1. A contemporary interior mantel might be just a simple plain white mantel while a traditional interior mantel might be an elegant oak fireplace mantle.

            A mantel can be distinguished from the time period / era that it was designed.  Some examples are French Victorian, Early American, Roman, Gothic, Early Century, Mid Evil, Revolutionary, Colonial, etc.  Mantels designs can also be traced  to where they came from; some examples of this are Caribbean, Central America, Eastern Africa, Eastern Asia, Eastern Europe, Middle Africa, Northern Africa, Northern Europe, South America, Southern Africa, Southern Europe, South Central Asia, South Eastern Asia, Western Africa, Western Asia, Western Europe, Southern, etc.

            Fireplaces and mantles are becoming a main feature in homes today as they add a real focal point to any living room, dining room and even bedrooms.  The choice of mantel is largely based on the character of the home owner.  One look at a fireplace mantle and you get the sense of what the home owner is all about.  The fireplace mantel can be elegant or simple but what is placed on the mantle can be as significant to determine the character of the house.  Some people will put pictures above the fireplace and some people will put objects or artifacts.  Every mantel is unique to its owner and decor that stands for the individual. 

            Mantel shelves are also popular these days.  With the ease to shoot and produce pictures with today's technology we all need a place to put these instead of our hard drives.  A mantle shelf can be place in a hallway or living room or even a kitchen.  Nothing like a mantel shelf in the kitchen with all your children's pictures on to look at every day when you are eating breakfast or diner.  These could be considered breakfast nook shelves, kitchen shelves, living room mantel shelf's, hallway shelves etc.  A skinny mantel shelf might work better than a wide shelf in the hallway.  A large high fireplace mantel might be a great choice for a large living room; while a short thin mantel might be the answer for a small den.  All of these factors must be considered when making your decision.

            Economical fireplace mantels can be found online at many different web sites.  One in particular online place is www.mantelstore.com ; they have many different sizes and styles to choose from.  The fireplace mantel or mantle shelves are shipped direct to you, saving you time and energy from going to a local store to find.