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Decorating a mid-century fireplace – help!

pam kueber - Updated: November 11, 2020

Retro Renovation stopped publishing in 2021; these stories remain for historical information, as potential continued resources, and for archival purposes.

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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69 comments

Comments

  1. Mary St. John says

    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%5B%5D=tags&includes%5B%5D=title)

  2. nancy says

    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!

  3. Jason says

    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.

  4. Amy Hill says

    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.

  5. Martha says

    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!!

  6. weed30 says

    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

    • weed30 says

      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.

  7. jkaye says

    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:

    https://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.

  8. Maryanna says

    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.

  9. Jen says

    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!

  10. Beth says

    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).