BEAUTIFUL CHRISTMAS MANTEL IDEAS
I have lots of beautiful and practical Christmas mantel ideas for you today! I thought it would be fun to share some ideas for creating a memorable mantel as mine is in progress. Come get a look at how this years mantel is shaping up!
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Make sure you read to the bottom of the post! You will want to get my best Christmas mantel ideas!
I usually start Christmas decorating each year with my mantel. For me, my mantel sets the tone and theme, and color palette for the rest of our Christmas home. And while that is true this year, decorating it has been more of a process than once and done!
Just remember THIS CHRISTMAS MANTEL IS NOT FINISHED YET!
You will be so surprised on my upcoming Christmas Home Tour how it will (hopefully) look. But the basics are done and I want to share lots of Christmas mantel ideas with you!
Here are some things to think about before you do any Christmas decorating…
- what will my color palette be this year
- will there be any kind of a theme
- is there decor or “elements” I plan to repeat throughout my home
- how will I enhance the lighting (remember the nights are getting longer)
You can see my answers to the questions above right here on my mantel.
Because a mantel is the second biggest focal point in our great room (the tree is the MAIN one), I make a point to show off all the important things you will see throughout our home this holiday season in this space.
THE BEFORE…
As I was dismantling (no pun intended!) the the fall mantel, thank goodness I remembered to snap a photo of it! So you can see how it transformed.
Wow, the background is very white! But when it is decorated the white is a beautiful background for all the decorations! And that’s why I LOVE white!
The gather sign would be great for Christmas but I found another sign that literally puts into words why we celebrate!
You can see both signs HERE and HERE!
USE FAUX GREENS
I used real greens for years on my mantel and honestly they looked horrible by the time Christmas day rolled around unless I decorated my mantel just a few days before Christmas.
Yes, I long to have gorgeous, good-smelling fresh greens that I see on those amazing mantel on some of the blogs, Instagram, and Pinterest.
But for me, they are not practical. And I’m decorating my mantel for my real-life Christmas home and not just a beautiful photoshoot!
There are so many GORGEOUS faux greens now that it’s crazy not to use them! Right?
For the mantel this year, I wired two lightly flocked garlands together. And laid them across my mantel in an asymmetrical way.
This created a bit of drama to a very symmetrical area.
HERE ARE A COUPLE OF THE BEST CHRISTMAS MANTEL IDEAS…
- lay a base later of faux greens
- asymmetry creates a sense of drama
So easy, so doable and looks amazing!
EMBELLISH THE GREENS
Here’s another great Christmas mantel idea!
I have a saying that helps me to remember to never let any decor stand by itself.
It’s from a nursery song The Farmer In The Dell…
THE CHEESE STANDS ALONG
Think of anything you decorate and don’t let it stand alone. Don’t let it be the cheese!
So I added some pretty bit and pieces to the faux greens. I used faux seeded eucalyptus and other berries and leaves!
When adding greens to a garland I stick them right into the garland and because this garland will probably not be moved or touched the bits and pieces will stay. No need to glue them in!
Here’s how the long end of the garland looks. But I’m not done with the greens yet.
Just adding these little bit of this or that makes a difference.
ADD A BIT OF LIGHT TO YOUR CHRISTMAS MANTEL
To keep a Christmas mantel a focal point in our great room I’m lighting it up!
A Christmas mantel is a bit sad if it does not have a pretty glow in the evening!
Some years I use a couple strings of lights and some years I use candles.
This is a candle year!
I added 6 votives across the front of the mantel.
But oops! I was moving the garland a bit and accidentally knocked my favorite votive right off the ledge!
Oh, no!
This little mishap inspired me to share with you my most practical idea of all the Christmas mantel ideas…
A VERY PRACTICAL CHRISTMAS MANTEL IDEA
I stuck my votives to the mantel with 3M sticky squares. I keep these in my decorating toolbox and use them all the time. The double-sided stick of these little foam pads will keep the rest of the votives from meeting the same doom as the broken one!
To remove them I lift the corner of the sticky square and rub an Alcohol Wipe under the corner and gently pull and keep repeating this process until the sticky pad is off.
I have also read you can blow warm air from a hairdryer on the sticky pad and gently lift it off. If this has worked for you please let us know.
My little votive is a cautionary tale! Stick down votives!
Another Christmas mantel idea that is so important to consider is to use battery operated candles… even votive candles!
Votives give me so much peace of mind. And I fond some that flicker like their real counterparts!
You might like to read WAYS TO DECORATE WITH CANDLES AT CHRISTMAS. You can read about my favorite ways to use candles and there are lots of sources for candles, votive candles, candleholders, and votives!
