topic Re: Decorating ideas in Home

Decorating ideas

crazered — Wed, 20 Jun 2018 11:16:09 GMT

Suggestions on how to decorate the inside of a fireplace

do you put knickknacks on your end tables

Re: Decorating ideas

Mominohio — Wed, 20 Jun 2018 12:31:19 GMT

I don't have a fireplace in my current home (and having spent the first 35 years of my life with one, I can tell you I'm sorely missing it).

I never, back in the day, decorated the inside of my fireplace. I always thought a very pretty screen appropriate when not in use. Fast forward to recently and I do see nice candlescapes of flameless candles inside fireplaces that I like.

My caution in doing so would be to not over crowd the space, and give varying heights to the candles. I've seen too many done that they just jam in candles, and holders, and garland and the whole thing gets to be too much. Always remember the rest of your room and what is on the mantel in relation to not making things seemed cluttered.

As for end tables, I don't really have traditional end tables. In the living room I have one Victorian oak very large side table, and I do put a lamp and some antique pieces from my family on it, including a very old copy of a children's book of poetry that belonged to my great uncle, with my dad's glasses from when he was a little boy, and and old gold stop watch, with some antique vintage picture cards. I'll try to post a picture of it later for you.

I'm trying to get things a bit less cluttered and more coordinated/streamlined in my home, while maintaining the warmth and interest. A challenge at best! LOL

Re: Decorating ideas

faeriemoon — Wed, 20 Jun 2018 12:32:34 GMT

You can buy a fireplace candelabra (NOT like Liberace's) for the inside of your fireplace, or you can just place candles of different sizes in there too. Lanterns look great in there also!

In the summer, you can opt to house a plant in your fireplace.

As for your other question, I do have things on my end tables, but I hate to refer to them a knick-knacks, which to me generally means junk.

Re: Decorating ideas

AuntG — Wed, 20 Jun 2018 16:51:36 GMT

Ours is a gas fireplace so it just has fake logs in it. I put coasters and a candy dish on our end tables, along with lamps.

Re: Decorating ideas

Citrine1 — Wed, 20 Jun 2018 12:54:26 GMT

@Mominohio, I can tell from your many posts that your home is just lovely! I, too, have an old childrens poetry book displayed with my dads reading glasses (not from when he was a kid, though). The book I have is Robert Louis Stevenson's "A Childs Garden of Verses". It was a gift to me from my grandparents when I was 5. I'm now 61. I've loved and cherished that book all my life. I think it's what started my love of reading, poetry, and writing.

Re: Decorating ideas

Mominohio — Wed, 20 Jun 2018 13:06:41 GMT

@Citrine1 wrote:
@Mominohio, I can tell from your many posts that your home is just lovely! I, too, have an old childrens poetry book displayed with my dads reading glasses (not from when he was a kid, though). The book I have is Robert Louis Stevenson's "A Childs Garden of Verses". It was a gift to me from my grandparents when I was 5. I'm now 61. I've loved and cherished that book all my life. I think it's what started my love of reading, poetry, and writing.

@Citrine1

OH MY GOSH! I CAN'T BELIEVE YOU SAID THAT!

My book on display is the same! And I have several different copies of that book, from different eras. The one on display is from I think the 1920's and belonged to my great uncle. I have one my grandma gave me as a young child in the early 1960's that I read over and over and over, and then read it over and over and over to my son. We had very few books as children (relative to today's kids) and each one was read again and again. We mostly relied on the library for books back then.

I'm not very well versed in poetry, but those poems in that book go through my mind often. I love that book and the feeling I get when reading those beloved poems even at this age.

Re: Decorating ideas

Citrine1 — Wed, 20 Jun 2018 13:22:44 GMT

@Mominohio Well that's just freaky weird -- and a little scary (LOL), but I'll try not to dwell on that too much so I can compose this post! That is so cool that you have several copies of the same book from different times; gee I would absolutely LOVE that. I, too, read that book to my daughter when she was a child and, now, to my grandson (although he shows little interest).

I'm glad you enjoy the book and have fond memories of it as I do. Reading these poems brings back vivid thoughts of my grandmother, her house, spending time there, etc. My favorite poem in the book is "Bed in Summer". Like you, these verses go through my head quite often.

Still shaking my head at the coincidence of it all!!

edited to add: My book is somewhat tattered and worn, which only adds to its appeal and charm for me.

Re: Decorating ideas

Mominohio — Wed, 20 Jun 2018 15:03:16 GMT

Underneath the very small pocket watch on the left, in front of the lamp, is the birth announcement for my father in 1934, with the spaces filled in, in my grandmother's perfect handwriting.

The book belonged to my great uncle, the glasses, my father's as a small boy. There is a small framed picture next to the teddy bear (actually wrapped in his arms), of my father as a little boy on his tricycle.

I love to use the elements of my family history in my decor. I find things that I put together like this, be be so much more satisfying and I'm satisfied with the "look" so much longer than when I go and buy pieces to complete a vignette.

Re: Decorating ideas

CANDLEQUEEN — Wed, 20 Jun 2018 14:35:48 GMT

I haven't decorated the inside of our fireplace since I bought Valerie's Beautiful Fireplace Screen, it is so decorative that you wouldn't notice what was inside...

