Add warmth to your fireplace

For better or worse, a living room often is designed with the fireplace as its focal point, giving a utilitarian niche an incredible amount of design clout. Describing the expanse over the fireplace as “one of the most important spaces in the room,” Los Angeles interior designer Mark Cutler says it should go beyond decoration. “It’s such an opportunity to create a statement about what it is you want the room to be,” he says, “or what your values about your home are.”

Zen aesthetic: Cutler suggests keeping the fireplace simple and graphic, such as the unusual flea-market sunburst in this photo. “I am a huge fan of one special thing,” he says. “Find an item that means something about your values and your home.” Choosing a simple object with personal meaning is far more significant than other considerations, such as scale. “A fabulous oil painting that has been in your family for generations may look stunning over the fireplace,” he says. “It gives it that pride of place. When people walk in, they will immediately see the value in it -- and what you see in it.”

Fireplace grilles: Have as little in front of the firebox as possible, Cutler says. In a house with no small children, go without a grille. When the fireplace is empty, it opens up the hearth, whereas a grille is a stopping point. If burning wood is not an option, try a selection of candles. “You still get that warm glow of the hearth,” he says, “although I don’t like the idea of leaving the candles in there indefinitely.” In summer, use the space as a decorative niche. Put a nice plant in there. If you prefer wood, get some birch logs. “The silver-gray ones look fabulous -- almost like a piece of sculpture in and of themselves. Or do what I do: Turn on the air conditioning and light the fire,” Cutler says with a laugh.

Festive mantel: “One of my favorite things to do if I’m having a dinner party is to stop at the drugstore and buy one of those bags of 100 tea lights,” he says. “I’ll line up a dozen of them across the top of the mantel. They look so festive and beautiful and give an incredible light to anything I’ve hung up above.” The beauty of decorating comes from a simple gesture, he says. The mantel is not a great place for collectibles because they will read visually as a line, not an eye-pleasing cluster. If Cutler does place anything on the mantel, “I’ll put something such as a small stem vase, at on one end or another, rather than in the middle.”

Photographs: The fireplace speaks of gatherings of the past and volumes about the history of the room and a sense of tradition. “It doesn’t seem like the place for photographs,” he says. “A table is the place for photographs. A mantel is too high. Photographs are such intimate things. Whatever you put on your mantel is a public gesture.”