Here is a tricky design question. Susan writes:Hi Pam,.After two years, I still cannot figure out what to put on these shelves that are built into my fireplace! They are 10.5″ wide and 5.75″ deep, and they are spaced about 11.5″ apart (vertically, from the top of one shelf to the top of the next, if that makes sense). I thought I’d pose the question to you (and possibly your readers), since I can’t be the only one struggling with this….Thanks,Susan, aka Kitty Mommy
Readers — what do you think? How can Susan decorate this space?
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I have a similar fireplace, and on each shelf I have a framed black and white photo and a vintage camera (east to find at thrift and antique stores).
To be simple, you could display photos. If you want something a little more, then perhaps you could use those shelves to display seasonal decor, such as little pots of seasonal foliage for summer and spring, or maybe you could rustle up some retro Christmas decorations or Santa statues to display there in the winter. In the fall, perhaps you could put display some little pumpkins, gourds, and Indian corn. If don’t regularly use the fireplace, it might look neat to have a small plant that drapes down over the edge of the shelf in the middle, then use the other two for displaying photos and/or seasonal decor.
Looks like you have some great storage/display places in your house, as I spy some more shelves next to the fireplace. Great retro house!
Ooooh, this would be perfect if you could find matching mod vases in three sizes. Something in solid white, perhaps? You could put the tallest one on the lowest shelf, the shortest one on the highest shelf, and the medium one in the middle.
What a great problem to have. Wonderful fireplace. I think it depends on your interests, or maybe what your area of the country is known for. Here in Lexington KY, if I had such a fireplace, I would look for something with a horse theme. Also, Pam did a post a long time ago on how horses were a decorating element back in the day:
http://retrorenovation.com/?s=50s+interiors%3A+horse+motifs
I like these brass plates on ebay that feature horses:
http://cgi.ebay.com/2-PEERAGE-BRASS-LIKE-PLATE-WALL-PLAQUES-FOX-HUNT-SCENE-/260634067743?cmd=ViewItem&pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item3caf00431f
I would put them on the two hightest shelves, and some brass candlesticks on the lowest shelf.
Lexington has a cool horse statue in its downtown area that looks a lot like this one on ebay:
http://cgi.ebay.com/BRONZE-SCULPTURE-HORSES-HORSE-RIDING-CHEBI-ADVANCE-/280531466415?cmd=ViewItem&pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item4150fa78af
I don’t know if it would be the right size, I’m just showing it as an idea. Anyway, a couple of cool sculptures like this one on two of the shelves, and then the third shelf having a vase with a similar patina, holding a vining plant hanging down over the stones, would look interesting.
So, my advice is to look for something that represents your part of the country, or some interest you have, and then look for colors that will work well with the stone — brass and wood, turquoise, and the color orange all would look good against the stone.
Any kind of retro decorative items would work wonderfully. Figurines, vases, a small plate on a stand, etc. There are some great Murano and Blenko items out there, and they come in many colors, so you should be able to find some to match your color scheme. Start on ebay to get some ideas, then go to thrift shops, garage sales, and estate sales to score some great stuff.
Here’s the current ebay search on Blenko. The crackle stuff is great:
http://pottery-glass.shop.ebay.com/i.html?_nkw=blenko&_sacat=870&_odkw=mid+century+figurine&_osacat=870&bkBtn=&_trksid=p3286.m270.l1313
And here’s Murano. There’s a fair amount of average stuff, but then there are some great pieces too.
http://pottery-glass.shop.ebay.com/i.html?_nkw=murano+-earring*+-nec*+-bead*&_sacat=870&_odkw=murano+-earring*+-nec*&_osacat=870&bkBtn=&_trksid=p3286.m270.l1313
Oops, that second link didn’t get fully ‘linked’. I used the following for the search terms, in order to exclude a bunch of jewelry:
murano -earring* -nec* -bead*
The asterisks are to account for plurals and misspellings. Put a space between the last letter of a word and the – sign that precedes the next word, but no space between the – and the word you’re excluding. Hope that made sense.
Wow, I wish I had a wall like this. I like all the ideas presented above, the three vases in different sizes, I like the seasonal decor and I like the idea of vintage photos. I think whichever option you choose will look great!!
I want to hear what Gavin has to say!
Actually, I’m thinking that brass fireplace thing needs a paint job. Don’t they make heat resistant spray paint in bronze?