However prior to purchasing that, I did have a Candle Candalabra in there with various size flameless candles.....

On my End Tables, are usually a Lamp and Coasters....

Re: Decorating ideas

stevieb — Wed, 20 Jun 2018 14:42:15 GMT

Painted fireplace 'boards' are also very pretty. They were popular in times gone by and trend occasionally. Unlike screens, which are usually metal and designed to keep sparks inside, these are usually purely decorative... They come in many shapes, sizes and configurations and are sometimes just a single decoratively painted board...

Re: Decorating ideas

Mominohio — Wed, 20 Jun 2018 14:42:17 GMT

@Citrine1

My favorite is The Swing, but I love most of them!

Re: Decorating ideas

stevieb — Wed, 20 Jun 2018 14:43:52 GMT

I don't use the traditional 'end tables' but yes, the tables in my rooms have various decorative objects on them.

Re: Decorating ideas

ScrapHappy — Wed, 20 Jun 2018 15:20:02 GMT

I have 3 fireplaces in my house (family room, basement & master bedroom). All functioning and gas. I don't put anything inside them. I only put lamps on end tables. We moved 2 years ago into my dream home and I always thought I'd have it decorated end to end. But I'm finding I don't like all the clutter.

Re: Decorating ideas

Fressa — Wed, 20 Jun 2018 15:34:19 GMT

We use our fireplaces often but in the warm months I either put flameless candles inside it on a variety of candle pedestals or a large basket with jumbo pinecones. In the living room I have a large gold log holder and I put gold pine cones in it for that fireplace. I have raised hearths so my fireplace inserts are not super large.

Re: Decorating ideas

Katcat1 — Wed, 20 Jun 2018 15:43:14 GMT

@crazered I have seen it with 2 different size candles. Large tall and some a little shorter in off white. You could also use some thin branches and add a few items to it of your liking.

Re: Decorating ideas

BirkiLady — Wed, 20 Jun 2018 18:21:59 GMT

@Mominohio @Citrine1 Makes that three of us with "A Child's Garden of Verses" in our homes! Although mine is on a library table in the family room with my grandmother's round, navy leather container which holds a collapsible sterling silver drinking cup. (She had the leather container/top and cup as a child in Durante, Texas before moving to Springfield, MO then Omaha.) Alongside those pieces are my grandfather's set of shaving items with ivory handles in a black leather case. He grew up in Augusta, Maine; worked in finance for Ford Motor Co. in Detroit before moving to Omaha and working in finance in the First National Bank Bldg. That shaving set was used throughout most of his life.

Mom read "A Child's Garden of Verses" to my sister and me, then we read the poems and memorized our favorites. The book (new copies) became one of many poetry books read to our son and my grandson! (Shel Silverstein was another favorite with our son.)

Re: Decorating ideas

Mominohio — Wed, 20 Jun 2018 18:37:21 GMT

@BirkiLady wrote:
@Mominohio @Citrine1 Makes that three of us with "A Child's Garden of Verses" in our homes! Although mine is on a library table in the family room with my grandmother's round, navy leather container which holds a collapsible sterling silver drinking cup. (She had the leather container/top and cup as a child in Durante, Texas before moving to Springfield, MO then Omaha.) Alongside those pieces are my grandfather's set of shaving items with ivory handles in a black leather case. He grew up in Augusta, Maine; worked in finance for Ford Motor Co. in Detroit before moving to Omaha and working in finance in the First National Bank Bldg. That shaving set was used throughout most of his life.

Mom read "A Child's Garden of Verses" to my sister and me, then we read the poems and memorized our favorites. The book (new copies) became one of many poetry books read to our son and my grandson! (Shel Silverstein was another favorite with our son.)

@BirkiLady

I love that you treasure your family heirlooms too! Things like that used to be put away in a box somewhere, but I decided they needed to be used/out and appreciated. It has helped so my son knows the history of the things in our home, should he have an interest in keeping any of it when we are gone. It won't be a mystery which things were from the family's past.

I love Where the Sidewalk Ends too! I read that book to my son many times, and honestly I still get it out once in awhile and revisit the poems.

Re: Decorating ideas

mousiegirl — Wed, 20 Jun 2018 23:53:13 GMT

@Mominohio wrote:
@Citrine1

My favorite is The Swing, but I love most of them!

@Mominohio I have the book also, MIL gave it to DD. When I was a child, I was obsessed about swinging, my very favorite activity, so much so that after a day of working, my Mother picked me up from school at 5:30, and she would stop at a park before the long ride home just to let me swing, and every Sunday after Sunday school take me to another park, loved going so high my feet seemed to touch the treetops, wonderful memories.

Re: Decorating ideas

SilleeMee — Thu, 21 Jun 2018 00:21:03 GMT

I have a nice wood-burning fireplace in my living room but I don't use it because it's too much work. It has a nice raised hearth that's fairly long so I decided that when I got my new big screen TV, that's where it was going to be placed. It fits perfectly on the hearth and it blocks the ugly black fireplace behind it. I've even downloaded a video of a crackling fire with sound and all that I play at the push of a button on the TV remote.

Re: Decorating ideas

panda1234 — Thu, 21 Jun 2018 00:44:28 GMT

I have a log rack/holder with logs in it. Then I have put very small white lights around the logs randomly. The lights came from the Q and they are on timers.