Everything looks stark for a bit when Christmas comes down.

I like the painting, though it looks a little small in this spot.

Not loving the sconces nor the little mantel doodads. I’d get a bigger painting, set it ON the mantel, and put maybe one decor item on the mantel at one corner of the painting.

When I view this wall, this is what I see:

Rectangles, rectangles, rectangles!!!

The worst offender is that vanilla rectangle over the mantle. Any chance that could go back to be wood? Cutting this focal point in half makes the whole room look squat and short.

I would reposition the gallery wall above your sofa. Here is the before and after.

Super cute I would just change the red sconce shades to white..they are very distracting and takes the focus away from the art. I would move the small frame to the right or left with the little sailboats or just remove them all together.

If that top panel has to stay, I'd add candlesticks to the sconces to change the proportion. This is easy to do.

electric candlestick adapter

Then you'll need a resin cover that appears to be a candle.

I don't know what the material is surrounding the hearth but I would change the color or the material.

I've added a variety of shapes to the mantel so it looks less static and more interesting with the appearance of more depth.

Good stuff. Thank you all.

Beverly, above the fireplace is just wallboard. Not the panelling that surounds the room. I think the previous owner painted the fireplace and paneling in order to sell the house. We like the color so we have never changed it.

I appreciate your visuals, thank you.

I liked @BeverlyFLADeziner's suggestions and simply played with the decor...

Lisedv, I love the black lampshade idea. We have black lampshades in our bedroom and I love them. Does it make sense to also change the mantle lamps to black shades?

I decided the small picture does not belong on the mantle. I put it on an empty space by the door. Added the third sailboat to the mantle and will walk the house to find some candlesticks.

I am not fond of the artwork because.....as mentioned too many rectangles. I am not fond the lampshades like blobs that interrupt the nice lines of the fireplace and mantle.

Remove the painting, NO decor on the wall above the mantle at all.

Remove the lampshades and use low wattage decorative lightbulbs.

PS. It's nice to see the house of a Houzz contributor, very nice home and thank you for the photos.

We have a lot of art. If I take the yellow house painting down, I have no place to put it. 🤷‍♀️

Thank you for the compliment. Of course we are working here on tiny details. But, isn’t that the fun part? 😁

I should post something to see what people say about MY decor lol.

I rarely like sconces and IMO not there ever. I do not dislike the art and if you love it then it is perfect I would maybe do one bigger boat and then the 2 small ones off to one side the bigger one on the other side could ben aillusion like the house is looking out to the water.

It's difficult to tell precise colours from our computer screens but I'd suggest to get something more in a natural linen colour that matches the back wall colour, something like this...

The wood surround really seems fussy and to break up the space too much, like a surround surrounding a surround. And it is too much framing - the -frame— so actually a frameless. larger canvas mighgg TV look good, if keeping the wood stains surrounding. But I can understand if you love that picture. Would painting it be an option? I think even the all- wood look that Beverly mocked up is too choppy.

In the photo anyway, it it seems like there isn’t a connection and missing weight and balance. The room is so quaint and fireplace could add even more.

Connecting: Suggest adding panelling (similar to walls) across the top and paint a light, warm color. Paint the mantle and surround a soft creamy shade.

Balancing: Taller scones, wider picture frame, and visually heavier accessories on mantle.

Not going to do construction, so the sconces must stay. The trim stays. The paneling stays. The fireplace stays. We have been doing construction on this house for 10 years. Dozens of windows, doors, a whole kitchen, 8 bathrooms, two fireplaces, insulation. plumbing, electrical electrical, mini splits….. All as an inn. We have retired. It is FINALLY time to decorate just for us. 😁

I am agreeing with the idea that the red sconces are taking too much of the wrong kind of attention. I saw them in an antique/coop type store and loved that they were the color of the sofa. But I think I will change them. I also agree that the boats are not making it. Gotta shop the house. I had seashells and driftwood up there when this was the inn living room. For us, I want to be more homey and less sea-side.

Found some hurricane lamps. I like the wood. I can change the red glass beads. I actually do not like the boats. Gotta keep shopping the house.

New lampshades and new glass beads for the hurricane lamps. Thanks everyone! Great input!

love the painting— A patterned lampshade that connects to the gold of the painting could be nice -

This is NOT construction. This is fine tuning.

You have a place for the painting up the staircase or likely tons of other locations in the house. That small of a painting can go almost anywhere.

Why do you come to the forum for advice and then make absolutes? Does that help your home appearance?

If it were me I would paint out that wood surrounding the fireplace in a heartbeat, paint to match the walls. Too many rectangles upon rectangles, makes that wall look choppy, as Beverly said. Love your red sofa.

Beverly, looking for opinions on the mantle. I thanked you for you help . It was useful.

Believe it or not, between doors, windows, slanted roofs and huge collection of art, we don’t have a lot of wall space. I could reorganize. Which is a consideration. We tried a larger painting here, but it turned out to be TOO large. Didn’t fit even if we let it sit on the mantle.

Right now, I think a trip to cyberspace is due. Though I am in a no-new-stuff mode, I may have to buy new candlesticks and definitley new lampshades.

Got rid of the red sconce shades. ordered some new colors.

added some sculptures from a bedroom and moved the boats and small picture to the hall tree.

I see better, but not best.

What about doing something similar to this photo. Green plant with a low wooden bowl but with taller thin candle sticks. Simple so as not to compete with your art and sconces.

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Cubby, thats so pretty. I actually walked the house looking for a thin wooden bowl or sculpture. I may have to resort to shopping.

