During the building boom days of the 1750's it became increasingly difficult to meet demand for Italian marble, and the Adams brothers of England translated classic Roman and Greek elements into timber mantels. These wood and composition styles were quickly duplicated; in Great Britain they were made primarily of pine while in America they were preferentially made of hardwoods such as oak, readily available in the vast forests of America. 

The American Revolution brought fundamental changes to our architecture, including fireplace mantels. Just as demand peaked for elaborate marble mantels, the American Revolution brought an immediate halt in supply from Great Britain, of course, but also from France, Italy and other exporting countries. Marble mantel designs of the period were heavily influenced by Louis XV and Louis XVI. Louis XV styles focus on sweeping curves, shell designs,trails of flowers and angled mantel legs. Generally of smaller proportions, particularly in height, Louis XV styles were popular in bedrooms. Louis XVI styles are more rectilinear and masculine.

 

American designers from the mid to late 1700's did carve wooden mantels in French styles, though colonial Americans' tastes were decidedly changing.

By the late 1700's it became common to build a mantel using wooden moldings to form pilasters or columns on each side, connected by a chimney breast and topped with a shelf. American made wood mantels were often adorned with hand tooled carved details to elaborate the style. Dentil molding, egg and dart molding, and American symbols such as wheat sheaves, eagles, swords, shields and cannons were commonly integrated into mantel design details. Popular motifs included classical designs with urns, medallions, griffins, baskets of fruit or flowers and flowing garlands. These moldings were being imported from England in large quantity by 1800, though the embargo of 1807 and the War of 1812 cut off supplies of English composition moldings (made of concrete and plaster) to America. These highly embellished mantels were then finished off in a number ways: painting, gilding or glazing with a faux marble finish, or simply stained or waxed.

Domestic American craftsmen learned to duplicate the molding process, creating hand carved festoons and rosettes to add distinction to their designs. A gradual but all encompassing fascination with Greek architecture and symbols dominated American tastes until the 1840's, when American classicism in architecture evolved its own branch of design not found in Europe. Arched fireplace openings were popular by the 1850's; the designs are somewhat austere and sometimes of monumental proportions, but while America established itself in its formative years it was only natural that America began to define its own unique style and to include patriotic symbols, such as eagles, into their designs.

By the 1850's the Industrial Revolution brought about changes in lifestyles, especially for city dwellers and the venture capitalists that invested in emerging technologies of the day that brought about changes to the way we used our American fireplaces.

Iron foundries began using coal as fuel for the furnaces which changed the composition of metal and created iron that better withstood heat from fires. Cast iron remains durable for high temperatures and frequent use, and as coal was being brought into cities for iron manufacture, coal was therefore readily available as a home heating fuel to satisfy the denser population in the cities. 

The move from organic wood fuel to fossil fuels from coal led to changes in fireplace design and dimensions and thus impacted the proportions of fireplace mantels. Coal provides much more heat than an equal volume of wood, burns hours longer and produces less smoke so smaller fireplaces that were tall, narrower in width and very shallow became popular.

 

Hundreds of years earlier it was discovered that narrow fireplace openings drew less heat from the room. As this fireplace design first became popular in London, the dimensions and style of coal fireplaces were emulated in larger American cities. The primary impact on fireplace design and therefore on the dimensions of fireplace mantels was a convenient inside mantel dimension of 36" square. The Industrial Revolution also brought about the introduction of mass produced cast iron used for fireplace grates, andirons, fireplace tools and elaborate fireplace surrounds - even cast iron mantels which were easily transported both across the seas from England and Europe and by rail throughout America.

The popular use of cast iron also provided an abundance of wood and coal burning stoves beginning in the mid 1800's. Thus average American homes began using stoves for both cooking and heating; fireplaces became less popular for heating in favor of the practicality of the cast iron stove. It was during this era that fireplaces became a symbol of wealth and hospitality, and not a feature of practicality. The number of fireplaces built into a house and the adornment of them were symbolic of prosperity because heating was being provided primarily by coal burning stoves while fireplaces were used for ambience in parlors, dining rooms, ball rooms and budoirs. Industrialization and prosperity created nearly unimaginable riches for the already wealthy and created a middle class that could enjoy both practical inventions of the day as well as decorative elements serving as symbols of their financial and cultural successes.

