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!
Janice says
I think I’m going to take a picture of every room in my house and solicit suggestions. After following this string all day, I’m starting to second guess every decoratign decision I’ve made. We have some true interior designers amongst us!
Joan Defenbaugh says
I love the four black squares and would love to see something else black on the stone as an accent (some kind of light weight looking sculpture). I agree with others about the couch placement – turn it to face the fireplace.
I also like the idea of either removing the smallish shelf. Love the stone. Celebrate the stone – and the black accents in the stone 🙂
Diane in CO says
No clock, no family framed pictures (put these in the bookcase or on an occasional table), and definitely no wreath!
I wish Peter could remove EVERYTHING from the mantel and post a photo of the unadorned fireplace.
Bookcase: try removing the “heavy” from the top shelves, and place just a few decorative pottery or glass pieces on the top with the heavier books only on bottom 2/3rd’s. On top shelf just one piece in the center would be quite enough. Peter you must be going crazy with all these suggestions!
Tom says
Beautiful house! So great that it is so un-“remuddled”.
I agree that the bookcase needs “lightening up”. It looks somewhat off balance compared to the relatively unadorned window on the other side of the fireplace. I strongly suggest not having anything on the very top; stuff up there breaks up the continuity with the open line running above the windows. Suggestions above for moving furniture around are worth a try as well. As for all the folks suggesting ditching the little mantle, that might be easier said than done. How is it attached? What would have to be patched if it were gone? My inclination would be to leave it if it has always been there.
Jacki Anderson says
I would not cover up the stone. If you want to keep the mantle, I would put a tall, bold color vase (an amber color or a metallic gold if you to pick up on the colors of the stone, OR go for a really vibrant accent color like turquoise or orange like the blanket throw?) on one side of the mantle, and then something across the rest of the mantle like a really interesting branch or piece of driftwood. If you don’t like the branch idea, what about a low flat interesting-looking box to hold fireplace matches or something? Set it beside the vase and keep the rest of the mantel clean. I wouldn’t do the family pictures thing – it would detract from the stone and the photos. – I know some suggested taking the mantle down but then I think it would be too flat (no interest at the actual fireplace opening either) so I’d keep the mantle on.
Rebecca Kalinowski says
I would totally remove the mantel/shelf. It breaks up that gorgeous wall of stone and takes away from it. I would consider making the fireplace wall of stone itself the focal point by installing a couple of coved or cannister ceiling lights that shine subdued downlight on it. If you still feel like you need something up there I would keep it very simple, such as a monochromatic 50s metal artpiece.(Something organic like a tree branch.) But I would not ever put framed art or mirrors on that wall.Ever.Good luck! I love that wall of stone!
oh Holland says
Lusting after that fireplace … I’d remove the shelf-mantel altogether to clear its view. No need for the mantel (which looks a bit puny and tacked on) with all those shelves to one side.
Consider carefully a Jere style wall sculpture — it and the fireplace may both be diminished by such adornment. Please forget any thoughts of starburst mirrors or clocks in its vicinity — they are too commonplace.
Scott says
As it appears you are more or less color-keying the room to the fireplace, how about bringing in more of that same color family except with a sparkly element, perhaps a very edited collection of Blenko Bottles in those same rich, earthy tones accented with some beautiful ambers and oranges.
An informally balanced arrangement might be quite nice, with a few larger bottles on one side, and a bigger grouping of smaller bottles on the opposite end. You could even play off the fireplace idea by incorporating bottles with “flame” stoppers.
Scott says
PS A friend of mine has a very edited bottle collection (various makers) all in the exact same shade of orange. It’s quite spectacular and something like that would also add a pop of color to your fireplace without straying too far away from your current color scheme.
Gracie says
My grandmother’s home in the country was completely made out of Alabama sandstone that looked like your fireplace… she had a frameless mirror over her fireplace, with really cool pieces of driftwood and cypress knees… I remember it looking fabulous… especially at Christmas when she added little elf figurines amongst it!
Mike says
Don’t put up something that will compete with the beautiful stone of that fireplace. Just put a few framed pictures of family on the mantle.
Passerby says
Agreed. The stone itself is beautiful!
My grandmother kept a few prized photos on the mantle of her fireplace which was somewhat similar to yours. She also had a tall, rectangular mantle clock with a pendulum sitting there that helped to balance the look. Sometimes she had pottery pieces on it as well. Another thing she had that I loved was a gorgeous, mid-century modern copper fireplace set and screen that gave some balance on the bottom half.
tony says
Right now your sofa and coffee table are making the windows the focal point and hiding the fireplace. Move the sofa and table to float in the room and face the fireplace. If you can remove the mantle do so and leave the stone wall blank making it the focal point of the room. If you can put 3 reostat controlled pin lights in the ceiling as close to the fireplace as possible to give light and shadow on the textured stone fireplace wall. Move the leather chair and ottoman where the Danish modern chair is to give some weight infront of the windows. Move the Danish chair infront of the book case. Get ride of all the little plants and table in the window corner and get a tall statement plant (fig tree)for the corner infront of the windows to blend the indoors with the outside or hand 3 good size hanging plants (spider plants) one below the other from the corner ceiling to again give transition from the inside to the outside.
Sandra says
I totally agree about lighting the fireplace stone, but was going to suggest a Solatube in the ceiling. They bring in lots of great light, and the round circle is a modern “atomic” shape. The same size starburst mirror or clock could be used to echo the lens of the Solabtube.
I’ve thought about putting “atomic” rays coming out from one on the cieling, but maybe that’s too much. You could certainly have a couple of them in a living room.
If they had been invented in the 50’s, you know they would have been used. I added one to each of my mid-century bathrooms over the sink. You can’t beat the light.
Danny says
I love the idea of floating the sofa in the middle of the room facing the fireplace!