In today’s Retro Design Dilemma, Peter asks for our ideas and advice on how to decorate the beautiful fireplace in his 1957 ranch house. He loves the variegated stone work. How should he show it off best? No mood boards or google hangouts from Kate and me today — but tomorrow, we’ll activate the uploader, so you can share your fireplace decor. We might even make some mood boards — based on your ideas. Meanwhile — what are your ideas for Peter? Read on for his question — and more photos. Oh, and P. to the S..: Another pink bathroom saved, cha-ching!
Peter writes:
Hi,
We have a 1957 ranch with a floor-to-ceiling stone fireplace with a wood mantel running the length of it above the hearth. We’ve considered things like a Jeré starburst or a mirror to go above the mantel, but we love the rust, salmon and brick red stone that makes up the fireplace so much we can’t bear to cover it up. I would love to see what some of your other readers have done with their mantels (it is after all the focal point of the living room). Wall art, vases, lamps, pictures? There must be things we can put up there other than our phone chargers…?
Thanks,
Peter
Beautiful room, Peter. Those windows are just like the ones in my house — Anderson Windowalls. I need to do a story on them sometime.
In follow up emails, Peter sent me some more photos of his house, which had just one owner before he and his wife moved in. He wrote:
… Here is a shot of the kitchen and pink bathroom with its banjoesque built in, which you can take full credit for saving. My wife wanted white subway tile until she saw your website.
Golly, I’m sure glad that this pink bathroom was saved — it’s a really beauty. That pink and black liner tile is delicious!
Kate says
I had a very similar problem and was looking for a Jere piece or another metal sculpture, but didn’t want to spend much. I hit the jackpot at HomeGoods actually, and found a mod-looking geometric wine rack. Painted it copper, hung it up and now it’s art. Something similar would definitely address your concern about not covering up too much of the brick. There are photos of mine here:
http://creeksiderambler.blogspot.com/2012/11/my-mod-fireplace-art-find.html
Janice says
What a creative, inexpensive solution! Looks great Kate!
char says
The mantel is great place to change the chotchkies around – group together like items, california pottery vases w/ flowers (I have retro philodendrons creeping down the wall), i have my grandfather’s old bowling trophies, ceramic stuff, group by color, etc etc change it around alot as it’s like an instant frame – lots of starburst clocks or a color by number or turner mirror or keene wide eyed children or maybe a mid 50 modern art abstract print or something of the era – match the colors to the slate/brick
pam kueber says
tchotchkes — correct spelling (although I have to look it up to be sure every time)! love that word!
char says
i don’t think there is really a correct spelling for tchotchkies!
Marcia says
I like the idea too of not hanging a sunburst or a mirror or painting above the mantel, but instead pick out about 7 interesting tall thin and some curvy types of vintage vases. Position the vases aling the mantel from one end to the other. This would be a way to play with color… For instance, have all white vases and only one orange vase. That would kind of play off of the orange throw blanket you have on the couch. Love the couch and the orange blanket by the way! 🙂
Marcia says
*along, not aling
Peter says
The sofa is a Nixon sofa from Thrive Home Furnishings in L.A. Unfortunately they have no show room, but you can visit their factory and the furniture is affordable and they ship all over the United States.
Leslie says
Thrive is a great company, I am a huge fan. Thanks for mentioning that you have the “Nixon” sofa. It’s perfect and although I thought it resembled the Thrive design I thought it had to be an original mid century piece.
Annie B. says
Just thinking…..if the mantel is non-negotiable, how about a trio in graduated sizes of large, black, wrought iron Scandinavian style candle holders? Or a something large and Brutalist on the left side?
Annie B. says
Or an MCM ceramic horse sculpture in orange – the Bitossi style?
Marcia says
I see hanging some sort of vintage brass looking element on the left side of the stone like a brass sunburst mirror and then on the right side I would place two tall and thin curvy vases of different heights. I think that would lend balance, keep the mantle in place and preserve the great stone work. One other idea I have is to hang some sort of vintage black metal grouping of birds in flight above the mantel and again in this case i think i’d keep the mantel but i would leave the top of it empty. Can you picture what I am talking about? I also agree with Pam that wall surrounding the windows needs color to help balance off the couch.
Marcia says
Oh my goodness, I just noticed the person above me just posted about a birds of flight piece of art work too. We must have been typing at the very same time! That is funny!
