Inspiration Folder: Big Mantels

(That’s my new huge mantel.)  I recently got an email from Casey, a recent Chicago transplant, asking for some advice on what to do with the massive mantel in her apartment:

I’m a huge fan of your blog – and have you to credit indirectly for so much of the great stuff I’ve found at Chicago-area estate sales and thrifts! Thanks to BackGarage, being new-ish in Chicago hasn’t meant that I’ve had to go without my regularly-scheduled thrift n’ junk fixes.

That said, no matter how much flair I’ve accumulated, nor how much I enjoy my little Logan Square apartment, one thing about this city that’s been vexing me is THE BIG MANTEL. Having lived in other cities, I’m used to the standard mantel – one that’s slightly larger than the fireplace. I get how to decorate those. But now that I’m the renter of a 9′ mantel flanked by two built-in bookcases, I find myself spending countless hours searching for pictures of GIANT MANTELS to figure out how the heck to use the space in a way that works.

First let me say — I don’t think big mantels are any different from regular-sized ones.  So this inspirational roundup contains photos of both.  Big mantels may be a bit more intimidating, but one thing you can do to make it work: tame your fear of blank space.  Don’t be afraid to leave the majority of your big mantel undecorated.

You mentioned accumulating lots of stuff, so if you hate to see the massive amount of mantel space go to waste, group like things you’ve collected (Blenko decanters, West German pottery), center them, and hang a non-invasive wall hanging above it.  Leave blank space on either side of the centered collection.

A mantel is a great space to mix visual art with objects. Just be sure to arrange your collection carefully and leave it room to breathe on either side.

Or, you can mix visual art and objects in a series of vignettes — but leave space between them, otherwise, with smaller items in an endless parade, your mantel will look junky.

But most importantly: learn to love the white space.  I think any of these mantels (some of which originally appeared on BackGarage!) would look good centered on a large mantel with 2′ of additional space on either side of them.

Whatever you do — please don’t hang a big-screen TV above it!

I’d love to hear from readers on the subject of big mantels!  Do they differ from the shorter ones?  Has anyone decorated a long mantel or seen photo examples of an aptly-decorated one?  Share your thoughts in the comments section!