Decorate Your Mantel for Christmas

 

I have a thing for mantels.  I love them!  My house didn’t have one when I moved in so I completely redid the fireplace and added one.  (see the post here)  So now that I have a mantel I’m excited to share with you how I decorated mine in hopes that it will get you in the mood to decorate your mantel for Christmas!

I talked about an easy and quick way to decorate your mantel in a previous post and in that post I talked about some elements and principles of design.  You’ll use those same elements to decorate your mantel for Christmas.

Let’s get started!

To get started, you’ll want to gather your options.  In my case, I unloaded storage totes full of Christmas items, and then “shopped” my house for more possibilities.  Here’s a picture of just some of my Christmas accessories.  I think I need a 12 step program…

In looking at all of my items, it was clear that a monochromatic theme of RED might be a fun way to go!  It’s a perfect theme for me because it’s using what I already own and it just looks like traditional Christmas!  My decor is greyish blue with taupe walls so if I wanted to go with a theme that blended with my decor I would probably choose a white, silver and blue, like the photo below.

I think that would look beautiful in my home.  Maybe I’ll hit the After Christmas sales and stock up on the white, silver and blue to give myself options next year!  I don’t know, though…  I don’t know if I could give up my red for Christmas!

Add some things around the house…

Adding “non” Christmasy items to your mantel creates interest and in my case also added height.  I used books, lanterns, a red oval plate and a rose floral arrangement that all blended nicely with the holiday theme.

How’s your balance?

In placing your items on the mantel, think about the balance of the overall look.  Symmetry vs asymmetry is a personal choice.  I typically go for an asymmetrical design because it seems more casual to me but for my Christmas mantel I created more of a symmetrical look.  Symmetry doesn’t have to be exactly the same items on each side.  You’ll do that for a more formal look.  But symmetry can be just a balanced weight on each side.  In the photo below, there is symmetry using the same objects on each side combined with symmetry using similar weight and line/movement.

The lanterns and roses create a literal symmetry and the cone trees on the right paired with the pointy Santas on the left create a visual symmetry.  Same with the Joy on the left paired with the Santas on the right.

I just finished the mantel this morning and here is the final product.  Next stop…the tree!  Take a look at this post about decorating your Christmas tree.

Is your decorating done?  If you don’t have a mantel, these same principles apply to any surface so perhaps you have a long dining table, or maybe a sofa table you can decorate.  Looking for new accessories?  Don’t forget to shop the After Christmas sales!

Leave me a comment below and let me know your favorite tips and tricks to decorate your mantel for Christmas.

Happy tinkering!

Susan