Sara says
Great minds think alike! 🙂
Sara says
I love, love, LOVE your fireplace! We had a large 40’s-era stone fireplace in the house where I grew up…not stacked stone but more random natural shaped pieces. My mom had an art piece, metal birds in flight, that hung above the mantel. If I can find a picture, I’ll put it on the uploader tomorrow. It looked really good up there and it accented the stone instead of covering it.
Joyce Mayer says
When choosing what to do with the fireplace think of the area as a fabulous place for presentation. You have two strong focal points in the room – windows and fireplace – so nothing will minimize the effect of that great stonework. Some choices of decorative pieces may trivialize that space and therefore diminish it’s presence. A wonderful original painting or original sculptural work designed for vertical display would present well and provide for years of enjoyment. Hint – ONLY put something in this space that you love because you will be dealing with it every time you walk into the room. Love your home!
JKaye says
Hi. Thanks for sharing your home with us. I love all of the windows. When I look at your room and the fireplace, I can’t help but think about those windows and wonder what lies beyond them. I am guessing your backyard is out there. Since you have no window treatments, I am assuming you enjoy looking out into the back yard. So, I would suggest that you give your fireplace some treatment that connects it to the outdoors. By that I mean, if you go a traditional route with a starburst clock, look for one that includes some wood or has some element to it that links it to the outdoors. Also, since this isn’t a really formal room, a clock in wood and brass would be less formal than one you might place in a formal living room.
I did a search on ebay and a number of really great starburst clocks made of wood and metals came up, some even with matching sconces.
I understand what others are suggesting regarding removing the mantle. I have seen fireplaces such as yours without mantles, and placing a really great looking clock or piece of sculpture above the fireplace with no mantle can be quite striking. But, if you like the mantle, by all means keep it, but, consider whether it is the right mantle. It seems a bit thin to me, and maybe what is needed is a mantle that is a couple of inches thicker. Another commenter mentioned how the mantle ties in with the bookshelves. I agree that it does, but, maybe if you had a thicker mantle with the same finish as the bookshelves, it would still tie in.
Again, if you like the outdoors, you could consider a sculptural element that stands on the left (window) side of the mantle, something tall such as a great blue heron or crane. Then a few chunky candles in the center, and something of medium height at the right side, such as a few books stacked horizontally (which ties into the bookshelves), with a little figurine on top of them, such as a frog. (Uh oh, that heron will be looking at its next meal!)
Or, if you aren’t into the outdoors, you could look around your house and take clues from other decorative elements. In the photo of your kitchen, there is a little plaque or picture of a man in between two small windows (love those windows!) and maybe he could be a jumping off point. Is he a colonial American man, or is he William Shakespeare, or an athlete of some sort? Maybe he is a reflection of something you like that could be incorporated onto the mantle. Maybe he could point your toward a certain design of candlesticks, or big sculptural chess pieces, that could be placed on the mantle along with some brass or ceramic pots of greenery.
One last thing — I like wreaths, and they can be made out of all sorts of great materials, not just pine boughs or grapevine. Perhaps you could make your own big sculptural wreath out of barbed wire, or copper tubing, or thick rope, or some other interesting material. A big wreath would form a big round frame that would allow the stone to show through.
Thanks again for sharing your home.
Peter says
Beyond the windows are views of Long Isalnd Sound that can be seen from the porch, the living room and the dining area. Because we are on a hill we look at the tops of the houses closer to the water and so we maintain some privacy. They look out their back windows at our lower level.
erinb says
Jere sounds great stylistically, but given the similar tones in it, I think it would just blend in too much. Someone earlier had a suggestion about a mantle clock – that’s a really nice idea and one that you don’t see too often these days.
Maria says
LOVE the mantle and would NOT remove it. We have a similar set-up in our 1955 old Florida house and we opted not to remove the mantle and couldn’t find any art that didn’t cover the amazing colors in the brick. We searched for the perfect mirror, but discovered we liked the frames better than the mirrors so we took out the mirror and cleaned up the frame. My husband used fishing line to string what looks like a spider web across it and viola – instant interest! We kept the mantle clear of everything except for four really tall candles.
Marta says
That’s a great idea, Maria! A large rectangular frame painted black and sitting on its short edge would be perfect. You could center a smaller clock inside it for extra interest. Love it.