Four New Mantels, and the Thinking Behind Them

Four new mantels join the Mantels Direct lineup this season: Briarwood is a cast stone shelf made to look just like reclaimed wood for a centerpiece that works indoors or out. Arcadia is an elegant wood shelf with clean lines that complement any style. Luna is a fluted, arched wood surround, a beauty made for modern and transitional rooms. And Everly Linear is a sophisticated frame for a linear firebox.

We asked the team behind each of these pieces to explain the decisions at the center of their designs, giving you an exclusive peek behind the curtain at the process.

Here’s what’s new, who each piece is for, and what went into them.

At a Glance: How the Four Compare

When it comes to mantels, deciding between a shelf and a full surround is the first fork in the road. A mantel shelf mounts above your firebox and does its work with a single horizontal line. A full surround frames the opening on three sides, with legs running down to the floor and a shelf across the top.

Briarwood Mantel Shelf, in Partnership with Country Living

Briarwood gives you the reclaimed wood look without the upkeep. It’s made from cast stone, molded directly from a real reclaimed timber, so the plank lines, knots, and worn edges look authentic.

The practical payoff of cast stone rather than real wood is where it can live. Real reclaimed wood needs a stable climate and eventually needs sealing, sanding, and refinishing. The Briarwood shelf doesn’t, which means you can just as easily put it on a covered patio or in an outdoor kitchen as you can in the living room. Cast stone is also non-combustible, which matters if your clearances are tight. You can see the rest of our non-combustible mantels if that’s the constraint you’re working around.

You can customize placement of the included matching corbels, so everything looks seamlessly integrated with your fireplace.

“With Briarwood, we wanted to solve a real dilemma: the warmth of reclaimed wood without its limitations. Molded concrete gave us that non-combustible flexibility and consistency, but it’s the hand-finishing that does the real work — bringing in the imperfections and character of real wood, so every mantel carries its own story.” – Matt Dorrance, Category Manager of Mantels Direct

If you’re working with a brick or stone fireplace wall, our guide to pairing wood-look mantels with brick and stone can help you figure out which tones sit well against which masonry. And if you like the material but want a different look, the full range of cast stone mantel shelves is worth a scroll.

Shop the Briarwood Mantel Shelf

Arcadia Mantel Shelf

Arcadia takes a familiar shape and elevates it to something truly special. With traditional mantel shelves, corbels are separate brackets bolted underneath. On Arcadia, they’re built into the body of the shelf itself, a sculptural piece of the form, so it reads as one continuous shape.

Stacked, tiered moldings give it the shadow lines you’d associate with fine millwork. The shelf surface is wide and substantial, which makes it easy to style. And if you’re mounting a TV above it, the proportions keep the wall from reading top-heavy.

“Arcadia began with a challenge I love: take something classic and make it feel new again. I took a shape everyone recognizes and gave it a quiet twist, just enough that it catches your eye without ever stealing the show in your room.” – Matt Dorrance, Category Manager of Mantels Direct

It comes in two sizes, 60” and 72”, in five finishes across poplar and white oak: white or black paint on poplar, and unfinished, umber, or blonde on white oak. That range covers most style directions, from crisp and modern to warm and layered. If you’re still sizing, you can browse more 60-inch mantel shelves and 72-inch mantel shelves to see how each width sits on a wall.

Shop the Arcadia Mantel Shelf

Order an Arcadia finish sample

Modern Ember Luna Mantel Surround

Luna is a scene-stealer. Your eye can’t help but be drawn to the rounded, hand-fluted wood frame: the fluting runs continuously through the corners and down each leg rather than stopping at a joint, and it’s set against flat, smooth-edge trim molding. That contrast gives it incomparable dimension.

The proportions keep it substantial without being heavy, so it anchors a fireplace wall without crowding the room. The rounded arch and vertical fluting sit naturally in modern and transitional homes, offering a touch of art deco flair. Once it’s mounted, scribe molding covers the transition where the surround meets the wall, so the piece reads as one continuous form instead of a frame sitting on top.

“With Luna, I let myself design without restraint — the curves I love, the textures I love, all in one place. The rounded profile feels current, and the balance of fluted and flat surfaces gives it a depth that photos don’t fully capture. It’s meant to be the piece your eye goes to first.” – Matt Dorrance, Category Manager of Mantels Direct

Luna comes in two sizes, 48” × 42” and 56” × 42”, and five wood-tone finishes on walnut or white oak. It includes the full surround (legs and breast/shelf) and a French cleat mounting board, which hangs more securely than standard hardware. If white oak is where you’re headed, our piece on white oak mantels covers how the grain behaves across finishes. You can also see Luna in context with the rest of our modern fireplace surrounds.

Shop the Luna Mantel Surround

Order a Luna finish sample

Everly Linear Surround

Linear fireboxes are wide and low, and most mantels aren’t. Everly Linear solves that: it’s our best-selling Everly surround reshaped for linear openings, framing the firebox completely (legs and shelf) rather than floating a single shelf above it.

The proportions are built for the format, so it looks made for the space rather than added to it. Its balanced and clean aesthetic works in both modern and contemporary rooms and in softer traditional ones.

“Everly Linear came from watching where design was headed before it fully arrived. Linear fireplaces deserved more than a floating shelf — they deserved a frame with real presence. This is our best-selling mantel, reshaped to feel completely at home in a modern space.” – Matt Dorrance, Category Manager of Mantels Direct

It comes in one size, 66” × 34”, in white oak or poplar, with seven finishes: black, white, blonde, sable, umber, whitewash, and unfinished. It pairs particularly well with the Highmark 50” Linear Electric Fireplace, since they have complementary proportions. Installation uses the same French cleat board as Luna. If you’re building the wall out first, our guide to framing a fireplace bump-out for linear inserts walks through the sequence, and you can browse linear electric fireplaces if you’re choosing the firebox at the same time.

Shop the Everly Linear Surround

Order an Everly Linear finish sample

Before You Order

For measuring, mounting height, and clearances, we have three reference guides: how to measure for a mantel, mantel height standards and design rules, and clearance requirements by fireplace type. On clearances specifically, always follow the documentation that came with your firebox.

Not Sure Yet? Start With a Sample

Finish is the hardest thing to judge on a screen, but don’t let it paralyze you. Ordering a wood finish sample lets you put the actual grain and tone against your floor, your trim, and your afternoon light before you commit to a full piece.

Arcadia, Luna, and Everly Linear all come in finishes you can sample. Briarwood’s Umber is a cast stone finish, so it isn’t part of the wood sample range. For that one, the product photography is your best guide.

Bottom line: if you want warmth that can handle an outdoor room, that’s Briarwood. If you want architectural detail without heaviness, Arcadia. If you want the fireplace to be the focal point, Luna. And if you have a linear firebox, Everly Linear was drawn for it.