I’ve got to be honest, I was going to do 28 for the 28 days of February but I got pretty far in and then fizzled out. 20 something ways to style your mantel is still pretty good though, right? Mantel styling is hard. I’ve never had one before but they can be daunting. I hope to help you not feel that way when styling yours. Let’s just go through the pictures and we’ll talk as we go.
After Christmas I kept the stars up for a little while. They’re wintery and pretty.
As you see the mantel change, remember I used what I had around the house. Be creative. Shop what you have before you go out and buy something new.
One thing you need to think about is scale. Don’t prop a bunch of tiny things on the mantel. That won’t work.
The vase in the picture below is about 8″x8″. I wouldn’t do anything smaller. Or keep in mind that a small thing is ok but it needs to be grouped with objects that are a better scale for the space.
You can see also that I played around with the chairs in front of the fireplace as well. I actually love it with this upholstered chair here. It’s cozy. I’m working on finding a floor lamp for that corner. Just the one chair opens up the space a little, which I like.
You can always add plants. FACT: They make everything look better.
Things look better in odd numbers. The mantel below has three large objects and 2 plants. (I think this one might be my favorite but I obviously can’t have a giant picture with only one of my children.)
This one has 4 things on the mantel when you include the plant that is completely in front of the ply wood. That plant helps to break up the length of the blank space.
That butterfly art was up in my big kids room. It was a free download I had printed at staples then a thrifted frame. (all done a while back)
…or add a pop of color.
Notice I’ve grouped things in odd numbers but also I’ve varied heights for a more interesting mantel.
My friend Laura helped me do this styling. She thought to put the letter tray on the hearth. I never would have thought about it but I love it. If you don’t have kids that would immediately ruin something down lower, then don’t forget you could use that space as well.
This milk glass pops so well against the dark painting.
In this one I used the one wreath. That’s a pretty large scale wreath so I let it stand alone. There’s an odd number of candle sticks and some books to add a little weight but this one is pretty simple. Laura, again, (genius idea) moved a little blanket / fur thing and propped some pillows on the hearth. I love the warmth it adds.
I used a mirror once. Use a mirror on the mantel with caution. Make sure you like what it reflects. In this case it just reflected the bright white of the ceiling. That’s kind of boring but it’s good if you have a dark space that needs some light to bounce around. If it reflects a light fixture you don’t like or the mess of a kitchen counter (I did that once….for like 7 min) then don’t use one.
If you don’t have things around the house that you can use and you’re
looking to gather items that would work, remember: large scale. Frames
that are 11×14 at least. Objects that are bigger than 8″x8″. Overlap. Odd numbers. You can do this.
Was this helpful?! I hope so. It’s fun to look at all the different ones we did. Let me know if I can answer any questions. Otherwise, style that mantel! You can do it!!
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Thanks for reading, friends!
Jessica, can you tell me about your carpet I've been looking for a traditional with grays, pinks, burgundy tones. Thank you.
Hi Lynn! I added shopping links near the bottom of the post. I have loved this rug. It might be my favorite. It's got pink and grey blues, mustard, grey. Its great!