I love this type of challenge, but prefer when I have the stuff to work with. I hate shopping. I'm sure others will come along and help.
This is such a lovely room and dining table and chairs, that I don't think I'd have noticed there was nothing on the mantel.

Thank you justgotabme! K9, yes, the older I get the more simple I want things. But I don't know...maybe a little something. Accessorizing is not the sort of thing I enjoy doing though. Maybe three slim different height candle sticks on one end and just one thing (don't know what) on the other end. Will that look too stage-y?

From your pic, it looks like the mantel isn't large enough to cover all the stonework and it looks fairly narrow so not much could go on it anyway.

I think I'd stick with some fab artwork in a large scale over the mantel and leave the rest bare...it looks good more minimalistic with your furnishings anyway. As you already have artwork on the right wall, perhaps something more sculptural, maybe metallic instead of a painting.

Hi Annie, I think it's not the ideal mantel for a corner fireplace. However, I like it better than the original look where the stone went all the way to the ceiling. And, the labor was free (husband). The shelf is around 10 1/4" d.

I might be tempted to do simple seasonal vignettes and locate it off center in the corner. Some yellow and orange tapered candles in small green candlestick holders with a few gourds surrounding them but don't make it Hallowe'enish. Then, beginning of December do a winter one (but not Christmasy) with light blue and silver (or white) tapers in a crystal candlestick holders with some small berry branches in a slender vase.

Might be too much work for you but it looks like a room that could easily take a changing landscape.

I have that same corner fireplace up to the ceiling my bedroom. I have no advice on how to decorate it, since I've still not done mine since I painted and built a mantel shelf :o

Blf, you know i was following the raindeer thread and that would be something i would like for a while. Errant, maybe we are just too influeneced to think we have to have something on every shelf. I guess i dont mind it bare so much but wonder if people think.. why doest she have something on that shelf?

That could be!

i didn't build the mantel shelf with the intent to decorate it, I just wanted to break up the massive wall of ugly stone a bit, and make a feeble attempt to ground the big TV he wanted in our room (even though we rarely watch it).

Maybe out need to put something on every shelf is akin to a man,s need to have giant TVs in every room?

Errant, did you have the lovely popcorn ceiling with stickyout-ies to go with your attention hog fireplace? Can't believe the work we have done in the last year or so. No more popcorn or little things hanging down. No wonder I'm feeling lazy about my accessories

justerrilynn, what are the bronze balls in the firebox? Er, I mean orbs?

Letting a mantle go bare is like walking outside naked for me. I just can't do it. So many possibilities! Get some seasonal garland or a birch tree branch, lay it across the mantel and scatter in a few mercury glass pillar candles for a touch of understated bling. It will also tie in the hurricane glass centerpiece on your table. Or, lean a few pieces of art in varying heights against the wall. Better yet, since it's a dining area, a collection of coordinating plates or pitchers. Again, various heights..not all uniform.

That is actually a metal wall hanging sculpture thing. I put it there just as a resting place till I figured out what to do with it. In the meantime people came in the house and thought me brilliant for figuring out how to hide the less than stellar firebox surround. So, I just went along with it. Rebecca, I would like to do something with birch branches, I have always liked the simplicity. My whole house needs accessories.

I get it. Been there, done that. Gutting and remodeling knocks the chit out of you! For the reindeer, Stein Mart has had a reclining reindeer for the last two years that I swear I would buy if it went on sale. Always missed it. Will check again this year and buy full price if I find it!

I don't even have an accessory on my coffee tables. Can you believe that? Well, unless one could concider a remote decorative. It's exahasting thinking about. I do have a few things on the console but I really just stuck some stuff on there and it's not great.

No popcorn in the bedrooms, but it's still there in other areas. I just took it off of the laundry mud room ceiling, and it really wasn't that hard. It's still in the game room, stairway, and upstairs hall. I will tackle those eventually!

Your dining room fireplace is the twin of the one in our bedroom. I will rip it out eventually, but painted it for the time being. Here's what it looks like, now

Is that the only one in your house? We had another in the living room

That looks nice! I was toying with ripping the whole thing out but I have this thing where I like to keep bits of the original flavor but slightly updated. It's the only fireplace. I will never use it. I'm in zone 10 and need cool not heat. There are only a few days of cold.

I kept bits of the other one when we ripped it out. A couple of the rocks are out in the yard ;)

Hey you even have the same mesh slider in your Firefox. Are you in my neighborhood? Haha wouldn't that be funny.

I'm in socal, but in the mountains. It really does seem like the same guy built our fireplaces! Our house was built in 1981.

Mine was built in 83' when your builder came to Fla on vacation lol. Does or did your house have sliding glass doors everywhere? Mine even had a double sliding glass door right next to the toilet in the guest bath.

As for the mantel itself-- I wonder what it would look like if you painted it to blend with the stone a little more, or maybe like a darker version of the wall color.

