What Is a Mantle?

by Contributing Writer

Overview

For almost as long as human beings have built solid shelters to serve as homes, fireplaces have commonly been a feature of those homes. Serving a functional purpose, fireplaces were used, obviously, to keep a house warm. For hundreds of years, however, fireplaces have also served as a decorative element in the home, and the mantel is the most decorative part of the fireplace.
Definition

The mantel is the decorative surround of a fireplace.

Shelf Mantels

Occasionally, a fireplace has a simple shelf over the top. Frequently constructed from wood, these mantels are decorative now, but used to be used for hanging and drying laundry.
Complete Surround Mantel

There are also mantels that surround a fireplace on three sides, forming a decorative, sometimes elaborate, frame for the fireplace box.
Composition

Mantels can be constructed from many materials: wood, slate, marble, cement, granite.
Style

A mantel can be a simple, clean, flat surface with no overhanging shelf, or it can be a huge elaborately carved architectural element.