The fireplace mantel. Embellished in festive Holiday appeal. The fireplace mantle or mantelpiece is also known as a chimneypiece. Having originated in medieval times as a hood that projected over a grate capturing the smoke that emitted, the term has evolved to include the decorative framework around the fireplace and even the elaborate designs that can extend to the ceiling. The term Mantelpiece is now a broad term for the “jambs, mantel shelf, and external accessories of a fireplace”. I harken the world of centuries past in which the mantel or chimneypiece became the focal point as an ornamental and artistic feature of a room. Appreciation. A fundamental element in the history of western art, holding elements of European sculpture carved in detail in wood, marble and stone, these structures of form and function continue to endure in interior appeal. Design, proportion, and detail. Details of distinction, indeed. Although time itself and interior design changes the form, the appreciation of the fireplace and its mantel deserve a visual bedecked in holiday delight…
Consider with appreciation the distinctive beauty of the fireplace and its mantel. Although personal in style of display and the objects, trimmings, nature’s greens or decorations that may bedeck its horizontal surface, consider with appreciation the mere mantel and its offerings for visual display. A personal homage to the Holidays, for certain. In appreciation of the embellished mantel that enriches our interior spaces as an enduring focal point. It is all in the details. Timeless adornment of festive appeal, indeed…
Onward,
Kristin
PS: And for those fortunate to approach decorating in Holiday display upon your own awaiting mantel?
“Decorate with intention”
“I believe in doing the thing you feel is right. If it looks right, it is right”
-Dorothy Draper (American Interior Designer/1889-1969)