During the Victorian era of Industrial Revolution, designs in architecture, furniture, gadgets and fashion became increasingly ostentatious. Furnishings previously owned only by the aristocracy were flamboyantly displayed. More "stuff" signified greater success, and every nook and cranny was filled with collectibles and oddities, especially pieces from their trips abroad. Elements from Greece, Egypt and the Orient were sometimes combined in confusing designs in architecture and decor. Every surface was covered; furnishings included more shelving to display more treasures to boast financial success and culture from abroad, so this decorating style extended to mantels, of course, as the focal point of each room was certainly the fireplace and its accessories.

In Great Britain a movement against mass production and gaudiness, the Arts and Crafts Movement, coexisted with Victorian decor. Establishing a stronghold in about 1860, the Arts and Crafts style of architecture and furnishings emphasized a return to higher quality materials, simpler styles and appreciation of the artful techniques of master craftsmen. 

America remained enamored of Victorian design and architecture until its nearly sudden end in 1900. American Arts and Crafts style emerged with the almost abrupt ending to the Victorian obsession, and dominated American architecture and furnishings from 1900-1930. American Arts and Crafts style is dominated by clean, straight lines, originality of the design, superior craftsmanship and use of local natural materials. Thus American Arts and Crafts designs are more regionalized, take on the colors of natural local wood and stone and incorporate skills of local craftsmen (including metal works and glass making) which were taught to their children and apprentices. These designs also brought practicality to home building that was targeted to America's growing middle class. Arts and Crafts era mantels epitomized the design principles of this reformation, ending a long era in America that used extraneous embellishments. Clean lines, local slate or stone and quality wood in natural or stained colors became highly appreciated. Where Victorian decor encouraged no empty spaces, Arts and Crafts style encouraged open spaces to focus atttention on well made and highly crafted and practical items.

The Arts and Crafts era was also influenced by concerns for cleanliness in response to the worldwide influenzas and other respiratory diseases of the time. Smooth surfaces are easier to keep clean, and less furnishings made it easier for air to circulate to encourage hygiene.

Coexisting and bridging the Victorian era with Arts and Crafts was the Art Nouveau style of roughly 1890-1905. Focusing on straight lines terminating in curves, ovals and stylized floral motifs that were inspired by Celtic and Scottish influences. Art Nouveau designs were popularly incorporated into cast iron fireplace mantels and surrounds, and in ceramic tile designs that embellished the fireplace hearth and surround.

The Arts and Crafts movement gave way to the Art Deco period, popular in America during the 1930's. This style incorporates geometric styles, inlaid wood, stepped and layered forms plus sweeping curves. Art Deco styles were rarely used in fireplace mantel designs except in very cosmopolitan cities of the 1930's. 

In much of the US, a simple ceramic tile hearth and surround was incorporated into fireplace designs between 1890 and 1940. Tiles of this era are often rectantular, 3" x 1-1/2" and laid in a subway tile pattern. Colors are mostly mottled combinations of 2-3 colors. Lining the inside opening of the fireplace and providing an overlapping border for the tile is a cast iron frame that formed the basis of the fireplace and provided an easy means for mass reproduction. The frame commonly has aperatures on which to hang a coal grate, and a means of attaching a door or "summer cover". A solid summer cover door provides a means of closing off the fireplace when not in use and serves as a means of closing off the fireplace and chimney to prevent downdrafts and heat loss through the chimney.

By the 1930's most homes were built with central heating and fireplaces were given less prominence in their practical contributions to the home. By the 1940's and 1950's, suburban neighborhoods developed, with homes placed on larger lots that often had a supply of firewood on the land, and more available for sale nearby due to clearing land to build even more homes. Fireplaces became wider again to accommodate wood burning (now more for entertaining and recreation) and a 36" wide opening became somewhat standard; mantels are often made of simple wood designs by mass producers or constructed on-site by trim carpenters.

Fuel concerns, for use in both transport and heating, has helped create renewed interest in historic homes in Americ's urban cities. Many of these homes have multiple existing fireplaces, and the question of how best to restore them is a frequent concern. Understanding the decorating trends of the home's original era can help provide design guidance as well as inspiration for a decorating scheme that embodies your personal tastes and lifestyle.