When you consider a fireplace mantel design, whether it is a traditional fireplace mantel design or a contemporary mantel design, you should take into account what you want to place on the mantel.  It can be your family pictures or some other personal items or some pieces of art.  You want to make sure that your design will allow you enough room for all these needs.

Fireplace mantels can be made from several varieties of wood, with oak being by far the most popular.  When deciding on your fireplace mantel design, you will want to keep in mind the interior design style of your home before you make a decision on the type of material that you are going to use.  You will want to consider your main color scheme used in the room.  Also what the main design element is.  Your fireplace mantel, whether it is a traditional fireplace mantel or a contemporary mantel, can either add to your home’s interior design scheme.  Or it can distract from your home’s interior design scheme.  Therefore it is important to make the right choice concerning the material that will be used for your fireplace mantel.

Some of the other materials that are available for your fireplace mantel include marble, rock slabs, stones and even iron.  The only thing that will limit you in your choice of mantel design will be your imagination.  During this whole process of deciding on a traditional fireplace mantel or on a contemporary mantel, you will also want to think about the entire mantelpiece.  What is meant by this is that you may not want only a simple mantel above your fireplace, but perhaps an entire facade that can include some bookshelves and other compartments in which you could display some precious items or pieces of art.

If you tend to find it difficult to come up with a complete and solid design scheme, you can always make use of the services of an interior designer as a last resort.  Although they offer a very valuable service, it is important to be aware of the fact that it can be quite expensive.  They are experts though, and they will come up with wonderful ideas that can help show you what your finished fireplace mantel, whether a traditional or a contemporary mantel, will look like.

Some good news is that when you decide on your fireplace mantel design, the installation of it will be the easiest part of the whole process.  It does not take a lot more than to simply attach it to your fireplace.  In the end, whether you decide to go for the traditional fireplace design or a contemporary design, it all comes down to the personal taste of each individual.