Nice painting. It is very freeing to get rid of clutter. Think of how much easier cleaning will be. Try to make a donate pile and purge too, you don't just want to keep shuffling things around. You have a very pretty mantle it is nice to see it. I actually love your hanging glass lanterns but this is not the right place for them. Can your m on the fire screen be removed?

an odd number of knick nacks that are different in size work well. group a few in each corner .
as for sentimental pieces, find a spot in the home that guests don't go, and theu can safely reside there for years to come. without being clutter.

I like how you cleared off the mantel and started over with just a few items. Consider storing your favorite items and have a revolving display. I am trying to put out just a few things with each season because I have collected over the years and have too many items to display for the size of my home. I find I appreciate them more if they aren't all on display at one time.

Hubby likes his M. May try to move it somewhere later. The white strip is a white wood piece at the top of the wall. Will post more pics tonight. Thank you for the help and ideas.

Put it all in a glass case. Put 2 big items only.

It is great to start the New Year rearranging and simplifying. You are inspiring me to tackle some of my clutter. I like decoenthusiaste's idea of seasonal displays.

My glass case is already full. :-) I will be working on that soon too.

It is time to declutter and get organized. It always paralyses me when I try to figure out what to keep and give away. We cleaned out my husband's grandmother's home and found out a vase that we decided to let go was worth 10k. That is kind of scary.

May I suggest that the white strip of wood above the fireplace be painted the same color as the wall? That will give you a cleaner look.

In my experience, it always seems to be the de-clutterers who lose the good stuff. ;)

Popcorn ceiling are coming down and we will be painting the entire room probably after a few other projects. And I will be looking for color advice too. Thank you.

I prefer a clean fireplace mantle. I had a large picture leaning up on top of my mantle that looked great, but it must be large enough to balance the size of the fireplace; too small and it looks out of scale and off balance. I had more than one large picture and I switched them out with the seasons they corresponded to and freshened up the room. You can declutter easily by just boxing up what you choose to and storing it. Just don't forget about it, and then get rid of what you choose not to use. It will free you up to purchase something new, but be very critical of what you choose to buy. Stick to a theme (all white, or all mercury glass, for instance). Good luck.

mkmort, when disposing of items, particularly OLD ones e.g. if one is cleaning out one's partner's grandmothers house, one should get a valuer in prior to disposing of the items. Failing that, if you take them to a reputable auction room, they should be able to give you a reasonable estimate of their worth.

Everything on your mantle was "dinky". You either need to take down that white molding or paint it like the wall and ignore it. Put a big piece of art above the mantle(ignoring the molding or taking it down gives you the room to do something large enough to make a statement. A mix of large and small objects in sensible groupings can look good. Larger can be seen farther away and smaller add interest as you get closer.

When you put something on display, put items in groups of odd numbers with different heights. Unless you have a matched pair of something, then put the two items together. Don't line everything like a military viewing of the troops. Put the items you real love and work with them. Tell you husband if he wants to see the vases on display, then he has to buy you fresh flowers to put in them.

Try not to balance the items on display, maybe put clock on one side, three items on the other. Then slowly add more groups.

first please know I haven't read thru whole thread.
remove everything and rethink all accessories .. at a glance, it just looks like too much, too small and too many
have fun!

Didn't get to the candles around the hearth yet. Hubby likes his M so for now it stays as do the mirrors. They make me think(wish) I have windows in my Living room. Will paint the trim when we work on the ceiling and walls again. I like the Glassybabys and I thought the colors worked with the print that isn't large enough but works for now. Also posting pictures of my curio cabinet that is full of too many momentos that were collected and gifted and inherited. Also trying to use what I have and not buy more stuff since I seem to have an abundance. Thank you all for your help and constructive feedback.

Mkmort, could you paint the "M" a darker color? Please remove the little tea candles holders, they look like they are holding up the painting.

You have some very beautiful items in your curio, how about pick a few larger and light in color and trying them on the mantle. How large is the Llardro mother and child, I think it may be called, try that on the mantle. Have to walk dog, will be back for more suggestions.

You have some beautiful pieces, you need to show them differently.

I think your cabinet has a very interesting surreal quality. I kind of wish that the wall behind it were a darker color because it fights a little for our attention.

How about taking the "M" off the firescreen, paint it or faux marble, put it on one side of the mantel. Then instead of being a distraction it is something to be displayed. Everything you have had on your mantel is much too small, not light enough in color and you have way too many items.

To understand how to display any something of beauty, look at nature. A field of tulips, you just see the field of color, three tulips, you see the beauty of the flower. A single rose bud says more than a dozens of roses. What I am trying to say is less is more.

The anniversary clock is lost on the mantel, but it on a side table, or buffet where you can see and enjoy it.

The white strip really screws up the space above the mantel. It makes me think, when they were hanging the dry wall someone screwed up and to hide it they use a piece moulding.

Try putting the 4 diamonds in a grouping:
One
Two two
One
See if that would work above the mantel, instead of four you now have one thing for you eye to focus on.

I will look tru Houzz for some examples of what works on a mantel.

