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	Home   Fire Mantels   Complete Fire suround Fireplace Mantel Fascia Cast Stone Mantels Corbel Mounted Mantels   Acanthus Leaf Grape Shell Traditional Pillaster Acanthus Pillaster Traditional Wave Plinth Block About us Contact us	Traditional Corbel Mantels Corbels have been in use for both decorative and structural architectural purposes for many centuries. Generation after generation, newly developed architectural styles have adapted traditional corbel designs to fit within new design concepts.  The traditional corbel, however, has always served as both a type of ornamental trim and as support for overhead structures.  Corbels are used extensively to support shelving; beautifully carved corbels provide decorative addition to wooden fireplace mantels.  A corbel has two flat outer surfaces that are functional and a third outer face that is available for decorative carving along with the sides of the piece. The types of ornamentation that have been used for corbels for many generations often include carvings of floral patterns or other types of plant life.  Corbels that feature arrays of oak leaves or acanthus leaves are perennial designs, as are corbels that have grapes or grape vines incorporated into their carved surfaces.  Shells and ocean waves are also found in a number of corbel designs.  The term "traditional corbel" refers to those corbels that maintain a simpler decorative design, utilizing geometric touches rather than specific images such as shells or floral rosettes.
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