5 Tips For A Magnificent Mantel – Anytime of Year!

Come see the best 5 tips for a perfect mantel anytime of the year!
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The fireplace mantel in my family room is the focal point of the entire room, so naturally I want it looking its best for all seasons.

I’ll share a little secret with you though – if I wasn’t a home decor blogger, I would probably leave my mantel looking the same all year, with the exception of Christmas.  But, my mission here is to inspire you and help you to create a home that you love!  So, with that being said, let me share my five tips for creating a magnificent mantel.  Whether you leave your mantel looking the same year-round or like to change it up for the seasons, these tips will help you get a magnificent mantel that you can be proud of!

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1. Add a wow-worthy focal point.

Yes, your mantel is probably the focal point of the entire room, but you also need a focal point on your mantel.  Something that immediately grabs you and draws your eye to it.  It can be one single large item or a collection of smaller items, such as a grouping of frames hanging on the wall.  If you’re using a mirror, remember to be mindful of what it will reflect.

The focal point of my mantel is a large architectural piece.  It stays there year-round and acts as an automatic backdrop for any of the mantel-scapes that I put together.

RED BRICK WITH OAK TRIM FIREPLACE MAKEOVER BEFORE AND AFTER

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WOODEN PLAQUE  ||  BOXWOOD WREATH {MULTIPLE SIZES AVAILABLE}  ||  LARGE CARDBOARD LETTER {ANY LETTER}  || WHITE POTTERY URN || WOOD LANTERN {SET OF 2} || BLUE POTTERY URN

2. Think about symmetry.  Symmetrical or do you prefer asymmetrical?

This is purely a matter of personal preference!  For me, it depends on what kind of mood I’m in that day.   🙂   If you’re going for an asymmetrical look, a good rule of thumb is to pay attention to scale.  Try to balance each end of the mantel with items that are close to the same height and similar visual weight.

MY WINTER FIREPLACE MANTEL AND HEARTH

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WHITE URNS  ||  CHUNKY WHITE CANDLESTICK || WILLOW BASKET  

3. Add various heights for interest.

If everything is one height across the mantel, your eye will tend to just skim across and not take notice of anything special.  By using items of various heights, your eye will be able to appreciate what you have on display.

If I were to repeat this mantel and hearth again, I think I’d try switching the two items on the hearth so that I don’t have the tall fall leaf branches directly above the tall tree sticks in the basket.  I also wouldn’t have one tobacco basket directly above the other.  But the flip side of that is – I’d have two visually heavy items on one end (the lantern and the basket with branches) and two visually light items (the fall leaf branches and the candlesticks) on the other.  All good things to consider, so you just need to try different arrangements to see what is pleasing to you!

MY FALL MANTEL AND FIREPLACE

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TOBACCO BASKETS, SET OF 2 || FALL WREATH ||  CANDLESTICKS, SET OF 3  || ROUND WOOD LANTERN

4. Layer, layer and layer some more!

No one can accuse me of being a minimalist.  The trick is not to go overboard with too much stuff.  My fall mantel this year, is somewhat symmetrical because of the matching lanterns and shutters on each end, but that’s where the symmetry stops.  I’ve added layer upon layer of all sorts of different types of  holiday decorations.  By keeping the theme and colors similar, it doesn’t appear filled with tchotchkes (at least to me it doesn’t!).

RUSTIC FARMHOUSE FALL MANTEL

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BLACK METAL LANTERNS || HANGING WILLOW BASKET || BROWN GLASS JUG || WHEAT BUNDLE  || SQUARE GRAY LANTERN (ON HEARTH)

5. Tie it all together with color.

I purposely decorated my Christmas mantel, tree and wrapped gifts last year so that they all visually worked together.  This technique makes quite the cohesive statement and works especially well if you’re going for a monochromatic look.

MY CHRISTMAS TREE AND MANTEL

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NEUTRAL SHIMMER WREATH WITH PINECONES  ||  PAIR OF GOLD SHIMMERY DEER  ||  GOLD TINSEL TREES ||  GOLD TINSEL PICKS  ||  BLACK & WHITE CHECKED RIBBON

Above all else, please don’t stress out and take things too seriously!  They’re only decorations – right?.  Relax, put some good music on and have some fun!

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