How to Decorate your Mantel for the Holidays
Welcome and Merry Christmas my friends! In the spirit of the holiday season, we’ve been decking the halls with boughs of holly (sing along with me here) fa-la-la-la-la..la-la-la-la! Since our fireplace is a focal point in our great room, we love to give the mantel a little extra attention. Today we’re sharing tips on how we decorated our mantel three different ways with the hope that you’ll find some inspiration for your own.
MANTEL 1 | RUSTIC CABIN
With any theme you choose, think about the elements that make up that theme. A large, old window with chippy paint makes a great focal point and anchor for this rustic theme. We placed pine garland across the mantel and stuffed it with pine cones, twigs and berries. Next we added items you might actually find in and around a real cabin in the woods like pine trees, an old sled, a lantern or iron candlesticks. Using the same techniques as decorating a bookshelf, we varied heights of things and layered shorter items in front. To add that Christmas-y touch, hang a wreath on your window, place a reindeer among the trees and gift wrap a few empty boxes! The garland was created from wood rounds stamped with ink and strung on twine.
MANTEL 2 | MERRY WINTERSCAPE
Nothing makes the wintery holidays feel more festive than a little snow! For our snow we used buffalo fluff! This stretchy, pliable cotton comes in rolls and is perfect for molding a snowscape on your mantel. This time we hung a big round black mirror as our anchor piece to provide contrast against all the white and to reflect our wintery wonderland. Three flocked trees, a swag of snowy greenery and the word “Merry” in fuzzy white letters create the focal point of this mantel design. We rounded out the display with a scattering of sparkly silver and white Christmas ornaments over the snow. To add a cozy element we hung knit sweater stockings from the mantel and placed a knit blanket in a basket on the fireplace hearth.
MANTEL 3 | CLASSIC & ELEGANT MANTEL
This is one of our favorite mantels because it is so simple and elegant. We used the same round black mirror as our anchor piece and hung the same knit stockings. For greenery we bought a 16’ garland of fresh cedar (no faux here), cut it in half and stacked the two layers on top of each other across the mantel. This makes the garland look thicker and more substantial. Weave in a string of Christmas lights for a cozy, warm glow if you’d like.
We scavenged a few thrift stores to find candle sticks in different heights, shapes and sizes, sprayed them all a classic brassy gold, strategically placed them throughout the cedar garland and added cream colored taper candles. When placing the candlesticks, stagger their heights across the mantel and don’t worry about spacing them evenly for a more relaxed, informal look.
We traded the blanket in the hearth basket for one that coordinates with the fur on the stockings. We just love the simplicity of this mantel and the way the candlelight reflects in the mirror so beautifully. Wouldn’t you agree?
We hope you found some inspiration here in one of these examples that you’ll be able to apply to your own mantel. If you don’t have a fireplace or a mantel don’t worry! You can apply these ideas to any flat surface. These techniques work on wall shelves, a sofa or foyer table, even a bench or a buffet! What ever you have, get creative and have fun with it!
