Decorating a Fireplace Mantel
I want to thank Homeportfolio for featuring me as their San Francisco interior designer today in their article about Decorating your Mantel.
The fireplace mantel is always a centerpiece, even in San Francisco where some fireplaces don’t even work! Adding large photos or artwork on top of the mantel is a great way to balance out the “black hole” of the fireplace.
In the article below, the industrial fireplace design for this SOMA San Francisco loft has a simple, uncluttered style. The Asian sundial acts a rounded counterpoint to the hard corners of the fireplace insert, as it balances on this custom floating fireplace mantel with hidden mounting hardware. The dark patina porcelain tiles blend with the dark fireplace insert, and the items on top of the mantel are kept light in color, with just a little bit of black to complement what’s happening below the mantel.
Below is the excerpt from the featured design article:
The 18-foot ceiling height in this San Francisco home dictated keeping the mantel items fewer, but larger, for greater visual impact. The Asian sundial is the focal point. Black antler candlestick holders, with black fan coral tucked behind, complement the color in the porcelain tile fireplace surround. These elements are balanced on the right with the Chinese foo dog and a black base filled with red holly, which saves the whole composition from being too matchy-matchy.
San Francisco interior designer, Kimball Starr, is a commercial design and residential interior design firm based in the San Francisco Bay Area. Kimball works to “change lives one room at a time” through designing creative and innovative interiors across the country.