CasaSugar

Love It or Hate It? Excessive Plants on a Mantel

CasaSugar — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 14:00:36 -0700

Today, President Barack Obama met with Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki in the Oval Office of the White House. While I'm not a fan of gold frames in general (even when they're housing a lovely portrait of a founding father), I'm not sure what i think of the all-over ivy on the mantel behind the president and the prime minister. Would you ever coat a mantel with this much ivy?

SGS1's Lovely Little Fall Vignette

CasaSugar — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 11:00:53 -0700

Lovely Little Vignettes member SGS1 was inspired by Kimpossible's Fall decorating scheme to get to work on her own. The result is beautiful and chic! I love how she's mixed various shapes and colors of seasonal gourds. Her branches of berries really fill out the mantel and give it depth. The reflective quality of SGS1's mirror and glass candlesticks, vases, and votives really make the arrangement elegant. There's a tendency for seasonal décor to look kitschy, but she's managed to avoid that altogether.

Have you done any Fall decorating lately? Be sure to add your photos to our Lovely Little Vignettes group!

Casa Quickie: Bring August Flavor to Your Mantel

CasaSugar — Fri, 21 Aug 2009 07:00:00 -0700

Enjoy August both in and out of doors by adding some summery accents around your house. While it's still bikini weather outside, keep the chimney, flue, and logs off your mind, and opt for vibrant color and greenery instead. Create a summery arrangement of vases, plants, or candles (or all three) in your fireplace and on your mantel. Think of your fireplace like a shelving unit; stack your beach reads there, display your favorite knick-knacks, or lean artwork against the mantel.

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Casa Quickie: Think Outside the Mantel

CasaSugar — Tue, 02 Jun 2009 07:00:36 -0700

Those of you who are lucky enough to have a fireplace mantel are probably overflowing with ideas about what to set on it and what to hang above it. Vases. Candlesticks. Objets d'art. Photographs. Paintings. Perhaps the most intriguing solution to this dilemma is to leave the space above the mantel blank.

In this living room, you'd expect to see the mirror hung above the mantel, but instead you find it on the adjacent wall. And the set of subtle, white candlesticks give the space polish, keeping it from appearing abandoned. It's captivating, surprising, and fresh! Try thinking outside the mantel in your home.
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Guess What This Product Is?

CasaSugar — Fri, 13 Mar 2009 06:15:14 -0700

This product is a modern interpretation of something you would have found on 19th-century French fireplace mantels. If you look closely, you should be able to tell what it is. Can you?

Casa Quickie: A DIY Mantelpiece

CasaSugar — Mon, 15 Dec 2008 13:00:03 -0800

I love Su Casa member JenLovesGreen's inventive Christmas mantel shelf, but I'm sure some of you mantel-less folks don't want to spend money and time installing a shelf just for one holiday. So, I was delighted to come across this makeshift mantelpiece idea at Living Etc. If you're lacking in the fireplace department, you can create your own mantel for hanging stockings by finding a branch in your backyard, trimming it of excess twigs and bark, and spray
painting it white. Then, hang it with wide, red ribbon from your crown molding (or anywhere on your wall), add stockings, and celebrate! Oh, and don't forget to fill those stockings with lots of goodies!
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Su Casa: A Christmas Mantel Shelf

CasaSugar — Wed, 03 Dec 2008 04:30:45 -0800

Since we're not all fortunate enough to live in our dream houses, we have to be innovative with what we've got. Su Casa member JenLovesGreen certainly subscribes to this train of thought. As much as she would love to keep cozy by a warm fireplace in her own living room, her current digs are lacking in that department. So, she's made the best of things this holiday season by bringing in an alternative: a shelf. "Although my substitute mantel doesn't frame a cozy fireplace," she says, "it does allow me to decorate for the holidays." She's festively dressed her faux mantel with an arrangement of elegant white pillar candles, cranberry garland, and two Christmas stockings to boot. I think this is a great alternative for all CasaSugar readers who want to hang stockings, but don't have a fireplace mantel - it's a brilliant solution. I can almost see those logs burning; can't you?
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Open House: Cluttered or Spare Mantel?

CasaSugar — Sat, 30 Aug 2008 08:30:29 -0700

In some homes (um, including my own), the fireplace mantel, which is often the main focal point in the living room, is piled with photos, candles, coasters - you name it. While it's a logical place to display knickknacks and mementos, often this excess can look cluttered. On the other hand, a spare mantel often looks naked. How do you decorate a fireplace mantel?

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Casa Quickie: Bring Summer to Your Fireplace

CasaSugar — Fri, 15 Aug 2008 14:00:00 -0700

You can't have an endless Summer if your house looks like it's ready for a blizzard; you and your home should live and breathe the warm season until the leaves turn. So, if you've got a fireplace in your home, get to work and clean it! Store your fireplace tools and logs out of sight until next season. While it's still bikini weather outside, keep the chimney, flue, and logs off your mind, and opt for vibrant color and greenery instead. Create a summery arrangement of vases, plants, or candles (or all three) in your fireplace and on your mantel. Think of your fireplace like a shelving unit; stack your beach reads there, display your favorite knick-knacks, or lean artwork against the mantel.
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Casa Craving Challenge: Eye-Catching Fireplace

CasaSugar — Thu, 29 Nov 2007 03:37:56 -0800

Baby, it's cold outside. And it's cold inside, too. If you have a fireplace in your house, it's most likely going to be seeing a lot of action pretty soon. And you know what that means? It means that it better look good for all the eyes on it. So for the latest Casa Craving Challenge, I'd like you to deck out a fireplace so that it's not only functional with all the necessary tools to keep you warm, but is also eye-catching.

Televisions are no longer the center of attention when the logs start burning. So, you can't ignore your fireplace mantels, bases, and the walls above them. What fireplace tools would you use? Log holders? What artwork, candles, sconces, and decorative accents would you put on your mantel? What small furniture, if any, would you put near your fireplace? What tiles or bricks would you choose for it?

Tell me by creating Casa Cravings and tagging your Cravings with the phrase eye-catching fireplace, and I'll feature the results next Wednesday, Dec. 5. Even better, you can create a list of your bookmarks; TeamSugar has a great tutorial on listmaking if you're not sure how. Please let me know if you have any questions. For a list of online home stores to try, read more

Amazon Home
Bed Bath & Beyond
CB2
Crate & Barrel
Design Within Reach
Gump's
Ikea
Jonathan Adler
Lekker Home
Linens and Things
Macy's Home
Pottery Barn
Restoration Hardware
Room & Board
Target
Urban Outfitters
Unica Home
West Elm
World Market

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