Our Name

What’s the story behind the name?
We’re glad you asked!

Once upon a time, fireplaces cooked meals and heated great halls. They served a clear, functional purpose. In today’s homes, fireplaces serve an important social purpose, providing a different kind of warmth and comfort.

Over time, the purpose of the fireplace shifted dramatically – and our visual cue is the mantel

Early fireplaces did not have mantels. These were added later for ornamental purposes, which signaled the changing role of the fireplace from a primarily functional purpose to a primarily social purpose. Mantels’ varying designs – and the fixtures atop – reflect changing styles, social status, and personal tastes.

The mantel is a metonymy for meaningful social experiences

A metonymy is a figure of speech in which a single word or object is used to refer to a more complicated concept. Examples include “the crown” for “British sovereignty” or “a brand” for “a company’s products, services, and image.” Mantels are a time-honored metonymy for the experiences that matter most.

Today, nearly all products are going through a shift – one that is similar to the fireplace’s shift from functional to social. Now, we don’t buy a product or service to use it. We purchase a product or service to experience and share it. Few products are really important to consumers, but we care deeply about the experiences that bring significance to our lives. This is why Stone Mantel is dedicated to discovering the brand experiences that matter.

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