fireplaces that don't suck: brad ford.

i'm sure we've all seen our share of barf-y fireplace mantles. as a designer, i unfortunately see them all the time, and only get the occasional chance to rip those suckers off the wall and start over. thusly, i am always sleuthing for clean, fresh takes on the typically traditional mantle. additionally, i'm forever hounding inexpensive solutions, as this is an area that can go overboard if you're not careful. today i stumbled on a handful of mantle inspirations in brad ford's design portfolio, which are featured below and fit all of my aforementioned bills. i like that they are unexpected and also could be re-interpreted for a reasonable price. although generally contemporary, they could work with a variety of styles, especially if you are a mixer-and-matcher like yours truly. a quick trip (and coincidental timing) to brad's blog reveals that a lot of his inspiration comes from international architecture firm studio ko, which GAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH. just go to their website. try not to eat your computer screen when you do.