Nice. Posting a detailed shaped fp, with mantel. Thing is that yours has the niche, and maybe that completes the look you already have.

Southwestern Patio · More Info

Exactly my dilemma. That’s really pretty btw! A floating wood shelf like that shown above is what I’m thinking here as well but the niche is throwing me off.

Pretty as is. But there is room for a mantel if you want one. I would copy the trim at the bottom of the niche for the mantel, and keep everything that same color.

Nice thanks. Hadn’t thought of staying in the same color

I’d leave it without. A mantel competing with the niche and the beautiful surround will be superfluous.

Another vote for no mantel. It is stunning as it is. I would focus on finding the perfect object for that niche.

I totally should have done a poll on this! Thank you! your responses are so helpful here. This is my first ever fireplace and I was certain I needed a mantel… mostly to hang holiday stockings for my littles :)

I hear you on the stockings. You can use a garland draped across and then hang the stockings from it. With your fireplace, it will be magical.

Oh! I hadn’t thought of that! Maybe that solves it. Will try it.

Sometimes visualization helps:

Mantel shown same width or near to same width as fireplace front

Mantel shown wrapping around fireplace front with Custom Made Fireplace Screen to fit the shape of your beautiful surround.

Or, if you find filling the niche in with something interesting just doesn't have enough weight for balance or you just need to do something until you find that special piece, you can cover the niche like this.

Looks good without mantel but if you want one, i would do natural wood right below the niche .

no mantel and command hook for stockings...heck, they have some that hold 8 #'s!

No a fan of the niche, I would remove it.

*Not

Yours is one of the most unique fireplaces that I've seen so far on Houzz. It's quite beautiful and the detailing is exquisite. You can certainly leave it as is. If you are adamant about adding a mantel I would align it with the bottom of the niche. I would be very careful selecting a new mantel - don't really think it should be too traditional in design as your fireplace itself certainly isn't traditional. One other thing you might consider - and this is a big MIGHT - is enlarging the niche. A larger niche would allow you to display a bigger sized piece of art. Once again, your fireplace is quite unique and beautiful and should be given lots of thought before you make changes. Good luck!

BTW. Even though I did create the mockups with the mantel, I too agree to leave it as is. I was just wanting to show how it would look to be helpful. I probably should have shown the option with a natural wood mantel as well to show the difference, but time is limited.

Thanks! The Visualization makes a world of difference (and I’ve decided I need a custom screen).
This feed back is really great. I’m going to try finding something for the niche to see if I can maybe love it. I’ll admit I’m not really a fan of the niche right now either so while I’m not going to remove it i figured I could just place art / mirror over if there was a mantel. Someone asked a great question about the style of house. It’s 1930 and I think maybe a Tudor? I included a picture because I really don’t know :). it’s been fully renovated with a modern farmhouse feel— that’s why I was leaning to a natural wood mantel.

Natural wood mantel

Thank you! That’s a good way to see what’s possible. The feedback here has been priceless. I won’t rush to change the existing structure (at least not just to hang stockings :))

Not sure of the depth of the niche, but might try a variety of candles in varying muted colors and sizes. Could also see scones on each side of the niche if you have the right scale.

Can you post some pictures of the entire room. I think you might get different comments to help you wrap up your decision once we the fireplace in context with the room.

I feel your pain. We have a 1930 Tudor Revival house and a fireplace very similar to your except for white brick around the fireplace opening (where you have more of a decorative surround). We have lived here for six years and the previous owner had the fireplace restored, but he put on a white, glossy trim piece as the mantel, just a few inches wider than the niche. I've worked around it for 6 years, but we are now looking for a raw, vintage piece of natural wood to put in place of the trim piece. We were just down at two salvage stores in Seattle today looking for the right piece. We just need to decide if we want to have it go past the sides of the fireplace or be as wide as the bricks below. Those niches were appropriate for the 1930's, but they are impractical for today. I want to display artwork and seasonal items on my mantle and not be tied down to the small niche. I'll send a pic when we decide what we're doing. I love our tudor revival -- still have the leaded class windows from the 30's.

Please! Would love to see the finished look! My thoughts are the same re. the niche’s practicality today.

Do still need help with a fireplace screen?