
Mantel Decorating Ideas by Season
Updating your mantel is a great way to showcase festive elements throughout the year. Want to give your mantel the perfect look for every season? This guide will show you the fundamentals of a mantel decorated for the spring, summer, fall, and Christmas seasons. Read on to learn how you can refresh your home decor with natural elements and coordinating colors to embrace the excitement of each new season.
Spring Mantel Decorating Ideas
A spring mantel celebrates the return of warm weather, chirping birds, and colorful blossoms. Highlighting your decor with blooming flowers and lush greenery will bring a fresh, natural feel to your living room. Keep the color palette light by pairing pastels with white accents. Let the plants and flowers provide the pop of color, and use wood and metal pieces as complementing fillers.
Anchor: Spring Florals
A wreath made from sticks and flowers makes the perfect anchor for a spring mantel. This natural spring element creates a beautiful focal point for your design and determines the color palette for the rest of your mantel.
Weights: Silk Plants
Potted topiaries and flowers in stone or ceramic vases will provide height for the sides of your mantel and contribute to the nature-inspired theme. Add a touch of Shabby Chic style with light-colored candles and weathered wooden candlesticks, or keep it natural by using vases with blooming flowers.
Filler: Garden Accents
Add some artistic flair with metal art like a watering can or metallic sphere. Potted succulents and small arrangements of flowers like hyacinth or white tulips can also be used to complement your anchor without overpowering it.
Summer Mantel Decorating Ideas
Let blue skies and sunny weather inspire the look of your summer mantel. You can capture the feeling of your summer vacation with coastal-inspired decor and floral accents. Combine bright statement pieces with simple accents to create a vibrant style that reflects the sunny days ahead.
Anchor: Wildflowers
A wreath made from vibrant yellow wildflowers will catch the gaze of your guests and inspire the feeling of summer. An unframed canvas painting or other wall art can also provide color and interest to the whole arrangement. Let these colors pave the way for other matching accent pieces in the room like throw pillows or blankets.
Weights: Antiqued Decor
Group glass bottles of varying heights on either side of your anchor. Pick different styles and shades of glass to create a look that coordinates but isn’t too uniform. You can also use antique-style lanterns or candles to add vintage flair to your design.
Filler: Coastal Accents
Use small glass dishes and vases to fill in empty spaces. Display cuttings of flowers to add extra color, and then add driftwood accents and scatter seashells across the mantel to accentuate the coastal theme.
Fall Mantel Decorating Ideas
Use the changing colors of autumn leaves to define the style of your mantel. The beauty of red, orange, and yellow foliage can be complemented by a range of decorations to create the perfect fall look. Stained or weathered wood decor contributes a rustic feel to the mantel, and metallic decorations offer a glamorous touch. It’s easy to combine natural elements and stylish statement pieces in your fall theme.
Anchor: Fall Foliage
Start your mantel decorating with a wreath that features fall leaves and berries. Fall wreaths can boast small pumpkins, gourds, sunflowers, or pinecones to add extra texture and style. Highlight the wreath by hanging it over a weathered picture frame or mirror.
Weights: Metallic Pieces
Add variety to your weight pieces by pairing metallic vases with ornate candlesticks. Use gold, copper, and bronze colors to complement the fall leaves and wood finishes of your design. Choose pieces in different heights and styles and then arrange them in overlapping or staggered groups.
Filler: Autumnal Garlands
Fill in the empty spaces with decorative pumpkins and squash to match the rest of your mantel’s color scheme. Additionally, small white candles or tea lights work perfectly as neutral accents. Miniature logs can be used as pedestals to change the heights of your filler items to ensure your mantel has visual variety. Leafy branches work well as finishing touches to tie the look together.
Christmas Mantel Decorating Ideas
Your Christmas mantel ideas can include much more than just stockings and holly. Christmas mantel decor can range from traditional to ultra-chic and everything in between. This gives you freedom to choose a style that will match the rest of your living room. Mixing classic decor like wreaths and stockings with stylish statement pieces will turn your fireplace mantel into a winter wonderland.
Anchor: Christmas Wreath
A wreath is an essential Christmas mantel decoration. There are countless style options for Christmas wreaths, so you can achieve any look you want. Hang a plain wreath for a classic, charming look, or decorate it with colorful ornaments and lights for something more eye-catching.
Weights: Holiday Decorations
Keep your mantel from looking too busy by using a handful of decorative pieces for weight. A pair of country-style Christmas trees can provide an attractive contrast to metallic statues or candlesticks while still creating a cohesive look.
Filler: Woodland Accents
Pine cones, garland, and other natural decorations help fill empty space and add extra texture to create a perfectly accented wreath. Christmas stockings hung below the mantel are a beloved seasonal must-have. Use decorative stocking holders to fill the empty spaces on the mantel, or stick with more subtle options to let the stockings steal the show.
Share This Guide
Filed Under:
- Home Decor Guides