How to Decorate a Fireplace Mantel: A Complete Guide

Inside: The rules for decorating a mantel with a simple formula to follow, plus mantel decor ideas for each season!

The fireplace mantel may be the most important architectural feature to decorate in the entire living room.

It’s typically situated as the natural focal point of the whole space. It’s what you often center the furniture around. And nowadays, it gets all of the attention if the TV mounted over it.

This means whatever you put on that mantel, you’ll be seeing a lot more of than most of your decor. Doing it wrong can make the entire room just feel “off“.

So what do you put above the fireplace? Here are all of my best tips for creating a beautiful mantel with pleasing proportions that you’ll love to gather around!

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The Simple Formula for Decorating a Fireplace Mantel.

Here’s an easy formula to follow when choosing decor for a mantel:

The Mantel Decorating Formula:

1. Anchor: Start with one large central piece to ground the mantelscape—this could be a mirror, large piece of art, or other wall decor like a clock. Since it is the focal point and grounding piece, don’t skimp on size here!

2. Tall Flanking Items: Place taller items, like tall candlesticks or a tall vase on the sides of the anchor to frame the mantel and add height.

3. Layered Small Items: Add in medium-sized decorative elements in the middle or nestled into groups up next to the tall item(s).

SH&H Tip: Use the interior designer “cantelope” rule of decorating—no decorating object should be smaller than a cantelope for a clutter-free look.

Rules for Mantle Decor Items:

• Balance the visual weight of items on either side of the anchor piece, even if the decorative objects themselves are not identical.
• Use a cohesive color palette for a designer mantel look and to create harmony with the style of your room.
• Create visual interest by varying textures and finishes, like mixing wood, glass, metal, and greenery.
• Use items of varying different heights, different sizes, and different shapes to create depth and more visual interest.
• Make sure the scale is correct—your decor items should be proportionate to the size of your fireplace and the space above. If in doubt, always go larger.
  

Mantel Decorating Arrangement Examples:

1) Asymmetrical Mantel Decor

An asymmetrical mantel is good for any decorating style where you want a more casual feel. Although the flanking items are different, it looks best if they carry close to the same visual weight as a group on each side. An asymmetrical arrangment also allows for a layered look—(i.e. layering picture frames overlapping each other).

Asymmetrical Arrangement Example:

• Center: A large mirror as the grounding anchor.
• Tall Flanking Items: A set of vases one one side and a set of candlesticks on the other.
• Layered Smaller Pieces: A decorative box and sculptural element off center nestled with the candles.

2) Symmetrical Mantel Decor

Symmetrical mantel decor is a more planned, intentional look and is also fine for most different styles. For a symmetrical look, flank the anchor with identical items.

Symmetrical Arrangement Example:

• Center: A large piece of artwork as the focal point.
• Tall Flanking Items: Two identical vases of tall greenery and candle holders.
• Layered Smaller Items: A decorative box centered in the middle.

How to Decorate a Mantel for Everyday.

The fireplace mantel is prime decorating real estate for holidays. But what to do in between?

• Choose a few decorating accessories according to the mantle decorating formula that are a cohesive look with the design style of the room.
• Use a neutral color palette, or one that matches the room.
• Replace any season-specific natural elements, and any season-specific florals or stems with greenery.
• Use decorative objects such as vases, candles, and framed art that don’t speak to a season.

Seasonal Mantel Decorating Ideas.

Don’t we all picture what we’re going to put on the mantel for the holidays when we buy a home with fireplace? (Or maybe it’s just me.) I’ve got a round up of ideas for each season with example of some of my past holiday mantels to give you a little inspiration!

Spring Mantel Decorating Ideas.

Seasonal items to put on the mantel for Spring:

• Lighter colored accessories
• Flowering branches
• In-season flowers like tulips
• Greenery in fresh green shades
• Bunny or bird figurines
• Decorative eggs
• Woven baskets or wicker decor
• Spring inspired artwork

SH&H Tip: Make faux flowers look more real with a little water in the vase.

For this quick Easter mantel, I made mantle decor with flowering spring branches and some pretty Easter eggs and moss as vase filler:

Summer Mantel Decorating Ideas.

Seasonal items to put on the mantel for Summer:

• In-season flowers like hydrangeas
• In-season greenery or tropical stems
• Seashells or sand as vase filler
• Coral
• Driftwood
• Beach-themed or summer-themed artwork
• Woven baskets
• Lighter color or bleached wood accessories

My summer mantel is usually not theme-driven, but fairly bare and simple with a large vase of faux greenery branches or magnolia and a trio of candlesticks. Just like me, I like my mantel to wear less and be able to breathe in the sweltering heat of summer too!

This is a pretty mantel example using summer greenery:

Fall Mantel Decorating Ideas.

