Lush Fall Mantel Decor Styling

How’s your Fall decorating going? The mantel is the perfect spot for seasonal decor and today I am sharing a lush fall mantel decor styling. As the temperatures start to cool our attention turns to the fireplace with the coziness and warmth it provides to interior spaces. The mantel shelf just begs to be decorated for the season.

If you don’t have a mantel, no worries. Apply the look and principles shared here in a cupboard or a shelf or an entryway console. Decorating is about mindful layers, purposeful placement and attention to detail. Please join me as we sprinkle some Fall decor fairy dust.

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Inspiration for the Lush Fall Mantel Styling

The green Fall harvest garland is the inspiration behind the fall mantel styling. It’s a favorite fall decor piece around here, and it creates a lush bed on the mantel shelf for Fall decor.

Last year it was the perfect centerpiece draped down the dining room table. Many years it was a great front door decor to greet our guests. This year it drapes on the mantel creating the perfect setting for all the fall feels. I remember when I purchased this garland many moons ago it was a splurge. The garland was on the spendy side, but I loved all the lush greens and I went for it. It has served every penny I spent on it, and I have never regretted it.

Decorator Pro Tip: Be very deliberate about how and where you shop for decor accents, allowing yourself to spend on key pieces and surround them with more accessible elements, which elevates the entire composition.

How to Layer a Lush Fall Mantel Styling

Decor appreciates layers, which travel from the bottom up and carry from the back to the front. The layers create interest and movement in decorative arrangements.

Foundation

Garlands are wonderful pieces to dress up a mantel shelf. Garlands immediately add texture, interest and fill the space with a determined theme. Green is a favorite around here, but I have included other fall garland options in the shopping section for your convenience. Use the look which fits your design aesthetic. Simple Command hooks hold the garland in place, which can easily be removed after the season. It’s an easy, effortless and economical way to hang garlands with zero damage.

Backdrop

Our particular mantel includes a gilded mirror which hangs above the shelf. Through the seasons the mirror is layered with frames and artwork to compliment the seasons and desired look. A gilded frame and ornate wooden frame is added here for a layered backdrop creating movement from front to back. Artwork, architectural wall decor and many other options can be used as well.

How to Place Lush Fall Mantel Decor Purposefully

Once the base layers are in place you can start placing decor accents with purpose and intentional placement. Although all the elements are strategically placed and thought of, you want the mantel composition to look natural and casual at the same time.

Filler

Elements to fill the empty space are used. Dried gourds are scattered on the shelf adding to the organic feels of the garland, which is covered in pumpkins, pine cones and leaves. By using the same elemnt on repeat is an easy filler option.

Drama

Creating a bit of drama in you decor always gives the wow factor. The garland drapes down pooling on one side of the fireplace | hearth, off setting the other side. The effect of a too long gown in couture or pooled drapery in home interiors is the vision here. Drama doesn’t mean an elaborate thing it can be a small, insignificant detail.

Anchors

Mantel decor benefits by having end pieces that anchors the styling. They can be matching elements to create total symmetry or you can use similar pieces, which flank the styling. This lush fall mantel has a rattan vase filled with dried florals on one end and a tole planter with a trailing plant on the other. And although both pieces are different, they maintain the same scale and color palette, which creates a cohesive look.

How to Incorporate Effective Details in the Fall Mantel Styling

Once the bulk of the mantle decor is in place, adding and editing simple details creates a thoughtful display, bringing the entire styling together, which gives it that extra specialness.

Varied Heights

Along with the layers moving the eye up & down and front to back, other accent elements are also most pleasing to the eye when they have some variety. Use pieces that are of different heights and scale or simply use risers to create height differences.

Decorator Pro Tip: Books are a great decorative accents used by interior designers world wide and they make unique risers for interior decor. Using elements in unique ways is cost effective and adds character to home interiors.

Brass Accents

Brass accents, including candlesticks and a petite bud vase with some dried florals add warmth, which lends itself to Fall decor. The brass pieces are all thrifted finds. Using thrifted pieces in your decor is an economical element, which is not only affordable but provides a unique look.

Velvet Bows

Ribbons and bows add a finishing touch to so many things. A perfectly placed ribbon sometimes can take a drab element to fab. I added velvet ribbon bows to the garland to add an unexpected detail. Although the garland is already full of texture and interest the velvet adds a touch of elegance and lux, which is unexpected. Below you can see the styling sans bows. Which version do you prefer? Let me know in the comments below.

Don’t forget about the Hearth when Creating a Mantel Styling

Carry the Theme

The hearth sitting at the foot of the firebox is a fantastic place to add more decor. By adding more decor on the hearth it completes the entire composition and brings the eye down.