The changes you have made are good. but i still feel the small small inherited stuff and gifts are notoriously displayed. Why not spread them to other rooms such as dinning area, kitchen? if you have a bookshelf you can use those to space the books, in the varanda and so on rather than assembling them in one area and in one room.

berinlist, I thought of the same for diamonds. I think mantle needs a different shape up there.

mkmort, a lot of people have collections, and I hope you don't feel bad about having your pieces and wanting to display them, especially since you said a lot have sentimental value. Do a search for photos on Houzz "display shelves" There are many beautiful and unique ways to display collections. Maybe some will inspire you.
[houzz=] [houzz=]
[houzz=]

It appears that the white strip above the fireplace is a picture rail, so why don't you hang your art from that? Still seems to be too much stuff around, in the room in general. And can the tv go anywhere else? It's taking away from the focal point of the room.

And I just found this photo. Could be easily made, and wouldn't they be nice for displaying some of your smaller pieces?
[houzz=]

Could the TV put on one of the walls, mkmort. You said you don't have any windows in that room?
Love the various ways to display your collection. You would be able to enjoy it more. With the LED lights, very easy to high light the collection.

The curio has a mirror back. The color is the reflection from the wall across from it. There are two large openings, one on each side of the curior into the dining room. And another doorway opposite of the fireplace. The longest wall has the sofa. Trust me it is much better than it was when we moved in with blue walls, blue carpet and I owned a blue couch and loveseat. And since I have to work the next 10 days straight it will probably be while before I can post more pics or make additional changes. It is a work in progress.

I understand about the mirror - which is a trick I use as well. Just saying that, with the amount of visual stimulation in that cabinet, I think it would be helpful to calm what is surrounding it - irrespective of what else is going on in the room.

We are planning on making some changes in the future. Right now finishing a bathroom, hoping grout today will be complete. We talked about building bookcases on each side of the fireplace but already have a wall of cabinets in the dining room and thought it would be too much. We also have been discussing putting up wainscotting around this room and paint the ceiling and walls a different color.

I recall you saying that there were no windows in the room. If it were my place, that would be the first thing I would do.

My sister is a ruthless organizer. She has stopping me from getting organizers for more stuff and with her clear objective mind help me streamline. I have never been one for lot of chochkes but with gifts and such you end up with them anyway. I kept things I loved and really pared down and gave things away and trashed some things too. It is nice to tackle this with a friend who can help the process. Sounds like you have your plate full now though. You could give yourself 5 minutes a day though. Set a timer and remove 9 things a day to donate, trash or sell. If you have no windows perhaps that could be your next project instead of wainscot.

The only outside wall is the fireplace wall and it is brick on the outside. Windows would be a major undertaking not sure they would be worth the cost of removing the brick. And there are so many more projects that really need to be addressed. Like the vinyl siding and front entrance and limited budget. It is paid for so that helps. https://www.houzz.com/discussions/entry-way-on-ranch-help-dsvw-vd~574144

I like the mantle with the colored glasses and the one painting

The strip above the fireplace appears to be a picture rail, so why don't you hang your art work from that? Does it go around the room?

Yes it goes around the room. The other walls are cream colored. The wall with the fireplace is green. And I guess because it would be very high if I hung it from there and then everyone would tell me to lower it.

You use special hangers to hang art from a picture rail:

What a nice feature. I would use it to hang your art.
http://www.houseofantiquehardware.com/hooks-for-picture-rail

Yup, that's how you use picture rail!

I don't think it is a true picture rail. It was the same as the chair rail that we removed. The top would not work to hang anything from as it is angled the wrong way. But it is a nice idea. Guess I need to rethink the picture over the sofa too.

you can always fake it. If it works for the design, that is :)

not sure uf you decided what to do about the blue green lanterns but I think they are quite pretty and would look great as a grouping instead if hanging across the fireplace. they would look great hanging from the ceiling at different heights over a table in a corner or something like that.

mkmort, I just went to your other thread. Your house is adorable! This room does not match the outside at all.

Here's a simple fix. Remove the picture rail. They really only belong in houses with 10 ft. or higher ceilings. It's too low to actually use, it just adds to the clutter, and forces you to squeeze your art between it and the mantel. Then find a LARGE painting or print that you love and hang it low over the fireplace.

Yes!

I removed the lanterns. Thank you for all the help and compliments. It is a large house but it was full of things when we moved here. And I guess you just get used to it being crowded and overwhelming. Thanks again. Will post more as I can...

For a quick simple fix this is what I would do. Just remove and rearrange a couple things. I agree with others that the lanterns and white molding need to go though.

So is the wall color good? We will be painting and removing popcorn ceiling soon. Thank you for the feedback.

Yeah, no more popcorn ceiling, excellent move. Your paint color. May be fine it is hard to tell because of the bad lighting with the sofa picture. Can you take a picture of sofa and wall?

I actually think the wall color is great! Neutrals are great colors because they work well with most any color palette and allow you to change things up. The great thing with paint, though, is that it is cheap and easily reversible. If you want you can always paint it a different color and if you don't like it paint it back. But I think the color you have is very sophisticated and works well with the brick.

Here are more pics of the room as requested.

And I just put this in my entry hall.

One of my cats didn't like the mantel either. He got up there yesterday and knocked down the print and all the glassybabys. Luckily nothing shattered but we just spent to morning at the vets for a pulled muscle. I guess trying to get down when everything was falling he pulled a muscle and has been limping.