And I would leave the shelves bare for a minimalist look. Letting visitors to your home make suggestions would turn that fireplace into a wonderful conversation piece.
Great suggestions so far. You are only limited by your imagination. How about some vintage bowling trophys……almost any kind of collectibles, like the camera mentioned earlier….photographs, vintage vases…Murano, etc….crystal……anything you want that will fit. Maby Google “vintage fireplaces” and see if any original pics of similar fireplaces show up to get ideas from.
I vote for the vases or maybe some ivy trailing over the shelves. I would definately use them to display special holiday items ( that changes things up & is interesting). Plus, if you do the holiday idea that means lots more shopping!
Maybe something from the animal world…something that adds some dynamism and adds some life- like these vintage porcelain bird sculptures-one on each ledge (http://www.etsy.com/listing/42895479/three-vintage-napcoware-birds-porcelain?ref=cat1_gallery_8) or if you are into owls….(http://www.etsy.com/listing/50698455/owl-family-of-3-vintage-brass-set?ref=sr_gallery_12&ga_search_query=owls+figurines&ga_search_type=category&category=vintage&ga_page=2&order=&includes=tags&includes=title)
Thanks Amy-
Actually I would call a mason and have them cut off. They seem to be the inspiration of the bricklayer (so cool, huh?).
If they were gone it would open up 1000′s of possibilities and you could move on.
I think what is there is bad design.
Good luck
Dang Gavin, you never disappoint!
I think you’re right, too.
It just crys out for simplicity.
I was thinking the exact same thing, I would have them cut flush. I think those shelves are just too small in relationship to the entire fireplace and too far apart from one another for anything that would be placed on them to make sense or relate to one another. Perhaps if they would have put them on one horizontal plane it might have been somewhat better. Gavin is right, the possibilities would be endlesss if it were one large flush space.
My grandma’s house (now actually my uncle’s house, but Grandma’s house is always Grandma’s house) has a MASSIVE stone fireplace/room divider made out of local Eastern WA basalt with shelves of a similar idea. They’ve all got taxidermed birds and other small figurines on them, but that’s just the style of their house. (Wood paneling stained dark, flagstone floors, green shag carpet, beautiful orange brocade couches, metal butterfly sculptures on the wall, octagonal coffee table, huge vases, grand piano with the bobcat skin across . . . oh yes)
And my other grandma’s house also has a similar design with rocks that butt out of the wall . . . they’ve always had models of old cars on theirs.
So it’s a standard design feature. I’d personally suggest vases or other pottery with gold accents to tie into the lovely doors. I’ve seen other late 60s houses with similar doors.
What a wonderful fireplace! I agree that the fire screen needs some attention; maybe a black finish?
The shelves are art in their own right, to me, and are beautiful bare. However, some Ben Siebel or Eva Zeisel pottery might work; also, how about some Danish Modern iron or wood pieces?
You certainly have a lovely home!
I’d stay away from plants – too predictable. I collect tall art glass bottles – all different colors. You definitely need color, so I would suggest that. And ditch the screen for a black one.
Two oranges and a shiny green apple. Seriously, have some fun. Display whatever makes you happy that day.
Let me amend my previous assesment before Pam chases me out of town:
I am sure that somewhere this fireplace design could work- on a larger wall, with larger shelves, in Frank Sinatra’s Palm Springs home, etc
That said…
The fireplace is a focal point of a room, yet unless you are placing the Hope Diamond on one of those shelves….it won’t carry enough “oomph” to make a statement.
If you do not fill your house with the rock-dust that goes along with cutting them off; I would build a plain plywood shelf- matching the bookcase that could be slide over that bottom shelf-extending the width of the fireplace. The mason seems to have centered it with similar stones on the left and right.. Make this mantle “float” just as the bricks do now….hard to explain, but a sort of blonde wood shoebox….five feet long x six inches deep x 4 inches wide….slipped over that bottom brick horizontally.
You would be replicating the rock sill of the bed of the fireplace in wood. Got it?
On the left of this new mantle I would place a tall piece, (at least a foot and a half), and continue with 2 other related pieces on the other shelves…the smallest at the top.
This will create a box shape and give you a base to make an impact and set a tone.
Look at the picture from the base of the fireplace to the first shelf and you will see what I mean.
Good Luck.
