How To Stage Your Fireplace Properly

Besides providing warmth and a cozy place to gather, your fireplace beautifies and adds value to your home. In most homes, the fireplace and mantel is the natural focal point, but we look at a few techniques to properly stage your fireplace to make it the star of your home, whether you want to impress guests or potential home buyers.

What is Fireplace Staging & Why You Should Consider it

Staging a mantle or fireplace means arranging the elements in the room, so they naturally guide the eye towards your fireplace.

There are many good reasons to stage your fireplace, including adding beauty to your living room and raising the perceived value if you’re in the market to sell.

According to research conducted by the National Association of Realtors, having a fireplace can boost your home’s value by as much as 12%.

Many home buyers prefer homes with a fireplace, not so much for the heat they provide, but because it serves as decoration, a place to gather and create memories, and gives homes an old-time charm.

How to Stage Your Fireplace

Before we get into moving furniture and painting, the first thing to do to create a visually appealing fireplace is to clean it thoroughly. A clean fireplace that looks well-cared for looks more attractive to guests and people looking to buy a home, and it improves the room look, too. Clean out the ashes, remove the soot from the brickwork, clean the floor in front of the fireplace, and declutter the entire area around it for a tack sharp appearance.

Create a Focal Point With Furniture

As mentioned, the fireplace is a natural focal point for the room that it’s in, but there are many ways to accentuate it even more, like arranging furniture. One tip that makes your fireplace stand out more is to arrange a large piece of furniture (like the bed or sofa) across and perpendicular to the fireplace. Once done, arrange your smaller pieces like end tables equally around to give the room balance.

Add Lighting

Now that your fireplace looks like new, it’s time to add elements to the room to draw the eye to it better, and one of the best ways to do that is to install lighting if your fireplace has scones surrounding it. Depending on whether your fireplace is modern or vintage, you can find simple lighting systems to complement the style. If your fireplace lacks scones, but you have overhead canned or track lighting, consider directing a spotlight to direct the eye right at the fireplace. Finally, if you don’t have either of these options, you can still create beautiful lighting effects by using lamps on tables or on the mantle.

Add Color To Your Mantel

Color plays a crucial role in our lives to direct our eyes to things we need to see, like red stop signs or orange packages on store shelves.

The same principle applies to your fireplace too. By adding color to your mantel and hearth, you can capture someone’s attention more quickly. For example, if you have a neutral interior color palette and add a dash of red to the mantle, the eye will naturally flow towards it. Good ideas for adding color include putting up a piece of art, placing bright pillows, flowers, or knick-knacks or accessories on the mantel.

One thing to avoid, however, is mirrors. Putting up a mirror forces the person to see their reflection rather than your beautiful fireplace. Add Details If you’re not in “fireplace season” and your fireplace is dormant, it’s a good idea to add details to the firebox like logs to give the impression that your fireplace is ready for use. This completes the picture and makes it more attractive if you have company over for a get together or potential home buyers.

About Fire N’ Stone

If you want your fireplace to stand out among your neighbors, Fire N’ Stone is a full-service fireplace and custom stone company. Our experts can help you give your fireplace that extra pop to make it uniquely yours. And, to keep your fireplace running efficiently and safely, our expert technicians will clean and inspect your entire system top to bottom, so you can rest easy knowing that when you build a fire, your family, and home are safe. For more tips on fireplace staging, custom stone projects, or expert chimney sweeping, call us today at 603-293-404.