The fireplace no longer really needed a place in homes anymore but it remained: this could have been partly a sentimental attachment to the fire, or because people were so fond of their mantelpieces as the decorative centre of the room.

The television replaced the fireplace as the focal point of the British living room. Many new TV sets were quite deep, so people instinctively started displaying their ornaments on top. Later, TV display units encouraged this practice. This article possibly contains original research. Please improve it by verifying the claims made and adding inline citations. Statements consisting only of original research should be removed. ( October 2017) ( Learn how and when to remove this template message)

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The fireplace mantel or mantelpiece, also known as a chimneypiece, originated in medieval times as a hood that projected over a fire grate to catch the smoke. The term has evolved to include the decorative framework around the fireplace, and can include elaborate designs extending to the ceiling. Mantelpiece is now the general term for the jambs, mantel shelf, and external accessories of a fireplace. For many centuries, the chimneypiece was the most ornamental and most artistic feature of a room, but as fireplaces have become smaller, and modern methods of heating have been introduced, its artistic as well as its practical significance has lessened. [1] Where the fireplace continues up the wall with an elaborate construction, as in historic grand buildings, this is known as an overmantel. [2] Mirrors and paintings designed to be hung above a mantel shelf may be called "mantel mirror", "mantel painting" and so on.

Mantels or fireplace mantels can be the focus of custom interior decoration. A mantel traditionally offers a unique opportunity for the architect/designer to create a personal statement unique to the room they are creating. Historically the mantel defines the architectural style of the interior decor, whether it be traditional i.e. Classic, Renaissance, Italian, French, American, Victorian, Gothic etc. The absence of mantelpieces in post-war British homes leaves a big question mark in the room: the top of the telly and the ornamental shelf step into the breach because we still crave that single, defining horizontal display space.Here, a harmonious – and playful – living room fireplace has been created using the colors on the coffee table as the center point, pulling tones out to feature within the floral arrangement on the mantelpiece and art above. How do I decorate my mantel? Up until the 20th century and the invention of mechanized contained heating systems, rooms were heated by an open or central fire. A modern fireplace usually serves as an element to enhance the grandeur of an interior space rather than as a heat source. Today, fireplaces of varying quality, materials and style are available worldwide. The fireplace mantels of today often incorporate the architecture of two or more periods or cultures. Up to the twelfth century, fires were simply made in the middle of a home by a hypocaust, or with braziers, or by fires on the hearth with smoke vented out through the lantern in the roof. [1] As time went on, the placement of fireplaces moved to the wall, incorporating chimneys to vent the smoke. This permitted the design of a very elaborate, rich, architectural focal point for a grand room.

Fireplace mantel of a marble slab atop decorative stonework, at Arlington House Parisian chimneypiece, circa 1775-1785, Carrara marble with gilt bronze, height: 111.4 cm (43¾"), width: 169.5 cm (66¾"), depth: 41.9 cm (16½"), Metropolitan Museum of Art (New York City) The choice of material for the mantel includes such rich materials as marble, limestone, granite, or fine woods. Certainly the most luxurious of materials is marble. In the past only the finest of rare colored and white marbles were used. Today many of those fine materials are no longer available, however many other beautiful materials can be found worldwide. The defining element of a great mantel is the design and workmanship. Please refer to imperial sizes (inches and feet) for accurate lengths and cross-sections. Metric dimensions provide an approximate translation. Though the technology for central heating in modern times had existed since the 1800s, it didn't become widespread until well into the 1970s. See our image gallery for a representation of how the different coloured oils will look on your oak beam. Please bear in mind that the grain and colour of each piece of wood is different so this is a rough guide only.

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The history of carved mantels is a fundamental element in the history of western art. Every element of European sculpture can be seen on great mantels. Many of the historically noted sculptors of the past i.e. Augustus St. Gaudens designed and carved magnificent mantels, some of which can be found on display in the world's great museums. Exactly as the facade of a building is distinguished by its design, proportion, and detail so it is with fine mantels. The attention to carved detail is what defines a great mantel. In the early Renaissance style, the chimneypiece of the Palais de Justice at Bruges is a magnificent example; the upper portion, carved in oak, extends the whole width of the room, with nearly life-size statues of Charles V and others of the royal family of Spain. The most prolific modern designer of chimneypieces was G. B. Piranesi, who in 1765 published a large series, on which at a later date the Empire style in France was based. In France, the finest work of the early Renaissance period is to be found in the chimneypieces, which are of infinite variety of design. [1] The English chimneypieces of the early seventeenth century, when the purer Italian style was introduced by Inigo Jones, were extremely simple in design, sometimes consisting only of the ordinary mantel piece, with classic architraves and shelf, the upper part of the chimney breast being paneled like the rest of the room. In the latter part of the century the classic architrave was abandoned in favor of a much bolder and more effective molding, as in the chimneypieces at Hampton Court, and the shelf was omitted. [1] Styles [ edit ] Neoclassical design of a chimneypiece with Ionic columns, and a frieze with cornice, from 1745-1796, pen and brown ink, brush and gray wash over graphite, in the Metropolitan Museum of Art (New York City) The author is, of course, quite brilliant on the Tudors and the various iterations of Henry VIII, from strapping young prince (“Hooray Henry”), through pious apostate (“Holy Henry”) to tyrannical Bluebeard (“Horrid Henry”). But she also argues persuasively that the ageing and increasingly irascible king fits the picture for McLeod syndrome, the symptoms of which include progressive muscular weakness in the lower body, depression, paranoia, and an erosion of personality – which would make the tragedy of his reign “not a moral but a biological tragedy, inscribed on the body”. In his later years Henry suffered from osteomyelitis, an infection in the bone of the leg. ‘Historians,’ says Mantel writes, ‘and, I’m afraid, doctors, underestimate what chronic pain can do to sour the temper and wear away both the personality and the intellect.’

Please ensure that your beam is taken out of its wrapping immediately after receiving the delivery to allow it to breathe and adjust. We do not pre-drill beams as customers will need to ensure that fixings are secured to the wall are in the correct place. A carefully-curated color scheme (even if you’re using neutrals) should be the first thing to consider when you are looking for mantel decor ideas. In the eighteenth century, the architects returned to the Inigo Jones classic type, but influenced by the French work of Louis XIV. and XV. Figure sculpture, generally represented by graceful figures on each side, which assisted to carry the shelf, was introduced, and the over-mantel developed into an elaborate frame for the family portrait over the chimneypiece. Towards the close of the eighteenth century the designs of the Adam Brothers superseded all others, and a century later they came again into fashion. The Adam mantels are in wood enriched with ornament, cast in molds, sometimes copied from the carved wood decoration of old times. [1]

Our solid oak beam range of fireplaces and mantelpieces have each been handworked and are available air-dried in a variety of sizes and finishes. All of our oak is PEFC certified, meaning that it is sustainably sourced, and the forest management is environmentally appropriate, economically viable and socially beneficial management for present and future generations.