Seasonal items to put on the mantel for Fall:

• Pumpkins
• Gourds
• Dried wheat bundles
• Fall foliage stems
• Pinecones
• Acorns
• Warm wood decor
• Candlesticks in wood or warm metals
• Fall inspired artwork with moody colors
• Amber glass bottles

You can really cozy up a mantel by filling it with organic fall items:

Or make a small seasonal change to your everyday mantel decor, like adding stems of fall leaves.

Or a simple pumpkin or two.

Halloween Mantel Decorating Ideas.

Seasonal items to put on the mantel for Halloween:

• Skeletons and skeleton parts
• A collection of battery operated candles
• Pumpkins
• Creepy cloth
• Spiders
• Crows
• Bat cutouts to look like they’re flying out of the fireplace or over a mantle mirror
• Skulls
• Floating witch hats
• Floating white candles
• Tree branches from the yard
• Ornate empty frames with a coat of matte black spray paint
• Sepia tone or black and white photographs
• Black feather wreath
• Witches broom propped against the fireplace
• Rat silhouettes
• Cloches or apothecary jars filled with small skulls
• Candelabras with leaning black or white taper candles
• White spiderwebs from the craft store
• Small black haunted houses or thrifted Christmas village houses painted black
• Halloween sign or banner
• Black cat
• Black or white faux jack-o’-lanterns

You might notice I love to have fun with skeletons on my Halloween mantels—it works because they always look like they’re laughing!

See the details on the mantel above in the post “Spooky Chic Neutral Black and White Halloween Mantel Idea“.

Winter Mantel Decorating Ideas.

Personally, I prefer the “winter after Christmas” time of year to be nonseasonal. But if you want to keep the mantel cozy for the rest of the cold winter months after the holidays, you can work in some of these items around the fireplace:

Seasonal items to put on the mantel for Winter:

• Faux winter greenery
• Pinecones in a bowl or vase
• Birch logs
• Collection of candles
• Warm rustic wood decor

Here’s a cozy example that left a few pieces of holiday decor in place that also work for January:

Christmas Mantel Decorating Ideas.

Though the mantel is a great focal point for decorating for any holiday, decorating the fireplace for Christmas is kind of like the Superbowl of fireplace mantlescaping.

Seasonal items to put on the mantel for the Holidays and Christmas:

• Evergreen garlands
• Ornaments
• String lights or fairy lights
• Stockings
• Pinecones
• Candles
• Mini Christmas trees
• Snow globes
• Nutcrackers
• Reindeer figurines
• Berries
• Festive signs
• Seasonal artwork
• Wreaths
• Bells

How to Decorate a Mantel with a TV.

Mounting a TV above the mantel stumps some of us on to how to decorate around it. It’s often better to forgo decor here to maintain an uncluttered and unobstructed view of the television.

But if you do want to add a little something around it, follow these tips:

• Keep decorations low or completely off to the sides. No part of the decor should overlap the screen.
• Add a balanced look with symmetrical pieces like tall candlesticks or wall sconces on either side, as long as there is enough room and open space around the television.

SH&H Tip: Treat your TV like a piece of artwork with a beautiful seasonal scene or painting. Search “TV art” on YouTube for a screensaver that will play and change scenes every few minutes, so it won’t burn one image into your screen. (You can follow my channel there while you’re at it.😉)

How to Decorate the Hearth of a Fireplace.

To ground the fireplace and add coziness, add a few decor items around the bottom of the fireplace, like:

• Large woven baskets
• Stacked firewood
• Large lanterns with candles
• Potted plants
• Oversized vases

Mantel Decorating Tips for Different Decorating Styles.

Modern or Minimalist Mantel.

A minimalist or modern mantel emphasizes simplicity. Choose sleek materials, clean lines, and minimal decor. If your room has a modern look, an asymmetrical arrangement is usually best.

Traditional Mantel.

Traditional mantels like ones with a wood surround and heavy molding or a classic brick fireplace can pull off a little more decor with more details. If you love a symmetrical mantel arrangement, a traditional style room is the place to try it.

Modern Farmhouse and Cottagecore Mantel.

Modern farmhouse, cottagecore, and other variations of these casual, homey styles are created with the right accessories on the fireplace. Use distressed finishes, organic materials, aged metals, and a neutral color scheme to create a cozy and inviting mantel.

Is it a No-No to Hang a Mirror Above the Fireplace?

Some people are strongly against hanging a mirror over the fireplace because it only reflects the ceiling. Are you team mirror or team artwork? It’s a personal preference on whether that bothers you or not. I like the light and sparkle a mirror adds, plus it’s always a neutral backdrop and doesn’t confine you to working with certain colors.

The mantel is so much more than just a shelf above your fireplace—this center of attention is the perfect place to express your decorating style, the season you’re in, and make your room an inviting place to spend time!

Happy Decorating,

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