…and sorry folks, I don’t mind the firedoors at all.
The idea of the cameras is great
http://www.flickr.com/photos/xtombx/2925847380/
but also, how about some cactus in little terracota ( or avocado green, yum!) planters
http://www.flickr.com/photos/java1888/4125599368/
or if you could find little lamps like these
http://www.flickr.com/photos/26161216@N07/3181875348/
I’ll send a framed picture of me! Put that on one of them! LOL
I have the same bricks jutting out on my basement fireplace. It is actually pretty common (at least in my area). Right now it is behind a bunch of stuff because we are renovating but they used to have a midcentury reproduction clock and some pictures on them. Not too imaginative but thanks to this post I have some more ideas once the reno is done!
I have them too, except mine have niches built into the brick behind them, and they aren’t staggered the same way (mine are more in a “V” configuration)…I’ve had a hard time using them in part because they are high enough that anything on them is not at eye level. The top one is only about 18″ from the ceiling. I like the idea of clocks, graphic vases, cameras. Right now I have a shadowbox on each shelf (insect collection). During the holidays we hang stockings from them, which is when they seem the most useful.
I think it depends on what else you have going on in the room. I see this kind of fireplace and see the possibilities for (among other things) a tiki wall, or an Asian art gallery, or even a retro cowboy thing. I think the key here is do not be afraid of the open space, nor assume it must remain open, just because there is not a shelf there, does not mean something bold cannot take up the space on the upper left or lower right. A wagon wheel, Hopalong Cassidy movie poster, or even a stuffed deer for Western, a large brass geometric disk or driftwood for Asian, or a big wooden mask or shield for a tiki look. My point is that it is very much in line with mid century design to place a focal point off center, I think the shelves are meant to be more like back-up singers, not the star attraction.
I think also if you are in want for a more traditional arrangement, you could call in a stone mason to install a wood or stone traditional full-length mantle just over the firebox. This could increase your design options and will change the context and dynamics of the smaller shelves in how they can be used.
As far as the fire screen, it is appropriate and period correct, but that does not mean it best highlights the features of the fireplace or the overall space. Again, you have to consider what else is in the room. Something simple, sleek and monochromatic I think, or perhaps none at all even.
For something a little less “theme-like”, and a traditional real life look, you might mix and match with some artsy California pottery on the top shelf, and some vintage 3M “bookshelf” (check ‘em out on e-bay, they’re pretty cool) boxed board games on the bottom, and a collection of some kind on the middle.
Depending on how crazy you want to go, I think the whole fireplace would look more anchored if the tile were eliminated on the floor just in front (with the floating hearth and glass doors, it’s not really necessary as far as fire safety is concerned). I might consider some additional stone work done to “wrap” the fireplace around the wall it is jutting out from, it would be an investment and require a skilled mason to make it look right, but I think it would make the whole fireplace appear more substantial, like the house was build around it.
If you do think about adding a mantle… beyond doing one in matching stone, think of the cool retro effects of one in brushed stainless steel, or a rugged used wood beam, or a raw edge (still has bark) exotic wood plank, or even frosted glass.
Great fireplace! My grandparents had a very similar fireplace and shelves in their house. To decorate for Christmas, my grandma had a Santa, sleigh, and reindeer from the 1950′s that she put out every year. Santa and the sleigh went on the lowest shelf and the reindeer filled out the higher shelves, just like they were prancing along.
For everyday, I think a collection of retro vases/glass/etc would look nice! Sizes and shapes could vary, but unify the collection by staying with one color, maybe bright teal, orange, or simply, white!
I love vintage Christmas Decorations! That’s a great idea your grandparents had!
JR-
My first thought was one of those pierced Haitian Oil Drum sculptures.
Good call!
We have similiar shelves on our fireplace. My wife placed a variety of objects including a rooster, a symbol of luck and propsperity, left for us by the original owner of our 1958 California style bungalow.
We have a very similar set up, but with 2 shelves. We chose 2 vases in different shapes, but are the same color (stratford blue, to match an adjacent wall). I say go for a color so it can pop against the natural stone. Good Luck!
The arrangement of those little ledges is so odd (and high) that I wonder if they were built for a specific collection of art objects. I’m picturing figurines of cats that are preparing to jump from one level to another. The shelves are crying for something in motion (implied).
