A Vintage Valentine’s Day Mantel Styling

The Valentine’s Day fun continues around here, and today I am sharing our mantel styling.?In true masterpiece fashion I injected brocante vibes using vintage frames, some of my grandmother’s pieces along with found items.?Come on in as I share how I layered all these pieces to create a vintage inspired Valentines’s Day mantel styling.? ?

I don’t use big pink hearts and red lips to decorate for Valentine’s Day.?I don’t think there’s anything wrong with that by the way.?When I search for Valentine’s Day decor ideas on Pinterest and Google all the over the top Valentine’s Day stuff makes me happy and brings a smile to my face.?But the thing is, you see, it’s just not my style.??

I like to use unconventional details, and more subtle touches to honor the holiday of love.?I know it’s not for everyone, but I love old, rustic and organic in my home decor.?So here we are.?If you are new around here or curious about my style here is my Pinterest board to give you more of an idea.??

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The Inspiration Behind the Vintage Valentine’s Day Mantel Design

The star of the show in my opinion is my grandmother’s sweet floral painting.?I brought it from Uruguay when I closed my parent’s estate, and it totally reminds me of my maternal grandmother’s home when I was little.?I wish I had more of her paintings since they are vivid in my memory, but I find comfort in this sweet piece.?You can read more about it here {a Valentine’s ode to my grandmother}.

I love all the romantic and shabby chic feels of the painting.?I used the lace curtain, white pitchers and different flowers in the painting as the inspiration to fill in the rest of the details on the mantel styling.?

The Pieces Behind the Vintage Valentine’s Day Styling

There a three main components to the vintage Valentine’s Day mantel, which include:

• The vintage painting
• Thrifted frames
• White pitchers with organic elements

I filled the thrifted frames using details from the painting as inspiration.?The large metal frame is filled with vintage doilies that mirror the lace curtain.?The small metal frame includes an image I downloaded from the Graphics Fairy, with a heart design for Valentine’s Day and sweet Lily of the Valley flowers, which I absolutely love.

The white pitchers have preserved olive branches, faux florals and dried filler that I have had since this project {thrifted goodies – using vintage brown transfer ware for Fall decor}.?I love letting fresh blooms and greenery simply dry naturally and use them again and again, which I shared here {stretching grocery store flowers}.?Now onto the mantel.

The Layers Behind the Vintage Valentine’s Day Mantel Styling

The Back Drop

Like with any project, I like to start with a clean slate.?I removed everything from the mantel and gave it a good wipe down.?The gilded mirror is always the backdrop of our mantel stylings.?Then I have the oversized gilded frame I found thrifting a gazillion years ago, which adds depth as the first background layer against the mirror.

The Star of the Show

Then I added my grandmother’s painting.?I added it off center inside the large frame to start.?I did not want a symmetrical display.?Remember you can move and change things around after you have placed them, depending on how all the different pieces line up together.

The Vintage Frames

Then I layered the frames.?I started with the larger metal frame since it will take the most real estate.?The larger frame is filled with vintage linen doilies.?I have amassed a collection, which I shared here {thrifted goodies – using vintage linen pieces to make a table runner}.?Some are my mother’s some are my grandmother’s and some I have picked up in my thrifting excursions.?I will share how you can create this look in a subsequent post.???

Then I filled the smaller metal frame with an image from the Graphics Fairy.?The frame insert measures 7.5-in x 9.5-in (I know, weird size) so it was easy to print on a regular letter sized 8.5-in x 11-in piece of paper.?The thrifted frame came with a piece of corrugated cardboard as padding in the frame which I used as the background. I cut around the heart image and placed it on the corrugated piece and I love the rustic feels.?

The Floral Filled White Vessels

Once I had the frames placed pretty much where I thought I wanted them, I started to flank the styling with the floral filled white pitchers on each side.?The large pitcher is filled with preserved olive tree branches, the medium pitcher has home dried floral filler and the last piece has some faux florals that I thought mirrored the painting well.?

The Editing

This is one of my favorite steps in layering a decor styling or vignette.?This is when you move things around for the best composition.?Also you either add things to compliment the display or you remove pieces if they are not playing well with each other.

In this instance I added the floral porcelain piece with the green orb.?I wanted a lower lying piece to bring the eye down.?The addition of the books added height where needed.?I love to use books as risers.?I know these two last steps might seem contradictory, but once placed correctly it worked for my eye.

Don’t Forget about the Hearth in a Mantel Styling

Talking about bringing the eye down, I always like to round out a mantel styling with the hearth decor.?This doesn’t have to be complicated just simple touches to complete the styling and give it a finished look.?I simply included a little bench with a dried bouquet of flowers with a crushed velvet ribbon.?The oversized lanterns sit on the hearth much of the year.? ??

Since we are not using the living room fireplace at the moment. I don’t have to worry about placing something in front of the firebox.? We light the family room fireplace on the daily, but we don’t sit in the living room that often after the holidays, which is unfortunate since it’s the largest room in the house.??

Final Thoughts on the Vintage Valentine’s Day Styling

I hope you enjoyed this decorative post.?I really love all the vintage vibes with a soft touch of romance the mantel styling evokes.?It doesn’t scream St. Valentine’s Day by any means, so I can leave it up until the end of the month when I start transitioning to more springlike decor.

I am ready for spring and all the newness and brightness it brings into our lives and homes.?It is definitely a mood booster, which is so helpful for our well being.?In the meantime let me know in the comments if you are team Valentine’s Day and how you choose to celebrate the day of love. ??

Thank you for being here and see you next time. Au Revoir!

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“Love doesn’t make the world go ’round.?Love is what makes the ride worthwhile.”

Franklin P. Jones

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sharing @ between naps on the porch