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Fireplaces Home Decorating

keep or change over mantle?

3 years ago

Hi everyone, we have recently moved into a Victorian semi built around 1870. There’s a marble fireplace (was painted, now stripping it) with a large over mantle. This looks to be painted hardwood with ornate moulding and bevelled mirrors. I’m not keen on it but would feel kind of obliged to keep it and either strip and polish or repaint if it’s original. Any ideas? Thanks

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Comments (5)

minnie101
3 years ago
It feels rather overwhelming? It also appears (I assume) wider than the mantle which it shouldn’t be? Obviously the picture rail has also been cut into to accommodate it.

Considering you don’t like it I’d sell it personally. Not sure if it’s original (to another fire!) though.
Sonia
3 years ago
last modified: 3 years ago
It doesn’t seem to fit properly and as Minnie says, the picture rail has been cut, badly, around it. If it were mine I’d remove it, repair the picture rail, and flog it. There are several for sale on eBay. Looking again I wonder if the picture rail was the later addition and that’s why it has been cut to fit? Bit if a mystery!
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The thing that strikes me when I look at your room and the kitchen, is that it's quite a collection of different styles. I think the key thing you could do to calm it down is to pull the colours together. I mocked something up to show you what I mean. I didn't go for a mirror that reflects all the different things, but for a painting with the red of the chair, the green of the plant and curtains, the blue of the tiles. I also painted the dining chairs blue. And changed the light in the kitchen to pewter pendants. I also gave you bar stools that are less country in style. Hope it helps.
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Some really good comments above with helpful advice. Just to throw another idea into the mix. If you are worried that a mantle might be to 'traditional' for your home, there are always clever ways to put a more contemporary twist on a shaker kitchen. The picture above shows a kitchen we completed last year, that has traditional elements such as the T&G panels that we used to create a floating shelf that stretches the entire back run. This is hiding the extractor & ducting out, whilst also offering that option of using the shelf for recipe books or ornaments. The splashback was a book matched granite, again spanning the full width, giving the illusion of more space. Hope this helps/is useful in making your mind up as too which way to go. Thanks Spencer Marchand Kitchens
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Looks really well Patrina, sometimes you can think something needs changed but in reality......as far as the radiator goes, I’ve painted mine with emulsion when I want it to blend in or wipeable satin or eggshell for wood or metalwork, I’ve been using crown paint lately and I’ve been very impressed! Their trade mix scrubbable paints are very good quality and a great range of colours in their charts
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Hi Sally, for me, it just looks horrible, you should do as Jonathan suggested, remove the whole thing, reduce the bottom step to a normal depth step and keep it all open, the change will transform your room and will make you feel much more relaxed as it looks so confined. Also, if you decide to keep the glass, the door glass has to be replaced with safety glass to bring it up to current building regs. In which case I would get rid of the panel next to the door using plasterboard and achieve a seamless look, then replace the door with a full length Oak framed frosted glass door for a more modern look.
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ebony45
3 years ago
If you don’t like it, don’t keep it. I don’t know if it is original but IMO it is hideous 🙂
Cassie Worth
Original Author
3 years ago
Yes, it is hideous! I don’t think the picture rail is original-seems too chunky and not quite at the right height. I think I’ll take the over mantle down (somehow!) and find something less overwhelming. Thanks all :)
minnie101
3 years ago
You’re right, the rail does look chunky, it’s lower than the door (not right?) and also appears to overlap the architrave? The cornice looks lovely though (squinting in the mirror!)

Good luck!

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