Easy Step-by-Step Guide to Decorate a Mantel Year Round

Ready to decorate a mantel but lacking a general recipe for mantel decorating success?  I’ve found this step-by-step process to work really well in my home and hopefully it gives you inspiration today too!  Check out these tips to decorate a mantel for any time of the year along with favorites for seasonal decorating too!

Do you have a focal point in your living space?  For many people, a fireplace mantel is the main focal point for the entire room, whether it is a modern living room with an open concept for a smaller sitting room in an older home.  Regardless of the different styles of design, there are design tips that can make it easier to decorate a mantel no matter the time of year or season.

​Admittedly, I love changing my entire mantel for almost every season and even some of the “in between” transitional seasons, like the month of August where I’m slowly transitioning from summer to fall decor.

However, you may prefer to have some staple decorative items that stay on your mantel year round.  Then, you simply add quick seasonal accents for the main seasons and holidays.

Either way, this step-by-step guide will help you to decorate a mantel with your unique personal style and give it the perfect touch of “you”.

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Shall we get started?!

Easy Step-by-Step Guide to Decorate a Mantel Year Round

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Step One: Clear the fireplace mantel

The first step for any space I want to restyle is to clear it completely. Think of it as a blank canvas to create visual interest with your art!

Note: I didn’t say the first step would be the most fun!  However, it really will feel great and I find that the blank slate inspires me to be more creative.

Plus, it always feels good to give everything a good dusting, scrubbing, and cleaning without lots of things in the way between seasons!  I worked on this last week in our home and it felt so good!

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Step Two: Gather mantel decor ideas and decorative items with a cohesive look

This step is the perfect place to gather a lot of ideas you love.  I keep my favorite collection of ideas to decorate a mantel year round in THIS Pinterest board!  Feel free to browse and save the ones that fit your personal style to your own Pinterest board!

After I get an idea of the style and direction I want to go with my mantel decor, I begin gathering décor pieces from my home decor stash.  I don’t hesitate to borrow décor pieces from other rooms around our home if they might also work as I decorate a mantel in our family room!

No matter the season, these are the kinds of decorative items I look for to decorate a mantel:

• Narrow down to 3 colors/finishes (example: wood, white, brass)
• Stack of books with a cover or spine in my neutral color palette
• Large mirror or large piece of art for a focal point
• Decorative items in various sizes
• Smaller pieces of framed art or objects for visual interest on a gallery wall
• Smaller vintage mirrors to layer with artwork
• Different sizes of picture frames to hold THESE curated collections of favorite pieces of art (under $20 and looks like real paintings and sketches; they are wonderful pieces of art!)
• Vintage elements or vintage-inspired accents that fit the season
• Seasonal accessories (at the bottom of this post, I’ll share some season-specific ideas to help you get started!)

How much decor you need will, of course, depend on the size of your fireplace.  Also, your personal style will play into this greatly as you lean either toward a more simple, modern style with a pop of color and more minimal accents and not as much stuff.  Or, you may lean more toward the style of vintage mantels (this is me!) with a mantel look that is more full.

Pro Tip:  The easiest way to decorate a mantel is to lean into your personal style.  

All of the design tips in the world won’t really make a huge difference if you don’t love the look you’re creating.  Only YOU have the perfect touch for your own home!

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Step Three: Place decorative objects at different heights

Once the space is completely clear (and cleaned!), it’s time to start decorating!  The first thing I do is place my statement piece or focal point.  Usually, this is one of the largest items.

Pro Tip:  Start with the largest items and begin by placing those on the mantel at different heights.

For example, on this early fall mantel I styled, the largest item was the large elk antler.  Even though it isn’t in the center of the mantel, it is the largest item so I placed it first.

Next, I placed the larger brass candlesticks since I knew I wanted them to be more in the center.  Working out to the ends of the mantel from there, I added old books, different sizes of brass candle holders, and my favorite battery operated taper candles (love that they are on a timer!).

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Step Four: Add complementary accessories

After placing the larger items, it is time to start adding the details that make a space feel personal and curated especially for your home!  Complementary accessories are important to decorate a mantel, as they add details for visual interest, texture, color, and style.

