Sunday, May 5, 2019

The Mantle Quandary



I'm going to need your help for a minute...please, please, please.

Putting a house up for sale is exhausting! They say in the first 3 weeks you will get the most traffic, so it's important to "show" well the day the sign goes up.  

For us, the sign goes up this Monday!


With A Large Heavy Mirror

Now that we've decluttered, dejunked, and taken away most of the house's personality, we're trying to decide what to do with the mantle.

The large wood mirror looks kind of plain without some color to it. What would you add for color if we chose to go with that option?

I didn't want to move the very heavy mirror until I was sure we wouldn't be using it on the mantle. Call me lazy...I placed a family painting that I was thinking of using right in front of the mirror temporarily.


With A Family Painting

You'll have to imagine the painting without the mirror behind it. Sometimes squinting helps to block things out!



The other option we tried was this large round clock that has the same whites, grays, and browns as the pillows and furniture in the room. Again, pretend the heavy mirror is not there...are you squinting still?

One problem with using the round clock over the mantle is that it would need to be hung on the wall. A while back we paid someone to repair and paint the wall where a large TV use to hang and I'd rather not mess the wall up again!



With A Large Round Clock

Hey...Don't go yet! 

I'm thinking of replacing the coffee table too, so maybe you can imagine one of these ottomans from PotteryBarn in the room?


Which Of These Would You Pick?

The cream and metal ottoman on the bottom left in the photo is the one I'm leaning toward -- but we also have some leather in the room so the tufted leather ottoman in the upper left corner might work too.


Leaning Towards This Ottoman

This photo from the PotterBarn website shows the cream ottoman with a sofa similar in color to our love seat and chair. 

I kind of like the idea of adding a little pink to the mix like they show in the catalog photo. Any ideas? 

If you have any opinions on what to do, please leave a comment below...I'd honestly love your help.




Thanks for dropping by!




24 comments:

  1. I like the family painting and the ottoman that you chose.

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  2. Thank you for expressing your opinion, Susan. I appreciate the quick response!

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  3. I would probably use just the large mirror propped on the mantle and let it stand alone as a 'pop'. The mirror also visually expands the room.

    If you have a useable ottoman or coffee table I don't know as I would spend the money replacing it. People look for spaciousness as much as anything- unfettered movement through a room. How about a picture of what you have in place now?

    Good luck- Staging to move is a devil,isn't it? lol Wish I lived closer, I would come help you! xo Diana

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    1. I would drive get you if you lived closer Di. Nothing like an experienced Realtor and Stager helping!

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  4. Is there any way you can make your furniture face the fireplace so that it becomes the main focal point in the room rather than a 'side piece'? Not sure how big the room is but you could even lose the coffee table if need be-although I don't hate what you have there already.

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    1. I made the mistake of taking down the TV over the fireplace and buying a 65 inch TV (Bill's dream, decorating nightmare) and large cabinet to hold it. That's why the furniture doesn't face the fireplace, but I agree with you it should! Thanks for the info.

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  5. I like the painting over the mirror. No opinion on the tables.


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    1. Thanks Janet. Hope you're feeling better this weekend.

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  6. I like the painting and the ottoman you are thinking about.

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    1. Thanks Mari. That seems to be the most appealing to most people.

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  7. I like the clock it goes well with the other things and the ottoman with the book on it. The cream one doesn't seem to tie in with the colours in the room. But what do I know?

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    1. I like getting everyone's opinion as you're all potential homebuyers. The YouTube videos on styling homes said to make the home the most appealing to your buying market. My area is not youngsters, but mid age or older.

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  8. Actually I also like the mirror but I'd paint the frame in a lighter colour.

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    1. Great idea. But the photographer will be here tomorrow. Maybe I'll paint it in the future though.

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  9. You got some good suggestions, so you probably don't need mine, but I like the painting set a little off from center and then a pretty container with a spray of greenery. Live greens always look good in a room. You could use candle sticks also. It appears that the mirror only reflects the ceiling fan and might be something you wouldn't want to call attention to. You will come up with the right thing. I love how you said all the personality is sucked out of the room. I guess that is something that has to be done, but it kind of makes me mad..Happy Sunday..Judy

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    1. You cracked me up Judy. I love your cottage and wouldn't want it changed just to sell it, but I think you decorate much better than I do.

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  10. I can't tell from your photo, but if your lanterns have the ability to hold candles I'd buy bright ones and use those as my color pop and repeat the color with an accent on your coffee table.

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    1. The candles in them are the flickering faux ones from PotteryBarn, but aren't showing up well. I'm looking for bigger ones. Thanks for the advice.

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  11. I like the painting, it adds color and interest. how does it look without the lanterns? Perhaps the lanterns are a bit out of scale...do you have any candle stick, etc.? I do think adding a bit of color would be nice.

    Good luck! I hope that it sells quickly.

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  12. Oh thank you! I hope it does too as I hate the process of selling houses. Our home has 12-foot ceilings so everything ends up looking smaller/shorter. That's a problem when you're trying to decorate.

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  13. If you already have an ottoman, I'm not sure I'd replace it unless you really want one of those three to take with you in your new home. I'm not sure it would matter. Ditto with painting the mirror, unless you really want to paint it for your own future use. Because it just gives context but people will look and say, "Oh, that's a good sized mantle -- we could put our whatever there." They won't care. It looks like it's in good shape and that's the main thing. And you're right -- do not hang anything unless the nail hole is already there; then you won't have to worry about repairing. Quite a huge job! Good luck! (I might move the lanterns, too!)

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  14. I hope your house sells quickly. I like the idea of the ottoman as a coffee table. It will be great for after your move too. I hope you both are well.

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  15. Family painting, greenery/candle in the lanterns, oatmeal or tufted...both would look great! Hope it's going well! Love and hugs!

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  16. You were wise to declutter. It is a shame that people sometimes look more at the decor than the bones of the house when one is selling the home. I wish you luck in your sale.

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