I would find 3 related objets/tchotchkes that are of that proportion. Something quirky would be best, since the space is small. Something that relates to and is of import to the owner— the worlds best conversation starter once in place.
I have a fireplace with a very similar set up. I also have 3 shelves like yours except one of them (the top right one) is half the width of the other two?? I too am wondering what to put on these shelves. I was thinking maybe some art glass bottles.
I would hang something from the bottom of the shelves as well as set items on top.
Maybe hang something from the top two – and then set some thing on top of the top two….so the middle one is the only one with some thing on the top and bottom.
A small collection of pottery – such as Bitossi from Italy.
Oh, and pull that brass fireplace screen – It needs to go!
To those who mentioned that the shelves were custom: These types of shelves were very common in the 50′s, and not added or created for specific items. In the process of finding a new home, every classic mid century house with a stone fireplace that I looked at had them. I wish that the house I’m buying did! I plan to retro-vate the fireplace I do have, and include these type of shelves in the design
I agree with Mike Goble @ 5:31pm — I think related items (either by theme, color, or shape) seems key. Some ideas off the top of my head…. (and I do not claim that any of these ideas are classy/chic ……… remember, this blog celebrates middle-and-sometimes-tacky Americans through the years!!
)
1) African wooden animals
2) Toy letter or printers blocks that spell words
3) Word boards, i.e., “love/faith/hope” (not my style, but others seem to like)
4) Favorite books, face-forward (maybe old books with crumbling covers?)
5) Vintage dollhouse/miniature fireplaces
6) Tiny, tall vases with dried reeds/silk flowers
7) A mug full of pencils/paintbrushes/colored pencils/hobby-items
good luck!
Sometime I think it gets celebated a bit too much…in place of design purity and good taste. Beautiful interiors from previous decades will always beautiful. Bad is bad forever.
And before anyone chimes in with “who decides?” the answer is TIME..
Read this quickly-it won’t appear too long.
Duh!!!
If your into kitsch- Why not those “3 Ducks in Filght” wood and brass sculptures mounted on the face of those shelves?
You could use those removble adhesive hangers.
I’m thinking of some vintage carved ebony statues from Ethiopia or Africa…might look very cool and are often found at real bargain-basement prices in the thrifts.
The black would be a nice contrast with the stone and subtly offset the firescreen.
Dave
Cobalt blue blown glass vases/sculptures ~ mid century Danish…
I confess, I was thinking I would just cut them off and hope nobody remembered they were there, but I thought I’d get shot if I posted that. And then Gavin came along and said the same thing. Heh.
Another vote for the art glass items, vases, pots, figures. It was so collectible around then, and came in all different shapes. I think I would go tall and slender on the bottom shelf, gradually going shorter and wider on the upper shelves. Turquoise, green, orange, clear… Or you could go with the corresponding ceramic pieces in the same color schemes. Blenko on the bottom, clear next and then ceramic on top, or any mix.
I have a green Blenko wine carafe with a frosted clear glass stopper that would look stunning on that bottom shelf if you could find some little demi-glasses to go with it. My mother collected the green art glass in the late 50s. We also have a turquoise glass Guadeloupe decanter. If I had those shelves, that’s what I would put on them.
PS, my 1964 era fireplace is built into a huge fieldstone wall, and is just beautiful, but has no shelves or mantel. I currently have some flying geese hanging from the rocks to look like they are landing, but I recently acquired two lovely art pieces that I want to show off on the fireplace somehow. Those shelves have given me an idea!
I agree with the art glass! Bright blue, avacado, or orange depending on your color scheme; or something along the lines of California Pottery vases all the same color and simiiar in style..and in the space above the left shelf~a starburst clock!
Mid-mod colored decorative glass items. Blenko, Pilgrim glass, Westmoreland, Fenton, Kanahwa jsut some of the companies who had made decorative pieces. My Mom had a fireplace very similar to that in our born in 1963 ranch and that is what she decorated her mantle shelves and bay window with. Here is an example of a Blenko piece on ebay: http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=350370687354&rvr_id=&crlp=1_263602_263622&UA=WVF%3F&GUID=ea5688e61270a0b58b27f087ffe7101c&itemid=350370687354&ff4=263602_263622
I love this fireplace and I envy you! Okay – I am somewhat of a purist and MCM design snob. I live not far from Cranbrook – the design college so many MCM icons hail from. Unfortunately – I’m a poor snob – no cool fireplace – but I can dream!