I love how the decor on this particular everyday mantel fills a lot of the space without being too cluttered for my personal style.  At the same time, it has the vintage vibe I love without feeling too jumbled and messy looking.

Even though there are a lot of smaller items on the white mantel, most of them are grouped into collections with a neutral color scheme.  This allows for visual interest without being too busy for the eye.

For example, all of the items are either old books, brass candle holders, and the large antler.  Smaller pieces can work great as long as they are grouped together.  What can get cluttered-looking is if I were to decorate a mantel with a lot of smaller items that were all different.

This everyday mantel during the winter season is another perfect example of how to decorate a mantel with a lot of items and complementary accessories, grouping them into collections.

With this chippy, vintage backdrop in place, I could start adding the accessories that soften all the edges and make my mantel decor feel complete.

Raising the salvage piece on books gave some extra layer and also helps the salvage piece to stand out from the mantel and frame.

Pro Tip: Look for ways to add varied dimensions to your styled vignettes with accessories.

Vintage books are an easy thing to vary the different heights while also adding extra texture and character!  I also always watch for great architectural salvage pieces when we are antique shopping or look around flea markets!

I added thrifted brass sconces to the right of the frame to balance out and tie in the vintage brass candlesticks in front of the mirror!

Pro Tip: Layer candles in front of mirrors to reflect the light and create an even more cozy warm glow!  You get double duty from your candles!  

I like to use flameless candles on a timer or remote control for safety and ease!

Step Six to Decorate a Mantel: Add natural elements

Once you are happy with how your plan has come together to decorate a mantel, it’s time to add what I consider the final touch.

Natural elements are not only a great way to add a little bit of a seasonal look to a pretty mantel, but also one of my favorite ways to help the mantel decoration feel full and complete.

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Step Five to Decorate a Mantel: Edit as you go!

I love how this mantel turned out.  However, it took me a few tries of styling, taking things off and trying it differently, and then repeating the process.  One of the most important aspects to remember when you decorate a mantel is to take your time and edit as you go!

Pro Tip: a lot of home decor styling doesn’t work on the first…or second…or third try.  

Allow time and space to play around with your decor.  I often set something, leave it for a bit, and then come back to edit.  It is worth spending the time it takes to make sure you love the views in your own home!

Natural elements can either be fresh items, such as fresh flowers or freshly cut branches from your yard.  On the other hand, I often use faux natural elements and over time, have invested in very realistic looking natural elements that I can use year after year with no extra cost or labor!

For example, I used faux garlands on this winter mantel decor.  To help all of the decorative pieces feel connected and fluid, I created a layered look with two different faux garlands.

My Norfolk pine garland has been a favorite for several years.  It looks incredibly realistic.  In fact, people will walk up and touch it in my home to see if it is real or not!

You can get the extra long garland HERE and the 60″ garland HERE. 

The 24″ stems make great filler or add three in a tall vase for a quick centerpiece too.  You can find those HERE.  Also, this jasmine or rosemary would have a beautiful look for winter!

I use my realistic faux Norfolk pine greenery from late fall through the entire winter, so it gets a lot of use creating a natural focal point on my mantel or other places through our home.

​My favorite faux garland that I use year round is this real touch eucalyptus.  It looks so realistic and is super easy to work with.  I use it for every season and mix it with lots of different seasonal greenery pieces!

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How to Created a Layered Look with Faux Garlands

​To get a layered look, I put the eucalyptus down first.  Next, I lay the norfolk pine garland down on top of it.  Then, I carefully pull some of the eucalytpus stems through to be more visible.  I think this gives a more natural look than twisting the two garlands together.

Mixed with the pine, it adds a really lush and full look.  I also love a variety in the green color and texture of the leaves too.  They are each so pretty and paired together, I love them even more!

For Thanksgiving, I used this same combination for my table centerpiece.  it really is a great mixture to take you from Thanksgiving through the entire winter season.

