhance your decorative style. Finding scents that match the season and are enjoyed by you and your family is the first step in decorating your autumn mantel. Here are our affordable, easy ideas:

• Choose candles in colors like brown, tan, gold, orange, and dark green – these are all natural fall colors.
• Some of the best autumn scents include pumpkin, wood scents, and apple cider.
• Use darker colored, rustic looking candle holders and lanterns for an autumn harvest theme.
• Tall, thin candlesticks work well in formal living rooms, while thicker, tall candles offer a stylish and dramatic look.
• Small tea lights or votives can be slipped inside glass or ceramic pumpkin decorations to mimic the look of jack-o-lanterns.

Mantel Extras: You don’t need to completely remove all the items you currently have on your mantel to decorate for fall. Pick specific pieces to remain on the mantel and incorporate them into your design. Leaving some of your “year-round” accessories will help blend your home’s style with the seasonally themed decorations. We recommend working some of these common mantel accessories into your fall setup:

• Clocks are a common décor piece placed on the mantel and can easily have leaves placed around them, vines draped over them, or a small candle placed next to them in a contrasting color.
• Existing candle holders can be used if they are in darker, autumn colors, or covered with leaves or pumpkins.
• Pictures are great mantel display items, simply update your frames with photos of your family and friends during the fall season – this is an expensive way to update your mantel.

Decorating your mantel for fall is a fun, simple process that beautifully incorporates the colors, scents and symbols of autumn into your home. Using warm tones likes brown, gold, green and tan mimics the colors of the changing leaves, while candles and pumpkins bring the season inside.

Who says you can’t use your fireplace in the summer? MantelsDirect has put together decorating ideas to keep your fireplace and mantel looking great even in the off-season. Often time’s simplicity is key in living spaces, especially in the summer when outside surroundings are alive with color and texture.

By adding a fireplace surround you add an element of design without needing much else. We suggest adding a few punches of color and you’ll create an inviting space to enjoy!

Do you have an old, dated brick fireplace? A quick and easy makeover includes a can of white paint and an affordable mantel shelf. By painting your brick a lighter color you’ll open up the room and make it feel bigger. Adding a wood mantel shelf will add warmth and elegance to your fireplace mantel design. Adorn with a few of your favorite accessories and you’ll have a fresh, summer look!

Updating an older, basic fireplace is easy with a MantelsDirect mantel surround. Our mantels are available in both standard and custom sizes and a variety of colors and finishes. Adding a mirror above your fireplace mantel is any easy way to open up your space and make it feel bigger. Adding accessories like candles create a warm, inviting space – even in summer.

A rustic fireplace mantel design adds natural charm to a traditional living space. MantelsDirect offers a variety of rustic mantels, which are high quality, handcrafted and can be made in Hemlock, Pine, Douglas Fir or Oak. Add a few accessories and this fireplace mantel becomes the heart of your home.

MantelsDirect.com offers the most extensive selection of high quality fireplace mantels, fireplaces and fireplace accessories you will find. Our experienced team of customer service professionals is available to assist you with measurement, special situations and selection issues.