ADD OTHER EXTRAS
My Christmas decor features lots of metallics this year. So when I stood back and looked at my mantel, although I thought it was pretty I felt it needed a bit of bling.
I loved the natural look of the Christmas mantel so I kept things natural and added some metallic leaves.
Another add-on for the mantel were ornaments in shades of green from citron to light olive. Can you guess what accent color I’ll be using this Christmas?
Not too many ornaments! Just enough to pull the accent color onto the mantel.
I also added a vintage looking glass garland across the mantel.
THE SECOND BEST “OUT OF ALL THE CHRISTMAS MANTEL IDEAS…”
One of my best practical tips is above but here’s another!
I use 3M Command Hook Hangers to attach things like the glass bead garland to the mantel. They come in many sizes and I have most of them in my decorating toolbox.
You would have never seen the hook, right?
Knowing these designer’s decorating tips and secrets make creating a really beautiful mantel so much easier!
I hope you are starting to think about your home and how you plan to decorate it this Christmas.
The next time you will see my Christmas mantel it will look a bit different. I can’t wait to show you!
Do you have any tips for decorating a Christmas mantel? Please share!
You might like these Christmas posts…
SO EASY AND PRETTY LITTLE CHRISTMAS ARRANGEMENT
THE MAGIC OF A WHITE CHRISTMAS TREE
HOW TO DECORATE A CHRISTMAS TREE
I love the mantel decor. Where did you get you glass bead garland?
Gorgeous! Where did you find the glass bead garland–stunning!
I found it at Pottery Barn several years ago. I don’t see it on their site right now. Sorry I could not help more.
See my reply to Jill.
Love the greens and metallic combo, natural with a twist !The mantel will be beautiful at night with the glow of the candles.
I’m really enjoying decorating for Christmas this year!
Please, I beg of you, in your posts, tell us where you purchase the items you use, paint brands and colors, etc. Thank you!
Your mantel is gorgeous! I’m guessing citron green and metallic will be carried over to your tree.
Good faux greenery has made decorating early less messy for sure. I sometimes add fallen branches to my faux closer to Christmas to get that wonderful smell that reminds us of our childhood Christmases. Tucking a few in here and there is just enough.
I think this is one of the prettiest mantles you have ever shown us. I love the colors and natural with a splash of bling.I am very fond of all shades of green and Mercury glass. Good tip about securing the candles. Garland can be quite heavy and I have had mishaps similar to you and lost a few candles as well. Can’t wait to see your finished mantle. Thanks Yvonne.
Everything is looking like Christmas at your house! I hope it will inspire me to decorate this year. I LOVE to use live magnolia leaves mixed in with faux garlands. I think it comes from growing up in the “South”. The beautiful leaves have a rather long lifespan, but do have to be refreshed if your space is really warm. Spray them gold and they are gorgeous! I use one of my favorite flowers, en masse (red tulips-faux), on our mantel. Mixed in with the garland and ribbon, they are a show stopper! (In my humble opinion…) White tulips would be lovely, too.
You may have this in your plans…I think a wreath, coordinated with your lovely garland, would look perfect in your white tobacco leaf basket. I guess I will have to wait and see the final reveal. Do hurry!!!
I’m loving the Christmas decor that you’ve been sharing! Thank you! Your mantel is looking beautiful. I love the tip about the 3M command hooks. Just put that on my shopping list! I love the beaded garland you’ve included on your mantel. If this is a recent purchase, can you share where you found it? Thank you.
I love the mercury glass garland too…I’ll be looking out for it!
Everything is so beautiful! I love how you’ve added metallic accents with the natural elements. The citron is quite a winner.
I have two tips to share. The first is, if possible, we should slightly bend all branches and stems to make them appear as they do in nature – no straight lines. The second tip (which I learned last year) is that most fireplaces will become better focal points when we give them breathing room at their sides. This might mean pulling chairs and other items away so the entire hearth can be seen from the front.
I’m looking forward to seeing more of your decor as time goes on!
Great tips Shari
Love the mantel. Can’t you tell me where you got your rug.
Beautiful Mantel. Can you tell me where you purchased the signs you use above.
Yes, here’s the link: https://rstyle.me/+GtG31e6LFtYfEN2ZMJo4PA
Hmmm! Clear your cache and reload my site. Sorry, you are having issues Jane.
I really enjoy your blog! However, it would be very nice if would include links to the items you use in your blog.
Yes. I’m working on that for the new house.
I thought I saw you had a shopping area on your site, where you could buy the garland? When I went there some weird information came up. It is so beautiful! Thanks!
Hi Jane, yes… go here:https://www.stonegableblog.com/stonegable-christmas-shop/