Mirror Accent Pieces

I filled the hearth here to replicate the lushness of the mantel shelf above. Th rattan pumpkins mirror the rattan vase, while the crate full of pine cones mirror the pine cones in the garland.

Include Cozy for Fall

The lanterns radiate warmth and light just like the candles on the mantel above. As the days get longer and colder the items on the hearth will be edited so a fire can be built in the firebox for the ultimate cozy factor.

Tips & Recommendations to Keep In Mind

Ground the Seasonal Theme

The main muses of the project ground the theme. The lush garland is full of fall evoking elements, like pumpkins, pine cones and foliage. The dried gourds are a favorite fall decor piece and provide the prefect natural filler component, which doesn’t compete with the garland. I bought these gourds from a small maker years ago, and if you like the look I have included sources in the shopping section for your convenience.

Include Interest & Contrast

When creating a decor display or vignette, it’s important to keep it varied and interesting at different levels. Mixed and matched textures, styles and colors create a unique look. Using pieces with different scale and footprints maintains the variety, but the pieces should also coordinate with each other, avoiding a piece being dwarfed or overshadowed by others.

Trust the Process

Start the decor project process with a theme or look in mind and work from there. A certain motif or color scheme can be the guide. For this particular styling the lush garland and dried gourds were my guiding muses and I worked from there, adding the frames and brass accents. Work through the process and only use what completes the desired composition. Start with the foundation items and work out and in from there. Don’t be afraid to remove pieces and add others as you reach the desired effect.

Be Ready to Pivot

When I started the process and brain stormed for this mantel styling, I wanted real green pumpkins for the hearth decor. Unfortunately I wasn’t able to find green pumpkins in the wild since my shopping is limited (MS is a bitch sometimes) due to fatigue. I simply pivoted and used what I had at home. I’m a big proponent of shopping your home first so this worked out in the end. Using seasonal decor in new and unexpected ways creates a new feeling without spending more.

Stay True to your Style

I’m a vintage loving soul, who loves classic refinery with rustic and organic touches. If you prefer a more contemporary and clean look, I totally appreciate that as well. You can follow the same techniques , with a different aesthetic. Switch things up to coordinate with your style and home design. You can create a mantel with your “look”; I’m simply sharing my process here.

Maintain Focus

By keeping the mantel styling tight and the theme focused creates a cohesive composition. The main elements here, which are the garland and the gourds, are complimented by the brass pieces, background frames, and flanking floral pieces. All these different pieces have a certain purpose as described above.

Closing Thoughts

Do you decorate your mantel for different seasons and holidays? If you do, I hope this inspired you in some way. If you don’t, I hope it helps you decorate another area in your home. A sideboard or a shelving unit or curio cabinet can be styled using the same concept and ideas shown here. The most important thing is that you enjoy yourself and create a happy home.

I have so many projects planned for this year, and I am looking forward to sharing them with you. If you enjoy the good life and want a reflection of this in your home, please consider joining the Masterpiece community. This way all new content will be delivered directly to your in-box and you won’t miss a beat.

Fall is my favorite season and I’m looking forward to all it has to offer. Thanks for dropping by today and can’t wait to see you next time.  Au revoir!

Shopping the Look

• This garland is very similar to the one used here Fall White Pumpkin Artificial Eucalyptus Garland with Pumpkins Pinecones Berries
• This garland has traditional colors plus as a bonus it lights up Fall Leaves Garland with Lights, 6 ft Artificial Autumn Harvest Garland for Mantle
• The neutral colors on this garland are beautiful plus lights up 6 FT Realistic Fall Garland with Lights Timer Function Fall Leaves Maple Garland with Berries Pine Cones Autumn 
• The organic feels on these is everything Box of 5 Dried Bottle Gourds – 3 inches in Diameter
• Here’s a smaller set of gourds 2pcs Natural Dried Gourd
• This is a great set of classic brass candle sticks Candlestick Holders,Taper Candle Holder for Candlesticks Gold Brass Vintage Candle Stick Candle Holders Candelabra Candle Holder for Fireplace 
• The profiles on these candlesticks is really pretty Brass Candlestick Holders Vintage: Tall Gold Taper Candle Holder Antique Candle Stick Holders 
• These are the same velvet bows which I used last Christmas 6 Pcs Velvet Christmas Swag Bow 23.5×15.5 Inch Rustic Large Velvet 
• I love the look of these rattan pumpkins 3 Pcs Neutral Fall Decor Weave Rattan Pumpkins 3 Sizes Faux Woven Pumpkin 
• Pine. cones are great decor accents from fall through the end of winter 3.5-5Inch Natural Pine Cones Crafts, Natural Pinecone Ornaments Vase Fillers for Autumn and Winter Christmas Decorations

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Life starts all over again when it gets crisp in the fall.”

F. Scott Fitzgerald

sharing @ between naps on the porch