Your fireplace is a wonderful things, and it’s far more than just something that keeps your living room (or even entire house) nice and warm (although that’s definitely part of why you’ll love it) – it’s the heart of your room, and whether it’s actually being used or it’s just there for decoration during the summer, it’s easy to ensure your fireplace is the real focal point of your room. If you want to know how to make it stand out in the right way, just keep reading for some useful tips. 

Start With A Clean Slate

Before you start decorating or adding new elements to your fireplace, it’s best to make sure it’s in good working order, and if it’s been a while since it was cleaned or inspected, why not hire professionals like the ones at https://www.jcs-homeservices.com/fireplace-repair-northern-va/ to check it all over and make repairs if there are any problems. That doesn’t just keep your fireplace safe, but it also means it’s going to work properly when you need it, and that’s always a positive thing. 

Plus, a well-maintained fireplace just looks more attractive; cracked bricks, worn-out grates, or dirty glass doors can be distracting and make it look less lovely, so fixing these issues is a must, and really should be the first thing to tick off your fireplace to-do list. 

Have A Beautiful Mantel

A fireplace mantel is like a frame for your fire, and it helps to focus people’s attention, plus you can ensure it fits with the style of the room and looks great. So if your fireplace doesn’t already have a mantel or the one you do have has seen better days, why not add one? Just make sure it’s one that complements the rest of your decor, otherwise you’ll find your fireplace definitely stands out, but for all the wrong reasons. 

Once the mantel is in place, you should personalise it as much as you can – but don’t clutter it up or it’ll look messy. Add some family photos, candles, lovely ornaments, children’s pictures, and so on; basically anything you want people to specifically look at should go above the fire because that’s where the eye is going to be drawn. 

Make Sure There’s Good Seating

Your fireplace needs to look great and work well, as we’ve seen, but if you don’t have good seating around it, no one’s really going to be able to make all that much use of it, and all your hard work and decorating will go to waste (not to mention the fuel you’re burning). That’s why you need to think about the rest of the room and ensure there’s enough comfortable seating around the fire area so people can really enjoy it. 

The best thing to do is position the seating so it’s facing the fireplace, which is going to instantly make it the centre of attention (and it means the TV is no longer the focal point as is often the case in modern living rooms, so it’s a nice change). And to make the seating even better, why not layer it with throws, blankets, and cushions so it’s really warm and inviting – they’re just small touches, but they’ll help make the space so comfortable people won’t be able to help but enjoy the fire.