Fireplaces make living rooms cozy and intimate, often becoming the room’s focal point. But how do you design around it?
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Since the fireplace is already the focal point, it’s best to make the furniture surround it. You can also mount a TV above the fireplace or place it on the side to encourage guest interaction.
Keep the color scheme cohesive with matching couches and throw pillows for a seamless look.
We’ve covered this more extensively below with even more ideas. Keep reading to get inspired and transform your living room!
How To Decorate A Living Room With A Fireplace In The Middle
Fireplaces brighten up a living room regardless of whether it works. They provide a grounding focal point that balances the layout, so they are either neutral or natural, making them easy to decorate.
You can make your fireplace stand out or blend it with the rest of your interior. Either way, it will add value to your home.
Here are ways to decorate a living room with a fireplace.
Surround With Furniture
Start with a semicircle layout—your couches don’t have to be perfectly curved, just positioned right. Place two couches on either side of the fireplace and a bench a bit farther out.
This setup keeps things balanced and cozy, not cramped. If you have a big wall, add shelves around the fireplace for an accent wall that still draws the eye to the fireplace.
Where Should You Place The Television In Living Room With A Central Fireplace?
You can go the common route and mount the television on the wall atop the mantel. However, this may be more disadvantageous since it discourages conversation.
It can also ruin the mood of your interior, as the TV may look out of place with your decorations.
A better spot is perpendicular to or beside the fireplace. Mount it on a corner wall or place it in a cabinet next to the fireplace. This keeps the decor cohesive and promotes interaction.
Keep Colors Cohesive
Balancing your interior involves being familiar with complementary colors.
If you have a small space, keep your color scheme soft and bright. Take advantage of natural light and choose colors that best reflect light.
If the fireplace surround has aged, you can replace it with light marble for a more elegant feel. To make the place feel welcoming, incorporate warm beiges and eggshell whites on your wall decor and couches.
If you want to utilize the natural stone on your fireplace, have a warm color scheme consisting of terra cotta, dusty pink, sienna, deep green, and beige.
Make A Mini Gallery
For a more sentimental flair, place your memorable pictures at the top of the mantel. This will lead the viewer’s eyes from the attention-grabbing fireplace to your pictures, making for a great conversation piece.
This will encourage connection, which is often the mood fireplaces create.
The mini gallery will also make the living room feel unique and personal—just make sure you choose frames that are cohesive with the rest of your decorations.
Invest In Warm Lighting
Fireplaces work well in warm lighting. They set a cozier atmosphere, making everyone feel relaxed and at home.
The lighting will also contribute to making the fireplace the focal point of the room and adding elegance to the living room.
If your fireplace is made with marble or quartz, backlights can give it a magical glow. If it is made with solid opaque stone, tape lighting can soften the look of your fireplace.
Have A Minimalist Interior
If you don’t want to deal with too much decor, you can still spruce up your living room fireplace by going on a contemporary route.
Opt for a simple, neutral color palette and convert the entire fireplace surround into a single-panel wall. That way, you draw the eyes from the fireplace to the interesting architecture.
Add pops of color on your throw pillows and ceramic decor to add depth and texture to your space.
Wallpaper The Walls
Highlight the fireplace by framing the surrounding wall with wallpaper. Make sure the wallpaper remains cohesive with the rest of the interior–you don’t want it to look out of place, and with it, the fireplace.
However, just because the colors can’t clash doesn’t mean they can’t have contrast.
If you have a dark color scheme, frame the fireplace with a brighter shade of wallpaper. That way, you add dimension to your living room and better frame the fireplace.
Read: “How To Decorate Walls On Either Side Of Fireplace?“
Go Rustic With Wood & Exposed Brick
Lean into the rustic appeal of fireplaces and hang a wood beam above the fireplace, which will look lovely against exposed brick.
These decors will make the space feel warmer, and the textures will make the place more visually unique.
If you don’t want the place to look too rough but still want a rustic feel, you can remodel the fireplace surround with more polished wood panels to stain any color you want.
Antique furniture will also make the space look more elegantly aged, adding to its rustic charm.
How Do You Decorate The Mantel?
Aside from the fireplace, the mantel is another focal point in your living room.
Traditional mantel decor includes sconces, a mirror or decorative piece, candles, and vases. You can stick to this or try unique ideas like a statement art piece or a cottagecore look with foliage and ceramics.
Designers follow the rule of three when adding decorations to a mantel. This rule states that you should group your decorative items in odd numbers to create a more visually balanced look.
What if the fireplace no longer works?
If you’ve recently moved into a new home with a non-working fireplace, you can utilize it to make the space feel more welcoming.
Stack With Logs
Decorative firewood can give the illusion of a functioning fireplace, adding warmth to your living room. If not logs, you can decorate it with novelty vases and pottery work.
Cover With Blooms
One of the best ways to decorate non-functioning fireplaces is to place flowers on them.
It will look as if the fireplace is bursting with blooms, brightening up your space and making the fixture look perpetually alive.
However, if none of these work for you, you can tile up the fireplace and hide the space behind an embroidered screen.
How To Have An Eco-Friendly Fireplace
Owning a fireplace has drawbacks, one of which is its environmental effects. Fortunately, following a few simple rules can make it more eco-friendly.
- Burn seasoned firewood to reduce the harmful particles released in the air.
- Use oak, birch, and hardwood for your logs. These are slow-burning, so they won’t produce as much gas as others.
- Keep your chimneys clean.
- Raise the fire a bit above the ground using a fire grate to allow air to go under the fire instead of being released outside.
In Closing
Fireplaces are elegant and useful fixtures that add value to homes.
Decorating spaces with fireplaces starts and ends with a good layout, so make sure it suits you both in form and function.