I am actually planning to frame some fabric pieces that are designed by some of the greats and hang them in a triptych in my MCM townhouse stairwell. http://www.jandofabrics.com/categories.asp?id=20 Your fireplace would be exactly the perfect place to do such a cool set. Again…I really envy your classic MCM fireplace! ~C.
How about those clusters of grapes made out of colored resin and stuck to pieces of driftwood?
Those, and a couple of the tall orange glass vases and the flying ducks, you would be set!
Susan, please let us see what you come up with. I’ve got my fingers crossed you won’t cut them off. I absolutely adore them (sorry, Gavin!). They just scream “mid century.” I’m a pottery fanatic, so I can imagine what fun I’d have finding the right pieces to fill the shelves.
The insert, OTOH, may be period appropriate, but I don’t love it. Is it a replacement? It looks slightly too small for the opening–or maybe those aren’t shadows and the brick just needs a good cleaning? Have fun with this. I wish I had such a decorating dilemma!
First off, thank you for the suggestions…of what to put on the shelves! They are staying, btw (removing them was never an option). Gavin, this style of fireplace and these kind of shelves were very popular in midcentury ranches in the Mid West. When we were looking at houses, I saw fireplaces like this in every midcentury ranch we saw. The shelves are concrete, btw, so sawing them off would look horrible, because they’re not made of the same material as the rest of the fireplace.
As far as the fireplace doors go, I would suspect that they are original because virtually nothing in this house has been updated (except when absolutely necessary, like the refrigerator). They do fit, but there is some soot that has discolored the stones above the opening. On a side note, what would you clean them with? I’ve put it off because I didn’t know what was safe to use.
Thanks again and, if you have any other suggestions, please let me know! I will send an “after” photo to see what you all think…
Susan, aka Kitty Mommy
Susan,
We have a similiar fireplace that has one high shelf, and I’ve struggled with the same “size” of object question. Since we have a bit of an asian theme in our house, I found a great saki set, and it fit perfect up there. Many are suggesting pottery, which this kind of fits into. It is fun to switch it out when something new grabs my attention. Have fun with it!
Those firedoors became very popular in the early 70′s during the first Oil Crisis. They were popular because you could close the doors of the fireplace at bedtime- without all your homes’ heat going up the chimney overnight. They are still popular and MUCH more expensive than a simple screen.
The original owners next door to me had a very similar fireplace, though wider and with five or six shelves. (Current owners have ruined the house, so the original rock & shelves are probably gone now.) On each shelf they had displayed a different piece of ’50s Royal Haegar pottery, all in white. It looked great — not too highbrow, not too kitschy, and period perfect.
Me, I’d go the natural history museum route and display things like fossils, mineral specimens, cypress knees, agates, geodes etc. That stuff never goes out of style.
A designer’s viewpoint: Whatever you put on there, remember that scale and color are important. The fireplace is heavy, blocky stone in a neutral color. So the items you place there should have a strong presence of their own and should prferably contrast somehow with the background. I would avoid anything with a lot of pattern because that might contrast with the wonderful texture of the stone. Something that plays against it is best – I liked someone’e suggestion of retro vases.
Jonathan Adler’s Menagerie pottery would look great up there.
http://www.jonathanadler.com/menagerie/
I saw a wall sculpture on Etsy (http://www.etsy.com/listing/18041021/sexton-wall-hanging) and it struck me that it could be an unusual and eye-catching idea to hang something over each mini-mantle rather than doing the obvious. Or, using the mantle to carry a theme through, place shells on the mantle beneath a large hanging shell, polished stones beneath a photo of beach stones, a nativity scene beneath a crucifix – the possibilities are, of course, endless.
You know those vintage wall hanging sets of three brass flying ducks or seagulls ? They’re readily available on ebay (search term Syroco). I’d mount one bird one the front face of each shelf. To make it really hip, I’d try to find a way to put a small light behind each one. I think that would look amazing!
Here’s a ebay link to a nice set of brass flying birds:
Oops…. even my computer skills are mid-century.
Not sure how to include a link, but you can cut and paste this:
http://cgi.ebay.com/Vintage-Brass-Metal-Art-Wall-Jere-Era-Seagull-Bird-Duck-/380248671532?cmd=ViewItem&pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item588896452c