Tips on How to Decorate a Mantel for any Season

When it comes to my decor, you know I have two requirements; cheap and easy.  After all, if it breaks the bank and takes too much time, then decorating becomes a chore. Anyone else feel this way? You have probably noticed that I’m the queen at moving decor items around the house to re decorate rather than buying new.  “Ain’t nobody got time or money for that,” right? Right. So I wanted to share a few simple tips on how to decorate a fireplace mantel, or shelf, for any season.

Tell me the truth, are you overwhelmed when it comes to styling a space?  I used to be.

Most people don’t take the time to decorate or re decorate a mantel because it’s just not worth the effort.

This is the attitude I will try to help you change!

I learned a few easy tricks on how to decorate a mantel or shelf and I want to share them with you.

1. Use a large piece of decor in the center.   It’s always important to create an “anchor” piece, or a large visual object of interest. This can be a mirror, clock, or large vase. This blogger pictured above used a large painting.
2. Use different layers of varying heights. This is (in my opinion) the most important part. When you start to add your smaller pieces of decor, stagger them by varying height. For example, if you have a large or tall piece, set it next to a smaller or skinnier piece.  Continue with varying the heights and weights of the objects to balance the space.
3. Use different textures with different colors. This is also important to create visual interest, or in other words, create an exciting space to look at.
4. Create balance on either side of the mantel. I said it was important to create different textures and create varying heights and weights, but more importantly you need to balance it all out. When you step back to look at the mantel, make sure the “weight” of the objects on the left equals the “weight” of the objects on the right.  For example, the picture below she added two different decor pieces on either side of the plate, but they both have the same “weight.”
5. Most importantly, have fun. There isn’t an exact “science” to this, just a few loose guidelines to follow if you need a little help creating a visually exciting decorated mantel.

It doesn’t take a lot of effort to create a visually exciting fireplace mantel decorated for any season.

Let’s recap, shall we?

• Use a large decor piece in the center
• Use different layers of varying heights on each side
• Use different textures and colors, and use them interchangeably

And that sums up how to decorate a mantel for any season in a nutshell!

I hope this shares some insight on how to decorate a mantel or shelf with more ease.

I used the principles that I listed above to create my own fall mantel. What do you think?

Here are more photos of my antique fireplace mantel decorated for fall.

Thanks for stopping by and I hope you’ve been inspired to create a beautiful styled mantel for any holiday.

If you enjoyed this post I would love for you to Pin the image below to Pinterest.

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How to Decorate a Spring Mantel

A Vintage Style Christmas Mantel

How to Create an Antique Fireplace Mantel from Craigslist

Lindsey**