I am afaid a plant would hate it there. It is the darkest room in the house.

It's not working because you have too many small items on the mantal which is distracting with the art above. I suggest 1 or 2 white vases with greenery blanches, something like below.

How narrow is the mantle? Might look for a baguette dough bowl if pretty narrow. I get it with the light and plants. Previous home had no light per se in some rooms and plants hated it. Had to resort to quality faux succulents to bring some life into them.

The thing I like about the dough bowl idea is that the decor in it can be simple or more ornate whichever you choose and it can be changed with the season.

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Sorry to overload with this but just ideas for consideration.

Cubby, the mantle is 6 1/2 inches deep. We toyed with the idea of enlarging it, but, like I said earlier, we are maxed out on structural changes and spending $$$ . This house has been a labor of love and money for over 10 years, so we tabled the idea of a bigger mantle for now.

I replaced the red shades on the sconses with off white. Nearly everyone mentioned it and all of you were right. The red took too much focus. Thanks for the help. As I mentioned, I had seen the red ones at a coop store and grabbed them. I was happy for the bargain, but the look never worked. I didn’t replace them because they were the same color as the sofas……and I had other priorities.

Thank you for the help.

I like the dough bowl suggestion, even if it’s empty. It would be enough for me with the art and sconces. I’d keep anything added to it simple and low.

I like the red sconces. They are fabulous.

Love the red sofa, too. And your gallery wall over the sofa is beautiful, very well done.

I just have to say in advance that you are probably not going to like my thoughts regarding the art over fireplace. And that is ok (won’t be the first time someone doesn’t like my thoughts :))

Anyway - the idea is - art is a very personal thing. It is really not for me, nor for anyone, to tell another person what art they should like, or what particular art they should display where. So your question about the art pieces is not one I can really address.

But my general thoughts on this are two (or three)-fold. First, as I look at your space and all the other art there along with the art over the fireplace, I feel as though any art over the fireplace just gets lost in the mix. Secondly, I do agree in this case that you have a lot of rectangles in the space, and I think something rounded over the fireplace would be a balance and ground the space. And thirdly, a mirror over a fireplace can be a most auspicious placement, from a Feng Shui persecutive. (If interested you can look it up.)

And (maybe this is fourth) - if your art has any monetary and/or sentimental value - and if you ever use the fireplace - unless you remove your art when the fireplace is in use - over a fire/heat is not the best place for it. In the view of art preservation circles it is, in fact, the worst place for it.

So these are just my general thoughts and observations. Plus, your red sconces would look excellent flanking a mirror.

I think you could go big on a mirror there - but I don’t know your dimensions. Best thing, if you decided to do that, would be to visualize it by cutting out some paper or cardboard circles.

https://www.chairish.com/product/19854699/1990s-henredon-round-wall-mirror

Freedom, I enjoy the study of feng shui. I am not an expert and I don’t put it first priority, but I do agree with the ideas of balance, cleanliness, awareness and such. So thank you for that point of view.

Mirror - The prevailing thought on this forum is a mirror should reflect something worth reflecting. A mirror here would reflect either thenugly ceiling fan or the ocean view depending on how it is hung. My question, I have a mirror in this room already attached on the hall tree. Is two too many?

Hi, Auntthelma. You're welcome.

Yes, Feng Shui is interesting. I have not studied it from top to bottom, but what I do know is very helpful for me - a blessing.

And yes, the ”mirror must reflect something of interest” mantra... the one that is chanted here, 24/7+. There is much I could say about that - but it would really be exhausting... and ultimately, pointless. Suffice to say that if you want to adhere to the rules of this board - with the ocean view - you're definitely covered! :)

In Feng Shui, mirror equates to the water element. So a mirror over a fireplace balances the fire energy. That is one benefit, and there are others. So if someone is not fortunate enough to have an ocean view from their fireplace mantel - it does not matter - because the mirror, itself, has intrinsic energy that is valuable... regardless of the view it is reflecting. However, if someone wants the mirror to reflect something more ”interesting” - they can hang a chandelier, and the mirror can reflect the beauty and light from that. Or they can put something from nature on the mantel - a plant, or a vase with flowers, and the mirror can reflect that. Etcetera. The only instance where I would not suggest a mirror for over a fireplace, is if the fireplace DIRECTLY faces the front door. Other than that, it’s a most auspicious placement and practice.

And the hall tree mirror. That would be in your entry hall/foyer? As long as the two mirrors would not be directly facing each other - I don’t see an issue with that. And just ”design-wise” - one is an entry mirror, one is a fireplace mirror.

Speaking of entry mirrors, I was just thinking the other day about how there is definitely not the same panic here with the WHAT IS THE MIRROR REFLECTING?? when it’s an entry mirror. This really just occurred to me for the first time the other day... after all these years of my frequenting this site. I don't know if it’s because there is a sense that an entry/foyer mirror can also have a utilitarian purpose, and so therefore, it’s ”ok”. I really have no idea what that’s about.

Anyway, main thing - with whatever you choose to do - is that you feel comfortable in your space. And you really do have a beautiful home!

Hated the fish sculptures. Found this wood tray with black handles at the thrift store.

I am liking the simplicity. And the way the black and wood echo the coffee table. (The art is a special piece. We tried our only larger one there. It was actually TOO big. Literally. Did not fit. )

Newest version

Did not like the contemporary fish

Love your tray with the black handles, and the sconces with the white shades, it all blends very well, is soft and interesting.

So much better looks great!

Very nice.