​You can use this same process with THIS seeded eucalyptus garland and a pretty floral garland for a simple spring mantel.  Anytime you layer different natural elements, you get added texture to your home decor!

 

Natural Elements for Different Seasons

• Fall: corn husks, preserved stems, dried gourds, dried palm branches, natural colored grasses, pine, branches with turning leaves cut from the yard

• Winter: pine, cedar, rosemary, pinecones, bare branches, evergreen

• Spring Decor: flowers, fresh or faux greenery, potted plants, herbs

• Summer: flowers, fresh or faux greenery (minimal), shells, coral, sea grasses, palm branches

Step Seven: Add small seasonal accents to fill the gaps

The last thing you need to decorate a mantel is to take a look and see if there are little gaps that feel “unfinished”.  If so, small seasonal accents may be just what you need for a balanced look.

Sometimes, just a small “out-of-the-box” decorative item can add the perfect touch of whimsy and visual interest to make a themed mantel look complete.

​This early fall everyday mantel decor is a good example.  I shared earlier how I focused on using just the three elements: Old books, the elk antler, and old brass candle holders.  

However, when I added the small gold vintage horse trophy at the end, it was the perfect finishing touch.  While it connects with the styling on the gallery wall and the rest of the room with a subtle horse motif, it also ties in with the brass candle holders too.

On this everyday winter mantel, the little vintage clocks are the icing on the cake. I love how they add an extra dimension with unique shape and character and maybe even a little touch of the unexpected!

I love for decor to tell a story and these little clocks help create that feeling with my winter mantel decor.  Maybe they even give a nod to a little slower pace, more time at home, and the long, cozy evenings?  That sounds lovely to me right now, for sure!

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Collections make great seasonal accents to decorate a mantel

You could add any kind of collection, such as vintage ironstone, mortar and pestles, or brass figures, to name a few of my own collections.  Using my collections as part of my mantel decor is so much fun and gets them out of my decor stash and visible for me to enjoy!

​Seasonal collections can also be a lot of fun.

For example, a collection of vintage Santa mugs would be so fun to decorate a mantel that is visible from a kitchen or dining space.

If you collect vintage clocks, pull them out to decorate a mantel with vintage charm and style for a New Year’s party and then leave as decor for the winter months.

Our family loves finding fun sea shells and I collect old coral whenever I come across it for a good price.  They are one of my favorite ways to create a beautiful mantel display with neutral colors for the summer season.

For more holiday and seasonal decor ideas to decorate a mantel, consider the following:

• Thanksgiving: Add dried gourds or velvet pumpkins
• Christmas Decor: Add chunky knit stockings and tuck some shiny ornaments into the garlands for an easy Christmas mantel
• New Year’s: Add some vintage clocks (You can also watch for clocks and clock faces at thrift stores!)
• Winter: Add some vintage brass deer and pine cones
• Spring: Add potted plants and woven textures like straw hats
• Summer Mantel: Tuck in pieces of coral, sea fans, and large conch shells for a beach cottage style
• Non-holiday: You can always add extra candlesticks and white candles to create the look of a collection.  I also use vintage books year-round, no matter the season.  They also help provide a variety of height which can be especially helpful for mantel decorating.
• It’s a simple way for a decor recipe with cozy styling that you can enjoy all season long, from Thanksgiving all the way until the end of the long winter season!

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You may also enjoy a look back at some of my favorite old posts with specific seasonal mantel decor ideas and different styles:

• How to Decorate a Summer Mantel with Beautiful Style
• Simple Spring Mantel Decor Ideas for Easy Decorating
• Easy Ideas to Decorate an Easter Mantel for Spring Decor
• How to Make Beautiful After Christmas Winter Mantel Decor
• Create Simple Fall Mantel Decor with These 3 Unique Home Accessories
• 5 Simple Things That Look Good on Your Summer Mantel
• 7 Beautiful Spring Mantel Decor Ideas You Can Create
• How to Use Vintage Items to Decorate a Mantel

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I’d love for you to follow me on social media!  You can find my home decor inspiration on Instagram, Pinterest, and Facebook!  

Blessings,

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