Fireplace Mantel

           Fireplace mantels define a fireplace as much as the actual firebox does. Even though fireplace mantels were originally designed to keep the fireplace smoke from blowing into the room, fireplace mantels became more and more decorative as the fireplace became the center of pre-television homes.

            Many different materials can be used to created fireplace mantels. Marble, granite and limestone can be used for high-end fireplaces, while fine woods such as oak, cherry or walnut may also be used. However, modern fireplace mantels may be constructed for much more affordable prices out of chipboard and cast rock, which is molded cement.

              Fireplace mantels in palaces have been elaborately carved, and some designers have carved statues and reliefs into them. Other designers use fireplace mantels as backdrops for portraits, and still others keep the fireplace mantel plain, and instead prefer to use the mantel shelf to hold decorative bric-a-brac. Even though the fireplace has been displaced by television and entertainment centers, the fireplace mantel still serves as the focus of the architecture in the room. The onset of gas and electric fireplaces has allowed nearly any material to be used as a fireplace mantel without fear of being a fire hazard.