Five tips to enhance your fireplace in 2021

In 2021, we’ll still be spending time at home. So you might as well make your home as cosy as possible. With Chemin’arte, the specialist in electric fireplaces, you can do just that. Whether modern, traditional, suspended, mobile or lounge, once in your living room, the fireplace undeniably becomes the centerpiece of your interior. But you can make it stand out with a few fireplace decorating tips. Vases, frames, candles and garlands, and why not plants, a mirror or even…a built-in bookcase!

Renovating a chimney that no longer works

A fireplace is made to heat. That’s obviously its primary function. Some, however, are no longer in use. Too outdated, badly swept, dangerous, or simply rarely used… But it would be a shame to do without such a decorative object. When fitted out, it can be showcased to add a unique touch to your dining room.

First solution: give it a facelift and a new coat of paint, or replace it with a Helsinki fireplace. For the paint job, you can repaint just the mantel, in a color that contrasts with the surrounding walls to bring out the fireplace’s design; repaint the entire trunk, for a vertical, graphic effect; or go monochromatic, adopting the same color for the entire fireplace and surrounding walls.

But if you want to keep it as it is, opt for vintage decor or turn it into a bookcase.

Fireplace decoration: the library idea

The idea of the modern bookcase is to integrate the fireplace at the heart of a ceiling-high bookcase. Ideal for creating a zen and studious atmosphere, while showcasing beautiful books or small decorative objects. In one go, you’ll sublimate an entire wall, whether in the living room, dining room or your cocooning corner. Several styles are available, from modern to solid wood shelves, depending on your choice of mantelpiece. You can opt for a combination of wood and marble for a refined interior, or sleek furniture with a suspended fireplace.

Colored candles

Even simpler, decorate your mantelpiece with colorful candles. It’s an effective way to dress up the top of your fireplace. Particularly suited to models with a contemporary design look, such as the Chemin’arte Sydney or Lounge noire. You can vary the size and color of the candles, or arrange them in a circle on a tray. By spacing them out all along the mantelpiece, you’ll create a warm atmosphere and a “fireside” effect. With a dark mantelpiece, we recommend candles in light, pastel colors.

fireplace decoration of a traditional fireplace

Traditional fireplaces, such as Oxford models, naturally add enormous cachet to a high-ceilinged living room. To play with the mantel’s classic aesthetic, opt for contrasting art deco figurines, such as statuettes or 3D cubic animals. You can also add a photo frame simply placed on a corner of the mantelpiece, a candle and a string of lights.

The “must-have” to enhance your fireplace is the mirror. Modern or arched, gilded or glassed-in, it immediately enlarges the room and contrasts with the old-fashioned look of a traditional fireplace.

Be careful, however, not to overload your fireplace by accumulating objects and mirrors above it.

Decorating with plants

Another timeless option: plants, for a touch of freshness and color. Depending on the decor of your living room, adapt the type of plants you use.
Falling over the side of the fireplace when it’s turned off, or creeping along the wall, your plants give a wild jungle feel to the surround of your fireplace. More sober, the small plant in a colorful pot or in a vintage cache pot. Finally, another style: a bouquet in a large, arty vase in the middle of the mantelpiece. This option lets you vary the colors and flowers to suit your mood and the spirit of the season.

Decorating the walls around the fireplace

A fireplace can stand on its own, but if your ceilings exceed 2 meters, you’ll want to dress them up. In this case, the final decorating tip is a classic: pretty frames. Here again, depending on the color of your mantelpiece, adapt the colors. Flashy or bright for a black or dark wood mantel, simpler and darker for a white mantel. Frames of different sizes in black and white will give an “artist’s studio” feel, while colorful photos and posters will give your living room a bohemian look. Finally, opt for frames arranged in a non-linear fashion to break up the straight lines of the mantelpiece.