Hmmm, ill do a mock-up of that idea Anele . Since this is all open plan maybe that area then wouldn't look like it should have something on it. Then, I would not have so much of "the big picture" clogging my brain with this accessory stuff. I asked for help with that area to maybe help my head on how to accessorize the rest. On my own I'm incapable of not thinking of the big whole and then I just get overwhelmed on the amount of coordinating dohicky's.

Since it is a dining room, I would look through my dishes and other serving pieces for some nice, large lovely plates, pitchers, serving bowls, candleabras, (sp??) etc. could be rotated to create different looks--like all crystal and then all pottery, etc.

Call me crazy, but I would also put a clock there, I need to keep track of time when I'm eating or I'll get carried away!

LOL, yeah, I think my builder must have taken a vacation to FLA when he finished my house. I have three large sliding doors. You can see one next to the fireplace in my room. Luckily (?), all my baths are too tiny to have included any there!

justterrilynn - you have my fireplace and ceiling. But my fireplace is on a vaulted ceiling and is 9 1/2' tall. A few years ago we redid our house and got rid of ALL the popcorn ceiling in every nook and cranny of the house. We kept the fireplace as it actually suits our post and beam house set in the hills but we replaced the tile of the hearth. It used to be the grey tiles with the wide grout lines. Yecch!

I would so love a mantle to decorate but our fireplace curves and so wouldn't work. I do have some tall vases in the corner of the raised hearth with some dried branches in one of them.

Oh and sliding glass doors - three of those as well.

I don't know where you are SoCa, but when we purchased our first new home in San Diego back in '84 it had one of those mesh screens, and also those wonderful popcorn ceilings.

You have the same fireplace as us, blfenton? Mine is also on a vaulted ceiling at 9.5'. You have to post a picture!

Terrilynn, how about lowering the mirror, and just sticking a row of candles up there? Right now, the mirror looks like it hovering up there. I'd bring it down so that the mantel grounds it.

But, did any of you have THIS? Haha this is not a Halloween trick and people lived with it since 83' and there was no side fence then. This is a gated community.

That is awesome! I Actually have something very similar right now, but my toilet is on the outside LOL I'm remodeling the downstairs bath. SO carried the toilet out the slider, and there it has sat for the last couple of weeks.

JTL, I like the mantle bare. The only item I would consider adding is a vintage mantle clock. Etsy has some nice ones. I love the mirror. I think it is perfect. Good call on removing the potty slider.

Justerrilynn, I get it. I love the layered look but I have trouble with clutter, knick-knacks, etc. I saw you like plants-- what about a plant or two there, and maybe one tall item like a sleek candelabra?

Well it looks like instant gratification isn't going to happen. I sort of like the first clock but do not like the rounded top. The second clock is interesting but is $700. Anele, yes I have been thinking candle sticks but it seems so predictable. If I do one item like a clock I don't really want to spend more than $250.

Justerrilynn, candlesticks are predictable if you buy the predictable ones. I mean some unusual ones- I would look for MCM or Art Deco.

My photos are not working. I'll be back.

Okay I think I'm getting a handle on the situation. While expanding the candle holder idea ( thank you Anele) I came across some decanters which led me to looking at aerator dispensers and old cordial glasses. I'm in love with this aerator and think it would be interesting to have maybe a tall one on each side or a tall one in the middle. Or, something like this because this one maybe too big.

For a dining room a decanter collection could be really cool. Is the wine bucket narrow enough?

Home Goods sells peeled wood pieces, get a long one and then two tall ones and you're good to go.

I like the decanter, wine barrel, etc idea. I prefer the ones with more color/ornamentation that you posted vs clear glass for this purpose. How about the glasses on a tray with prominent edging?

The mantel is 10 1/4" deep so I will be mindful of that. Yay, I'm not sure what you mean by peeled wood pieces. Do you have a visual?

I think (?) I maybe making progress. Today I went to a second hand shop I mentioned above and bought these things for the mantel. Look okay?

It's really coming together! Looks great!

I agree with Anele. Good job on the mantel and coffee table.

Thank you anniecat and anele! Sheesh that mantel was hard. I had to go HUGE on the decor so it didn't look dinky from a distance.

Perfection! I've always admired your style.

The mantel decor looks great! The height of the items you chose is perfect, and the mirror no longer looks high to me. Good job!

Thank you Dee and Errant! The gal at the second hand store talked me into the thingy between the birds. I thought it was hideous. But, when I looked at my pictures of my mantel I thought the texture might work next to the stone. Accessorizing is a mysterious business that's for sure.

Oh wow, the balance is great now. Looks really well put together.

The mantel looks fantastic! For the tv area, I would consider adding some texture with a long thick table runner. It might be enough. Perhaps a very tall floor standing 'thing' on the left. It's a treasure hunt.