When it comes to Christmas Decorating, my favourite area to focus my creative energy is the fireplace mantle. In our current home, we are lucky to have two very different fireplaces. The one in our Living Room is gas, and we love to use it when the temperature drops. Up until recently we had a TV mounted above it, with speakers in the wall on either side. Moving the TV and taking out the wall speakers was one of my best design decisions ever, and now the styling possibilities have really opened up! Here is how I have styled this mantle for the holidays
The fireplace in our family room is a real wood burning fireplace but we have never used it…we need to have the chimney swept and it’s just one of those things that I never get around to doing! The white painted brick is one of my favourite features of our house and I love styling this mantle. This year I went very “Modern Farmhouse” using wood, galvanized metal and the cute painted wood sign.
If you are looking for some inspiration when it comes to decorating your own mantle, then I’ve got you covered! Today I am sharing 5 mantle styling tips with you!
1.create a focal point
Just like “regular” mantle styling, when I am decorating a fireplace for Christmas, I like to create a focal point with art or a decorative item. This year, as you may have noticed, I have used a round mirror above both of my mantles.
I love a mirror because it’s neutral and doesn’t compete with my Christmas decor. Here are a few other ideas for a festive focal point:
Wreath
There are so many beautiful wreath options out there, and one to suit every budget! I love this image below, it is from last year’s Magnolia Market Christmas collection.
Magnolia Market
Holiday Printable
You can also use a framed printable like this blogger did to style her mantle…
image from https://www.nestofposies-blog.com/
Did you know that you can find tons of free printables on Pinterest? Find one that you love, have it printed at Walmart or Staples, and bam – instant Christmas art!
Winter Photography
My last idea for a focal point is a black and white photo that reads “winter” like this one:
You can just find an image you like online, print and frame it and call it a day!
2.add some greenery
I love adding some life to my mantle, and while fresh smells so good, I use the same faux branches every year to place on top of my mantle.
This year I bought some faux holly boughs and I love them in my recycled bottle vases. They really add a “wow factor” to my vignette!
3.pick an accent color or two
As you can probably tell, this year I have gone classic and used red as my main accent color. My pops of red come from the faux holly berries, the stockings, candles and ornaments in my main Living Room.
It’s a similar situation in my family room, with the red stockings and ornaments as well as the present box.
I incorporated more black in this room, with the mirror and cute little sign…a recent Walmart find!
4.mix heights and shapes
The recycled bottle vases I mentioned above are a good example of this, one is tall and skinny and the other is shorter and more round in shape. I placed them on either side of the mirror and then added some candle holders to one side
and a glass jar of ornaments on the other. As you will see, I stacked some books under the ornaments because it wasn’t quite high enough.
5.hang those stockings by the chimney with care!
This is a pretty personal choice, but to me, no mantle is complete without Christmas stockings! With so many options out there, I think stockings are a great way to add personality to your holiday mantle.
Stocking holders are also a fun addition, I have seen so many interesting options in my shopping travels this season. I just bought these galvanized house ones and they add so much style to my Modern Farmhouse mantle.
Well, there you have my top 5 tips for styling your Christmas mantle. If you are a Vancouver local and you would like some help decorating your home this season, you can click here to find out more about my holiday styling services, or click here to get in touch. If you have enjoyed this post, please pin or share it!
Thanks so much for reading!
xo, Kerri
