Layering Decor in the Hearth Room

We are getting furniture in place and unpacking "decor" throughout the new place, so I've been trying out ideas and moving pieces around. One of the house projects that made a big difference in looks and functionality in the Hearth Room was a beef-up of the concrete mantel. Not sure why it would have been made of concrete, but the big problem was that it was a very narrow ledge and wasn't proportionate to the size of the fireplace. You can read about that project here. The update is a huge improvement.

(Before)

Last week I mentioned that I was auditioning a mirror on the mantel in the Hearth Room. This new house doesn't have a lot of wall space available, so the French Mirror I had had above the Dining Room Buffet has been left by the sidelines. The Dining Room buffet is now in front of the large windows.

(Christmas Home Tour 2017)

Here it is on the mantel; it's a little ornate for the space, but proportionately it fits. I'm trying it out for a while to see how it works. I'm noticing a repetition of large rectangles, but as I look at it I think layering some other empty gold frames of various shapes might work. I've added a few things to the mix, and thinking maybe to remove the candle holders on the left. (too many candle holders?) I did add two more pineapple finials for a grouping on the right. I have to go through multiple options before I'm happy with a final arrangement. How about you?

One of my main thoughts about being here at the new place is to cut down on visual "clutter", and to make decorating a little more simple. I have the sunroom if I want to go crazy with vintage displays. (and I'm sure that I will!)  There isn't a lot of space at the top, but I added a vintage laundry basket to the armoire. I tried a similar gray wash basket, but the natural one looked much better. The little white bench in front of the sofa got a white wash of ASCP to clean it up a bit. I tried the old soda crate on top, but then there's no place for feet.

Since direct sunlight is nonexistent in this space, I wanted several options for "mood lighting". We have the ceiling fan light and a spotlight in front of the fireplace, but I want to relax in this space, watch TV, read, and maybe the occasional cat nap in the giant squishy chair. So I added the white Balustrade lamp and a new Pharmacy lamp next to the chair.

The room opening you see on the left is my office,

where I'm still putting boxes away.

Lazy me, yes the little sliders are still under the metal trunk

 till the move is finished. I've moved this baby around a bunch of times.

I checked a ton of sites to find a pharmacy floor lamp. We bought one for Hubby when we moved here, but paid at least twice for his, which is almost exactly like this. (Lamps Plus Aged Brass Pharmacy Lamp)

If you noticed in one of the above photos, I did just a tiny bit of decorating on the old painted  sideboard located behind the sofa. In my effort to keep it more simple, I used a small grain sack piece and one of my ironstone tureens.

This is a big long wall, and I think I'm using this old bookshelf to house cookbooks and kitchen related vintage goodies. It will give me some room for fun seasonal and holiday vignettes.

I still have lot's to do but we're getting there. Thanks for coming by to visit, next time some pics from the sunroom casual dining area. If you looked really close, you can see a glimpse next to the Pharmacy lamp. Have a great week... it's still winter here! 

*This is not a sponsored post.

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