When I arrived at this home, I knew that she wanted me to help her accessorize her fireplace, but I had no idea what items she might have to work with. She let me know that she really liked the "layered look" and did not want anything perfectly symmetrical. As you can see in the above "before" photo, there wasn't a lot to work with on the mantel itself so we went shopping in her house. This is the result:
Just a few points I want to make about this.
1. Make it A priority - We made the fireplace a priority, even though we had to take from other areas to complete it. Making it the priority made sense, in this case, because this was the room where they spend most of their time.
Many of us have a variety of accessories scattered throughout the house with no one area actually completed. Completely accessorizing one area gives you a great sense of accomplishment and motivates you to move on to other areas.
2. Prioritize your accessories - The large wrought iron piece was hanging on a small wall that didn't necessarily need it and the black framed family sign, which is her absolute favorite piece, was hanging by itself in a long hallway where it wasn't really being appreciated. Bringing both of these pieces into the fireplace arrangement gives them the importance they deserve and allows them to be enjoyed every day.
3. Imitate the structure -
4. Shop the house! - 5. Keep it simple - You may have a lot of things or just a few things, either is fine. Having a well accessorized fireplace isn't about how many things you use, it's more about thoughtful placement of those things. Hope you're having an awesome day!
If your fireplace needs accessorizing, shop your house with an open mind and see what you can come up with!