1Display Art
Haris Kenjar One large painting the same dimensions as the fireplace always works when your living room has the ceilings to carry it off, like in this one designed by Hoedemaker Pfeiffer.
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2Showcase Vintage Treasures
Reid Rolls Embrace your fireplace's old-world charm and adorn your mantel with your favorite collectibles and flea market finds. Take a note from celeb Carson Kressley's Pennsylvania farmhouse, where vintage weather vanes and signage mingle with antique photographs on the mantel.
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3Keep It Simple
Rachael Smith If you prefer bold paint colors and even bolder artwork, let British tastemaker Lucinda Chambers's fireplace decor inspire you. Treat the area above the mantel as a place of rest. A single piece of artwork encourages the eye to linger on the room's focal point.
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4Surround It With Color
Aimée Mazzenga An ornate mirror and simple topiaries are all the fireplace decor needed in designer Paloma Contreras's historic Houston townhouse. Walls painted in Benjamin Moore Dove White let the colors of her family's books and the plush sofas stand out.
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5Raise the Ceilings
Amy Neunsinger We can't all have double-height ceilings like the ones in this Mark D. Sikes–designed living room, but we can always create the illusion of taller ones. Extending the molding or an accent color up to the ceiling gives the appearance of more space.
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6Blend It In
Andrew Frasz Designer Corey Damen Jenkins treated the wall above this fireplace like the rest of the room, covering it in the same wallpaper and painting the fireplace the same color as the woodwork and ceiling. It doesn't need much more decoration than that.
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7Play Up the Charm
Jenna Peffley Embrace your home's awkward features (like a freestanding wood-burning stove) by making them part of your decor as designer Whitney Leigh Morris did in this cozy living room. A woven basket of firewood adds natural texture, and the hanging broom to sweep the hearth doubles as artwork.
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8Paint It a Strong Color
Sean Litchfield A rich coat of eggplant paint is really all this fireplace and the bookshelves that flank it need to make a statement. Graphic art and statement flowers take this living room designed by Cecilia Casagrande in an even more vibrant direction.
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9Show Off Antiques
William Waldron To complement a fireplace constructed of fieldstones gathered on this home's property, design firm Mise en Scène Design opted for simple fireplace decor. An antique clock and sconces quietly catch attention over the mantle, and a simple screen blocks sparks below.
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10Make the Woodpile Pretty
Jamie Padgett You may not have quite as big a supply as the owners of this kitchen designed by Richard T. Anuszkiewicz, but you can borrow their cool firewood storage idea. It looks like art stacked in this niche.
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11Leave It Unadorned
Nicole England To make this living room feel (and look) larger, London-based architecture and interiors firm McLaren.Excell opted to showcase the chimney rather than cover it with drywall.
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12Surround It With Candles
Robert Peterson / Rustic White Interiors When you're entertaining outside, there's no such thing as too much candlelight. Lanterns with pillar candles up the ambiance around this outdoor fireplace.
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13Paint It Black
Nanette Brown If you want to make a brick fireplace feel new again, dark paint can take it in an unexpected direction. The inky black fireplace in this Nannette Brown–designed living room looks elevated, sophisticated, and clean (because black paint conceals soot!). The same approach is used throughout the room, which is enveloped in Amherst Gray paint from Benjamin Moore. An antiqued mirror plays up the moodiness while still bouncing light.
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14Don't Block the View
Haris Kenjar Designer Andy Beers of Ore Studios describes this cantilevered living room as a "large transparent jewel box that hangs over the forest floor." So "seating is transfigured around a fireplace for a kind of campfire sense."
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15Cluster Some Candles
Robert Peterson / Rustic White I Here's more proof that a nonworking fireplace can still be a valuable feature. Alison Victoria grouped a collection of candles in this mantel to re-create the cozy warmth you get from a roaring fire. Try clustering some pine-scented candles to get the flickering flame effect and forest fragrance.
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16Make It Monochromatic
John Bessler Lydia Pursell covered all the surfaces (excluding the floors) in a blue-green paint color, from the trims to the fireplace surround and mantel. It's a bold and unexpectedly mod approach in a classic dining room that exudes confidence.
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17Mix Old Style and New Tech
Delia Kenza Interiors In her Brooklyn brownstone, designer Delia Kenza honored the original style of the home's architecture, ornate granite and all. She inserted a new (but antique-looking) wood-burning stove that produces real fire but eliminates the risk of the indoor smoke you'd get from a masonry fireplace. On top, sculptures in different mediums create a cool contrast.
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18Lean Artwork
Emily J Followill A display of black and white prints leans casually above the mantel in this clean, quiet vignette designed by Jeffrey Dungan. The restraint and modesty of the color story mixed with the simplicity and casualness of the artwork create a distinct beauty that's both mysterious and approachable.
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19Go With Circles
Jacob Snavely The large round mirror over the fireplace echoes the shapes of the coffee table and sofa in this living room designed by Aamir Khandwala. They soften the strong, straight lines of the room—and the mirror makes it look even brighter.
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20Paint Exposed Brick White
Nicole Franzen Kristin Fine painted the exposed brick fireplace surround white to complement the crisp and modern interior without stripping this home of its farmhouse personality.
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