Unlike the fireplace mantels of old, modern mantel designs are created to blend in with their surroundings. While the goal during the Renaissance period was to create the most elaborate and decorative fireplace mantels you could, on the grandest scale possible, the look that is aimed for today is sleek and sophisticated. Modern fireplace mantels offer the traditional function blended with modern style.
Fireplace Mantels Throughout History
The fireplace mantel began as a simple hood covering a fire grate that was attached to a chimney stack. The hood allowed smoke to be funneled up the chimney instead of passing into the home. As the fireplace itself began to grown in popularity, the upper class demanded more than just a simple hood to rest above their fireplaces. Instead, rooms of the wealthy were designed around the fireplace. Mantels were elaborate and exquisitely detailed, often stretching the entire length of a room and reaching to the ceiling. They were more works of art than a simple functional component of the fireplace itself. Even as the styles and cultures hanged over the years, fireplace mantels remained things of true beauty, even as they decreased significantly in size. In fact, the more compact the fireplace mantel became, the more detail work seemed to be woven into it. Sculptors and wood carvers were known for their hand crafted pieces and were in demand throughout history. Each mantel was a masterpiece and many of them still remain today, obtained and restored by antique collectors around the globe.
The Modern Mantel Piece
Today, fireplace mantels are still beautiful, just in a completely different manner. The mantel piece, as well as the fireplace it surrounds, are almost designed to become an integrated part of the room itself. They are created form fine marble and other stone, and bear smooth lines and clean surfaces. Sharp angles are preferred over flowing curves, and hard stone is a favorite over carved wood. Vintage inspired and rustic mantels are still in demand, but the largest consumer demand is for a mantel that creates a sense of true form and preciseness of design.
Even though modern fireplace mantels are not necessarily created to be a focal point of a room, they can still be a major topic of conversation and appreciation amongst anyone with a taste for finer details.
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