Vintage Christmas Mantel Styling with Plaid and Pearls

Do you follow trends or themes for your holiday decor? This vintage Christmas mantel styling with plaid and pearls does a little of both. Pearls are my crush for this holiday season, while the Ralph Lauren Christmas trend is hot, hot, hot! We will design a holiday mantel-scape, bringing both worlds together and creating a classic and charming look.

vintage Christmas mantel styling with Plaid & Pearls

The classic elegance of pearls is offset by a moody tartan plaid ribbon. Layered greenery, vintage touches and rich textures adds to the nostalgic holiday look. The look creates a timeless and cozy vibe for a holiday mantel styling.

vintage Christmas mantel styling with Plaid & Pearls Pinterest

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How to Layer a Vintage Christmas Mantel with Plaid Ribbon and Pearl Touches

You want to build the mantel decor in layers, which can go up or down while others go out. Start with a foundation and build around that. Don’t be afraid to experiment and change things as you go along, ultimately achieving the look you are going for.

Blank Slate

For most projects it’s preferable to start with a clean slate. It clears the mind, getting rid of any “noise” and provides a blank canvas to start creating. The entire mantle shelf is cleared and the clean mirror will reflect all the sparkle and magic.

Foundation Cedar Garland

A faux cedar garland its draped on the gilded mirror above the mantle in an offset design. This realistic garland I found last year is currently on sale. Last year the garland was draped on the mantel shelf, which you can preview in this post {How to Decorate a Christmas Mantel with Neutral Brown Tones}. This shows how you can use the same item in very different designs from year to year.

Greenery Stems

To add bulk and length include greenery stems in and around the garland. Zip ties are used to attach the stems to the main garland, but floral wire and twine are other options. The extra stems added length to one side to drape down the fireplace to offset the design and add a bit of drama and add fullness to the top of the garland..

Plaid Bow Accent

A plaid tartan bow is added to one corner with the bow tails trailing in between the greenery. The tartan plaid adds the Ralph Lauren aesthetic, while the bow Christmas trend has been going strong for the last few years, which both are front and center for the mantel design.

Pearl Strands Accent

The other star of the show are pearls and they are draped across the gilded mirror and through the greenery. More pearls are draped on the bottom section of the fireplace design, which is showcased below. These are the pearl decor garlands used here, Faux Pearl Beads Garland and Pearl Beaded Tassel Trim Fringe

Stockings Decor

If you’re a regular reader then you know our stockings and hangers are traditional pieces used every year regardless of the design and trends. Every year when I take out the stocking holders out of the box I think I should polish them… and I never do….but this was the year. The Noel hangers are shiny and bright for the season. This was a Pottery Barn splurge as a newlywed, which was a stretch at the time. And here we are thirty years later, and the stocking holders are still going strong. Be very deliberate about your big seasonal expenses and they will serve you right through the years.

Pearl Accent Ornaments

Pearl ornaments are added to fill the mantel shelf, which further reinforcces the pearl motif. They complement the theme and fill the space, making it full and rich. The pearl green ornaments were a DIY you can find here {Elegantly Rustic Ornament}, which are draped around the mantel styling plus white pearly pieces on the mantel shelf fill the space.

Floral Arrangement

A floral arrangement is added to one side of the mantel to balance the garland swag on the other side. The arrangement is repurposed from here, here and here. Greenery, ladder branches, and turkey feathers are added to hydrangeas from the yard, creating a floral arrangement a la Ralph Lauren aesthetic.

Seasonal Baubles

Classic elements integrated as finishing touches to the mantel display. Traditional wooden nutcrackers are always a timeless look for the holidays. Plus a vintage thrifted brass candle holder add the old world feels with added warmth and nostalgia.

Hearth

Integrating the hearth into the mantel design styling creates a cohesive display. Lanterns cluster around the fireplace box adds more light and magic. Some tartan plaid pillows add a cozy sitting spot on the raised hearth to enjoy the holiday warmth and comfort.

Decorating Pro Tip: As you are building the layers and adding different elements take a step back and assess the styling. Take photos and look at everything from different angles. We see things differently in a picture versus real life. Adjustments can be made based on what you see.

Inspiration Behind the Vintage Christmas Mantel

Ralph Lauren Christmas Trend

The Ralph Lauren look exudes warmth and nostalgia, leaning into traditional decor. The trending aesthetic embraces tartan plaids, natural elements and vintage pieces. The look emphasizes layering materials for an over the top feel. The RL Christmas look is timeless and elegant. This mantel styling uses a tartan ribbon, lush greenery, a rich floral arrangement, a thrifted vintage brass candle holder and nutcracker figurines to embrace the RL Christmas aesthetic.

Pearly Christmas

Pearls always exude classic style and elegance. Pearls are my current crush for Christmas. One of my favorite stores, Anthropologie, has some fantastic inspiration. The pearl garland, fringe and bows all add elegance and classic vibes to an otherwise rustic mantel design.

More decorating, crafting and entertaining content is scheduled for the season. If you don’t want to miss any new content, you might enjoy following along. Sign up below and receive all new posts directly into your in-box. We would love to welcome you to the Masterpiece community.

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Closing Thoughts

How is your Christmas decorating going? I am close to done decorating for the season, but truth be told, I’m never truly done. I’m always adding, moving, changing things around until the end. It’s my playground, and I enjoy playing on the daily. One of my favorite things to do is to inject our family traditions and sentimental decor into new and trend forward styles. It keeps things classic and fresh at the same time.

Thanks for joining me today. I hope you enjoyed the mantle styling for the season. Looking forward to seeing you next time. Au revoir!

Shopping the Plaid & Pearl Christmas Mantel Look

Shopping Note

I included *affiliate links here to some of the items I used or that are very similar for your convenience. If there’s something you are looking for, which you don’t see here, please drop me a note or leave me a comment down below. I’m happy to help.

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Vintage Christmas Mantel Styling with Plaid and Pearls