After lamenting and hemming and hawing over painting the fireplace for three years, it’s odd to say that I actually really like it white right now. I’m currently living with my personal favorite of our living room furniture (the rose and blue Barb sofa version). It’s soft and pretty, and feels appropriately balanced with the white fireplace. But today’s post is more about styling the fireplace mantel and less about the fireplace itself. Turns out the white brick is a lovely neutral background for all my “stuff”. But our fireplace is big, and the mantel is long, so sometimes I feel like it’s easy to clutter it up if I’m not careful. I go in and out of loving “stuff” (some days I want more, other days I want one single painting). I doubt any scientist has ever studied women’s hormones in relation to how much visual clutter they can handle, but let’s just say these days striking that balance is hard. Maintaining it is even harder. So let’s see the evolution, and I’ll show you where we are today.

Fireplace Mantel: September 2022, Brand New

Ok, I’m only including this so you can see how bare everything was when we moved in (it takes time to layer, folks). And I guess we didn’t paint the new brick on the floor yet (not sure if we thought we shouldn’t or if it just got done after the fact). This iteration isn’t a real one, but it’s still fun to see 🙂

Fireplace Mantel: July 2023, First Living Room Reveal (Real Simple Shoot)

First, we shot the house for Real Simple in July of that year for the September issue, which, honestly, we weren’t ready for, but nothing like a scramble to have you order furniture so fast. I still really love it for the most part (low-key wishing I hadn’t sold that rug to my brother, it would actually look awesome with my current setup – SHOOT!!! And it’s 12×15, which is impossible to find). What works here is that eye-grabbing painting, accented with hits of black and wood, and then something natural and organic (the plant that I believe lasted 10 days).

Fireplace Mantel: November 2023, Rugs USA

Next, we shot it for Rugs USA, 6 months later. They restyled the mantel in a way that I also loved and was so fun to see them pull from our prop garage. The stylist Getteline Rene pulled out the mantel mirror (which we have since painted a mauve) and added huge branches coming out of my incredible Bzippy vase. This whole setup always felt a bit cold to me (not the styling, but the rug + the white walls). I also think the sofas were too far apart, which was intentional to show off the rug. I really liked it, but I wouldn’t say it’s warm, exactly. We probably should have lit that fire. But it’s a great reminder that massive branches cut from your tree can absolutely be the star (and costs nothing). I lived with it like this for a long time and really like it.

Fireplace Mantel: October 2025, Alice Living Room Update

Last year, we shot it again with the two new Alice sofas and my new vintage paintings. I think this feels balanced with the level of styling in the room. The two matching sofas give a less eclectic vibe, so having the mantel be a bit pared-back felt right.

Fireplace Mantel: November 2025, Barb Living Room Update

This is the sofa iteration that we are living in and that we shot in November of this year. The mantel is different from what it is now (see below), but a lot of the same warm and soft elements. I really love this version. I didn’t buy anything for it, just styled from my prop house (which is admittedly abundant). The Cy Twombly lithograph never really pops up there, but with the other two colorful paintings flanking it, it has enough power (I think).

Fireplace Mantel: January 2026, My New Art Piece

Then we played with “Boots” being up there (my new painting by artist Brooks Burns). I LOVE this photo and this version. The painting really holds court up there, and the warmth of the styling helps. For whatever reason, in person, the contrast between the painting and the white felt too stark, and it was hard for your eye to see the painting (it’s science, I don’t get it). The contrast was too high for the amount of light this room gets (which is decent but not great). I loved the styling, but overall it felt unbalanced (it has since made it into my bedroom above my bed, which is understandably controversial).

Fireplace Mantel: April 2026, Fresh Styling

Here’s where we are now (last week). I didn’t fuss with it, just shot it how I’ve been living in it, and I really like the vibe. I layered the lithograph and painting more, added some poppy books, and a new vase from Anthropologie with apple blossoms cut from our orchard. OOH, and you can see the new wallpaper in the stairwell! What you don’t know is that I changed out the painting on the stair landing for the huge colorful abstract that was in Elliot’s room (we are redoing her room, more to come soon). It’s so awesome, and now I might be bringing even more color into our living room for spring/summer (in accessories, pillows, etc).

As you can see, all the elements are there – art that feels balanced in scale, accessories that contrast against the art, something organic (branches or a plant), and really utilizing the entire mantel. The only thing I want to try, but I haven’t made the effort yet, is to actually hang one big piece of art on the brick (not leaning). We’ve tried it before with command strips, and things fall down instantly (too porous). So we would either have to drill into the brick or hang from the wooden beam.

I think the evolution of the mantel styling feels appropriate to me. I’m still trying to figure out this living room, but I love living in it (the Barb sofas are so comfortable and inviting), and we still use the fire, even in April. Which one would you live with??

*Photos by Kaitlin Green (unless credited otherwise)