How to Stage a Fireplace When It's Summertime

What better way to show off a fireplace in summer than
filling it with mirrors, the way Eddie Ross has done?   

Most home buyers are drawn to a fireplace like moths to a flame. 

But in hot weather, a fireplace doesn't have all the magnetism it does on a snowy winter day. 

In summertime, all your rooms should feel cool and refreshing.

Feng shui experts say that a fireplace makes a room “hot” because it represents the “fire element,” and that an empty, unused fireplace represents lifeless or drained energy.

   

Even if you don't know beans about feng shui, you can't deny that there’s nothing appealing about an empty fireplace, no matter what the season. 

It’s a black hole in one wall. It looks like something’s missing or not working.   

Is there a way to showcase your fireplace without suggesting heat? Yes. Here's how.

Whether you're decorating coastal style or not, you can't go wrong
with an oversized clamshell, either empty or filled
with shells or plants. Ali Wentworth via Completely Coastal.   

A mirror in front of the firebox brightens any space, and a round one like
this adds some needed curves to the room. Photo: Porch Light Interiors.

Hydrangeas are always a popular fireplace prop, because they look fresh even when
dried. That means they'll look fine for months. Photo: Country Living Magazine. 

Diane at In My Own Style blog designed this ever-so-sweet decorative, folding screen.
She made it no-sew style, from fabric attached to a pattern cutting board .

My own fireplace looks like this in summer. I bought the fabric fan at a garage sale years ago.
It's the perfect firebox cover-up because of its cool color.  

If you're going to keep logs in your fireplace in summer, add some hardware like a 
handsome grate or these anchor themed andirons. Photo: Traditional Home.

More How-to's for Hot Weather Fireplace Staging

• Keep animal prints packed away during warm months. No furry pillows on
  the hearth, please.
•  In summer, flowers and plants make more sense than candles in the 
  firebox. Candles represent small fires.
•  White birch logs or white ceramic logs look cool in the summer 
  fireplace.
•  Any props that are beachy, nautical or coastal are perfect for 
  fireplace staging.
•  Keep your colors on the cool and pale side of the color palette.
•  When in doubt, concentrate on white for a refreshing, summertime 
  color scheme.
•  Choose colorful and glazed ceramics rather than dark crockery 
  and earthenware.
•  Any reminders of water, like seascapes, a fountain, shells, or fish 
  motifs, make good props for the firebox, hearth, or mantel, because 
  they balance the fire element.
•  Make sure your firebox is clean, even if it is covered with a screen. 
  Buyers will look inside.
•  Your realtor and your MLS or FSBO listing should indicate that 
  your fireplace is working if it is a functional fireplace.
•  Tracy at Comfort and Luxury blog did a marvelous post on out-of-season fireplaces.

Need more ideas for fireplace staging? Check out my 

Pinterest Board, Fireplaces Out of Season. 

If you download my $5 ebook, DIY Home Staging Tips to Sell 

Your Home Fast and For Top Dollar,

you can start staging your home for market today. 

You’ll see how easy it is create the look and feel buyers want.