To ask what you have on your mantlepiece or near your fireplace?

[user1477282676]

OK I KNOW this is AIBU but I don't care. If I post in an appropriate section, I'll have to wait days for any replies.

What's on or near your fireplace? If you have one that is...we've recently moved and I now have two fireplaces having never had one before.

One works and one doesn't. The working one is a combustion thing...with a door, quite rustic looking with an old, painted mantlepiece and no surround...the other, the non-working one is an arched shape...white stone wall, flat hearth of stone and again, a painted white wooden mantelpiece quite high above it.

I've just got some paintings propped on both mantles at the moment and some candles in the non working one.

Both areas look blank. It's summer in oz where I am so there's no lovely basket of logs beside the working one yet...what can I do to make them look nice?

[IateallthePies654]

I have a wall tapestry above mine and a cross, candles, photos on the mantle piece itself.

[harderandharder2breathe]

Best friend has a few small trinkets on top and a couple of framed pictures on the tiled bit at the bottom (not working fireplace)

[harderandharder2breathe]

Oh and a mirror aboce

[Elphame]

Large Victorian marble clock, two ginger jars & a pair of candlesticks. Pillar candles at the base with brass trivets and fire irons. nothing above but some stencils on the wall.

[Pineappletastic]

A clock on the wall above it. On the mantel itself some tealight candles in little holders (doesn't matter if the get warm and melt a bit iyswim), a wooden duck, a canvas collage of baby pictures (needs hanging soon), and whatever crap DH has put there because every flat surface is a dumping ground.

[ASqueakingInTheShrubbery]

We don't have a fireplace in this house, but in the old house I had a log burner with no mantelpiece, with a big mirror over it and bunches of lavender along the top. In the dining room I had photos, a couple of ornaments, and the inside speaker bit of the doorbell, together with a pot of unidentified keys and a lump of blu-tac. I tried to keep it nice but my natural desire to clutter overcame me every time.

[KurriKurri]

Mine is a victorian fireplace but the actual grate is boarded up so on the hearth stone I have a big jug of dried flowers, a wooden bowl of fircones and a wooden grain scoop filled with shells and stones.

Above on the wall I have a big picture, on the mantel piece I have various ornaments - mainly from travel abroad, and a little stuffed pig that my sister made.

Not very sophisticated or interior designery - but my stuff and I like it

[dnamummy]

Not sure I'd recommend but I frequently seem to have a cat on mine as he seems to think it is really a cat-climbing frame! (Sorry bit off topic but I couldn't resist!)

[trixymalixy]

Here's a picture of my old one.

[isseywithcats]

on top 2 masia ornaments, a 1950s black cat sitting up, two trophys we have won at motorbike shows, four cute biker on choppers ornaments and a pewter dragon on a chopper ornament, above the fireplace a large mirror, bottom section a huge wooden elephant i bought at a boot sale a few years ago

[Foxyloxy1plus1]

We have a modern ine, with a surround, so no mantelshelf to put things on, as I know it would just get cluttered. There's a mirror above, a black slate hearth with a fire guard and a large glass vase with an arrangement in it. There's a log basket and coal scuttle nearby and candles on the hearth too.

[ArchNotImpudent]

No mantelpiece, just a surround but I've got an antique figural companion set next to my living flame gas fire with crappy "pebbles".

[Jjacobb]

Some candles, three silver bottles, a blue Buddha and a few other bits.

[Katy07]

I think a cat is definitely the best item. I don't have a mantelpiece / fireplace but if I did there would definitely be a cat or two on it.

[TheMadGardener]

At the moment on the mantelpiece, two pillar candles, stone Buddha, couple of photos, vase of daffs and some birthday cards. And a box of matches. And sometimes a cat deliberately knocking things down! On the hearth below, there are a set of fire irons on one side and a basket on the other containing logs, kindling, newspaper.

[TondelayaDellaVentamiglia]

sitting room has a big mirror over and then on the mantle itself there's

some post....this is strictly not allowed
two glass candle sticks at each end
a set of origami stars from thumbnail size to dinner plate size
a vase of lilies.

Dining Room

no mantle, just a border around the edges of the recess. and then a overly ornate antique mirror with candle sconces. It is waiting to be painted gold. It waited 6 years to be painted white.

[wornoutboots]

3 speakers, and a model dinosaur skull. and whatever random toys the kids have left there

[StillMedusa]

A large mirror above, no actual mantlepiece (took it out it was ugly) but on the bit below, a weird old, narrow wooden wading bird with a metal beak and feet that I found in a charity shop and an 1840's Nicole Frere mechanical musical box which still winds and works perfectly that I inherited from my Dad.It's slightly bigger than a house brick and the two somehow go together!

[thenewaveragebear1983]

Currently a fire guard (ugly but essential) mirror and candles. The mirror has to rest on the mantle as its deceptively high and I couldn't actually see in it if it was any higher.

[Tomorrowillbeachicken]

two elves, a singing santa and a load of cacti

[wonkylegs]

We've got a fireplace with a mantle in nearly every room in the house, that's the joys of a victorian villa.
Living room - mirror above, vase of flowers, 2 matching white bowls at either end, candle and at the moment lots of birthday cards
Family room - funky clock above, a paper mâché dinosaur, lego Darth Vader, a big glass jar of sweets, 2 lovely family photos & some fairy lights
Dining room - big mirror above, paintings in alcoves either side, 2 wooden statues from Zimbabwe, 1 from Kenya & a silver vase full of carved chopsticks all in a cluster on one end, candles in 2 different height candlesticks at other end, a rather gorgeous and rare glass bowl in the centre, fireplace isn't used and is filled with huge pinecones collected from our trees.
Master Bed - 2 beautiful blue pieces of glass & a tissue box in the shape of a house. fireplace again isn't used and is filled with white piller candles.
Guest room, a pile of antique books & an antique silver hairbrush set. Fireplace isn't used and filled with a jar full of fairy lights.
Kids rooms - covered in photos & stuffed toys!

[RortyCrankle]

Victorian marble clock, a tin containing cash, a silver vase with dried lavender, a cut glass bowl, a blue piggy bank I bought from the Isle of Islay about 50 years ago, a Diamond Jubilee mug, a photograph of my old cat Perkins, a photograph of my parents' wedding in the 1930's, whatever else lands on it during the course of the day.

[PollytheDolly]

Large mirror above.

On the mantel my grandads antique clock, wooden sitting teddy bear, our wedding horseshoe (actually my own horse's coated), wooden cat laying the other side (his feet hang over) and a wedding gift ornament (ducks) from BIL/SIL.

Below wooden sleeping cat and candle holder and DHs feet and wineglass

[StepAwayFromTheEcclesCakes]

on it, two plants and two giraffes on hearth two large candlesticks and an assortment of pillar candles (battery) a small elephant and an african woman ... ornament that is not an actual african woman!