Fireplaces make living rooms cozy and intimate, an ideal space for people to relax and have pleasant conversations. Because of how eye-catching they can be, they are often the room's focal point. Having a fireplace in the middle of the living room is logical, but how do you design it? We have gathered ideas for you.
Since the fireplace is already the focal point, it is best to make the furniture surround it. You can also mount a television directly above the fireplace or position it subtly on the side to encourage connection between guests. Make the color scheme cohesive on the couches and throw pillows for an integrated interior design.
Decorating a living room with a fireplace can be both challenging and fulfilling, especially when you start reaping the benefits of a well-thought-out design layout. You'll want to consider many aspects to make the fireplace work with the design, so keep reading below to learn more.
How To Decorate A Living Room With A Fireplace In The Middle
Fireplaces brighten up a living room regardless of whether it is working or not. They provide a grounding focal point that balances the layout, so they are either in a neutral or natural color--making them easy to decorate.
You can make your fireplace look more striking, or you can let it blend with the rest of your interior. Either way, it will add value to your home. Here are ways you can decorate a living room with a fireplace.
Read: "23 Gorgeous Modern Living Rooms With A Fireplace."
Surround With Furniture
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The key to a balanced living room is to create harmony with the permanent fixtures. Since the fireplace is already the biggest fixture in the room, you can make the furniture work around it.
Start by creating a semi-circle layout. The couches themselves don't have to be perfectly curved, just their positioning. Place two couches on the opposite sides of the fireplace, then place a long sitting bench a few inches farther from the couch. This will create balance, and the placement doesn't make the space feel too crowded.
If you have a large wall, you can surround the fireplace with shelving as well. That way, you have an accent wall and still draw attention toward 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 since the TV can look out of place with your decorations.
The best place you can put your TV when you have a fireplace is on the space perpendicular to or beside it.
Mount your TV on the corner wall, or put it inside a cabinet beside the fireplace that you can open if you need to open the TV. This subtle position will make the decorations more cohesive, and it will encourage the people sitting to connect with one another.
Keep Colors Cohesive
Balancing your interior involves being familiar with complementing colors. If you have a small space, it is best to keep your color scheme soft and bright. Take advantage of natural light and choose colors that reflect light best.
If the fireplace surround has aged, you can replace it with light marble for a more elegant feel. Incorporate warm beiges and eggshell whites on your wall decor and couches to make the place feel welcoming.
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, which can make for a great conversation piece.
This will encourage connection, which tends to be the mood fireplaces give off. 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 they will add 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 and 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 it can't clash doesn't mean the colors 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 you frame the fireplace better.
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, with the textures making 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 which you can 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 eye-catching feature of your living room. You will need to invest in decorating it because mantels could make or break the look of your living room.
Traditionally, mantel decors consist of two wall sconces on the opposite sides of the fireplace, a mirror or a large round decorative fixture, candles, and vases.
You can follow the traditional route, but you can explore other design ideas for a unique charm. For example, you can install a statement art piece above the mantel to let your visitors know about your artistic flair.
You can try incorporating foliage and flowers on the fireplace mantel for a cottagecore design, which you can structure with ceramics and old books.
Designers go by the rule of three when adding decorations to a mantel. This means 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 which can add 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
There are drawbacks that come with owning a fireplace--one of them being environmental effects. Fortunately, you can make it more eco-friendly by following a few simple rules.
- 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 an elegant and useful fixture that add value to our homes. Decorating spaces with fireplaces starts and ends with a good layout, so make sure it suits you both in form and function.
