What is Your Image of a Fireplace Mantel?

By Tom Cox

General Manager

Fireplacemantels123.com

What picture comes to mind when you think of a fireplace mantel? This may seem like a silly question however as the general manager of a fireplace mantel website, I have come to realize that when shoppers come to our site, they have a picture of a fireplace mantel in their mind. Some customers picture a mantel shelf and others picture a mantel surround and most often they are not familiar with the terminology.

The picture we conjure up in our mind might be based on the fireplace in the home where we grew up, a family member’s home, a model home, a movie, pictures in a magazine or a hundred other possibilities. This image is important as a person begins a search for the perfect mantel for their room. However, most people don’t associated the technical names of mantel shelf or mantel surround to the image they have in their minds.

Quite often when we engage customers in conversations whether they are on the phone or via email, there is a communication gap if we don’t first understand which picture the customer has in their mind. Once I realized this fact, it was easy to learn to clarify this important detail near the beginning of our conversation. This little exercise greatly improved my ability to help customer evaluate and select a mantel.

So, for those of you who have never thought about this issue, here is a brief description of the difference between a fireplace mantel and a fireplace surround.

A fireplace mantel shelf is a single shelf installed above a fireplace and a fireplace surround consists of a mantel shelf plus mantel legs that completely surround the fireplace itself. Mantel shelves can come with our without corbels and mantel surrounds can come with our without breastwork below the shelf. Either variety can be very simple with straight lines and few details or can have curves and fancy scrollwork incorporated.

The first step in selecting a mantel for your home is to understand the difference between a mantel shelf and mantel surround and decide which you prefer for your installation. If you don’t have a preference, then browse through the selections of each to get a feel for which you prefer. Typically, if you have a large brick area, especially when it extends all the way to the ceiling, you will want to install a mantel shelf. In other cases, if you are going for modern or minimal look then again a mantel shelf might be best. If you looking for a more elegant or traditional look, then a surround might best fit your needs.

I any case, whether you picture a shelf or a surround when you think of a fireplace mantel, make sure you are aware of the difference when you begin your search. I hope you find this information helpful.

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