mantel styling inspired by mushroom fancy

Hello friends. Today let’s talk about a whimsical mushroom mantel styling. Mushroom motifs are popping up {no pun intended} all over the place, so I decorated our mantle in full mushroom regalia.

I read somewhere that mushrooms evoke a feeling of coziness and comfort. Yup, I totally get it. I don’t know what it is, but I love them and have always been attracted to them. You can read about my obsession in this post {my fascination with mushrooms | fungi | toadstools}, which was way back in 2017.

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I also recently set a fun table earlier this year with a whimsical mushroom theme {enchanted mushroom wintry forest tablescape}. More mushroom related posts are also scheduled soon. I have an upcoming mushroom DIY project and a recipe planned.

mushroom mantel styling details

The mantel styling consists of three main items on repeat. Faux pillar candles, assorted mushrooms and vintage books are sprinkled across the mantel.

A mushroom Garland

The mantel was spring boarded by this mushroom garland I shared a couple of weeks ago in the post {Valentine’s decor vignettes – 3 color ways}. Although the Red, Pink and Gold mushrooms are the main reason this cutie came home with me, which you can read all about on the original post, the garland was too red forward for my taste at the end of the day.

I considered painting all the red beads another color, but I wasn’t sure I wanted to commit to that change. So instead I covered all the red beads with gray and cream velvet ribbon for the time being. Next time I bring it out to play, I might be inspired to make other changes. Time will tell.

The ribbons neutralize the color palette of the garland, but there are still some whimsical pops from the red mushrooms. The garland is draped around the gilded frame, which leans on the gold framed mirror over the mantel shelf.

Candle light shimmers

The candle pillars are in assorted sizes and are scattered down the mantel. Some candles are fatter and some are skinnier, all in varying heights. The assorted sizes adds interest.

The candle light flicker adds great ambiance to the room. The light casted by the candles provides a calmness and coziness in the room, which is echoed by more candles in the firebox.

The real pillar candles glimmering from the firebox adds even more ambience. We had the chimneys swept last month, and I kept this firebox clean since we really only use it around the holidays. This makes it fun to style in different ways.

Mushroom accents and decor

The stars of the show of course are the assorted morels. The mushrooms add an unexpected whimsy on the mantel scape, which just makes me smile. They are great fantasy pieces and create a magical feeling, but yet are a bit sophisticated at the same time.

I used a varied assortment of felt, glittery, moss and more mushrooms to create layers of interest and texture. Keep in mind, I did not use all my mushrooms. Lol. I wonder if a mushrooms anonymous group exists?

And although I have quite a few garden and decor pieces, it has not spilled over into other areas of my life. I don’t have clothing, or table top items (I know, shocking), or small furnishing (think lamps or door mats). Those don’t call out to me. Isn’t that interesting?

Vintage books

Last but not least, are the bundles and piles of books. They not only add more interest and texture, but they also make great risers. This provides different heights and helps the vertical composition of the mantel scape.

I kept the book color palette pretty neutral, but included a variety of different style vintage books. Included are some naked books, also some leather bound old French books and some simple vintage linen bound books.

I love to use books in my decor and if you do as well, you might find theses posts interesting: {book decor} and {7 ways to decorate books}.

mushroom decor resurgence

As we know, now-a-days, trends are seldom new. It’s really what is old is new again. I’m a 70s child and of course mushrooms were all the rage back then. You can find the mushroom motif across many different spaces, like couture, tabletop, decor and more.

One of my favorite retailers, Terrain, always has great mushroom items and has had them for years. They were ahead of the game and | or are trend setters. Terrain has been a trail blazer in the category recognizing early on, going back about 10 years, that anything with mushrooms on it sold right away. It’s much attributed to the gardening clientele, and I fully understand.

This mushroom mantel styling lets me play with a little bit of whimsy and magic without making a big commitment. It’s a transitional mantel scape, before I bring out some spring goodness.

“Fungi constitute the most poorly understood and underappreciated kingdom of life on Earth.” 

Michael Pollan

get the look

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sharing @ between naps on the porch