Fireplaces are exceptional focal points in winter, though they can look just as inviting in any season. The layout of a room can often create a conundrum, as far as how to arrange furniture in a way that makes sense with the location of the fireplace. There are many different ways to achieve the goal, and the design you choose simply needs to be one that suits your particular taste.
Start with the fireplace
It only stands to reason that your fireplace should first be worthy of being a focal point, before you design a room around it. The architectural design doesn’t have to be stunning to make it work. Even a minimalistic fireplace with a bare, mantel-free design should at least be clean and tidy. A mantel is always an important component of a fireplace, since it can and should be decorated in a way that helps to draw the eye to your room’s key feature. The following are tips for decorating the mantel in each of the four seasons:
· In springtime, bring the feel of the season to your room by placing items on the mantel that evoke the budding of new life. White ceramic pitchers with bright green foliage and additional eye-catching pieces with the same color scheme are ideal.
· In summer, choose a cool color as an accent in a few places throughout the room. Then highlight that color with a bright shade in a sunny painting over the sparsely decorated mantel.
· For autumn, place an assortment of colorful gourds and pumpkins across the mantel, along with some greenery and small rustic framed images of the season.
· The obvious winter look includes Christmas stockings and garland, but there are countless options for making your fireplace stand out beautifully. Winter white is a popular choice for a fireplace color scheme, with or without hints of the holidays.
Arranging furniture around the fireplace
To design the room around your spotlight-ready fireplace, it’s a good idea to remove everything and begin from scratch. You may decide to use furnishings from other rooms to create the desired effect. Technology can come to the rescue, if it’s too difficult to clear the room. You could use a room planner app to look at different arrangements for the furniture. Even though the idea is to arrange the room around the fireplace, you may also have an additional focal point, such as a large flat-screen television. Here are a few ideas for room designing around a fireplace:
· If there is limited wall space and you want the fireplace and television both in focus, the best plan may be to install the television over the fireplace mantel. This can look fitting if you include lively accent colors throughout the room, to balance the stark look of the fireplace-TV combination.
· If you have a corner fireplace, create a floating section away from the walls, with a rectangular rug setting the stage. Place the couch facing the fireplace and a coffee table in the center with arm chairs on each end.
· Sometimes when there is a corner fireplace in a narrow space, the best design involves creating one seating area cozied up by the fireplace and the main seating in the wider part of the room. With this arrangement, the fireplace could still be the primary feature from anywhere in the room.
Choosing a new fireplace
If your starting place is to buy a fireplace, turn to the experts at family-owned FyrePro for the best in personalized service. For more than 30 years, the Reynolds Family has been providing hearth products such as fireplaces to Ft. Collins CO and the entire surrounding area. We have many fireplace styles that you can choose from, including many that will fit beautifully with your décor.