6Nov
Inspiration to Make the Most of Your Fireplace Mantel This Holiday Season (and Beyond)
One of the most iconic images of Christmas is a fireplace with stockings and garland. Fireplace mantels are the perfect stage for Christmas decorations. The fireplace is always the centre of attention in a room, and mantels just happen to be super easy to decorate.
Mantel decorations don’t have to be limited to the holidays either. You can decorate your mantel year-round to reflect the seasons, your personal tastes, and your living room décor.
For inspiration, we’ve put together a few fireplace mantel decor ideas to enhance your fireplace during the holidays and throughout the year.
Decor Considerations
While fireplace mantels are fun and easy to decorate, you need to be cautious when it comes to decorating fireplaces. It’s important to keep flammable objects as far away from the fire as possible and ensure they’re secure on top of the mantel.
Don’t hang anything too close to the heat—this includes stockings and garlands. If you hang anything that drapes near the firebox, tie it back or consider using a different decoration. This’ll help prevent any risk of fire.
Ideas and Inspiration
Not sure where to start? We’ve got you covered with a few décor ideas to transform your mantel into a beautiful holiday centrepiece.
Classic
- Garland: Lay garland along the mantelpiece, and have it drape down both sides.
- Hurricane Vases: Place two large hurricane vases with large white candles on the mantel, nestled in the garland on each end.
- Stockings: Hang your family’s stockings from the mantel (with care), evenly spaced above the fireplace hearth. Hide the stocking hooks under the garland. You can add metal letters to personalize each stocking.
Natural
- Cedar Garland: Drape a feathery cedar garland over the fireplace mantel.
- Frosted Pinecones: Place large pinecones in the garland on the mantel, and wire small pinecones to the branches
- White & Green Flowers: Place tall white and green flowers in terracotta or zinc pots on each end of the mantel. Try amaryllis and paperwhites flowers!
- Reindeer Moss: Place light-green reindeer moss along the mantel as an accent.
- Fruits: Lay bright fruits along the mantel for colour, such as clementine oranges and limes.
- Cinnamon Sticks & Candles: Add bundles of cinnamon sticks and scented votive candles for additional holiday fragrances.
Personal
- Evergreen Garland: Lay your favourite evergreen garland along the mantel, such as white pine.
- Red Carnations: Place small bouquets of red carnations in stainless steel julep cups, and nestle these cups in clusters on each end of the mantel.
- Holiday Cards: Display holiday cards you’ve received along the centre of the mantel.
Whimsical
- Faux Snow: Place fake snow along the mantel instead of a garland.
- Mason Jars: Partially or completely fill coloured or clear mason jars with various glass ornaments. Place the jars on the centre of the mantel near the front.
- Antique Decorations: Display vintage Christmas decorations along the mantel, such as snowmen, reindeer, and miniature wire bottlebrush trees.
- Blue & Silver Glass Ornaments: Scatter old glass ornaments of various sizes along the faux snow.
- Snowflakes: Place sparkling snowflakes standing up in the snow.
- Holiday Greeting: Hang a holiday greeting above the mantel. This could be a vintage “Merry Christmas” garland. Or, you can make your own with cardboard letters, silver glitter or paint, and string.
Bountiful
- Various Garlands: Combine a variety of green garlands along the mantel to create a thick, lush, overflowing garland.
- Green & White Flowers: Nestle green and white flowers throughout the garland.
- Pomegranates & Viburnum Berries: To add colour, nestle pomegranates and viburnum berries along the garland.
- Extras: To add texture and bounty, include green produce such as artichokes and Granny Smith apples.
Lush
- Plastic Covering: Cover your mantel with a sheet of plastic to protect it from moisture.
- Florist Foam: Evenly space five pieces of water-soaked and caged florist foam along the mantel.
- Store-Bought Garland: Cover the florist foam with pieces of garland.
- Pine & Cedar: Insert clipped pine and cedar into the foam.
- Magnolia & Holly: Insert clipped magnolia and holly into the foam.
- Aspidistra Leaves: Create loops with aspidistra leaves—poking the stems through the tips of the leaves. Insert the stems into the foam.
- Milo, Millet, & Rose Hips: Lay in milo, millet, and rose hips.
On the side of the garland, wire in natural items that don’t need water and fill in any holes on top with magnolia.
Simple
- Wreath: Hang or place a wreath above your mantel.
- Stockings: Hang stockings from your mantel.
- Candles: Place a large red or clear glass vase with a candle on each end of the mantel.
Decor Inspiration for The Whole Year
After the holidays, you can decorate your mantel for different décor and seasons. The best thing about fireplace mantel décor is that it can display your own personal tastes along with matching or complementing your living room décor.
Whether you use it to display flowers and art, fill it up with your beloved items and photos, or stick to a minimalist, contemporary design, your mantel is yours to work with.
Here are just a few ideas to inspire you to dress up your mantel throughout the year.
Artwork
Display a favourite painting above your mantel and place a candlestick on each end for symmetry.
Place complementing paintings or framed photos of various sizes along your mantel so they overlap, with the largest being in the background and the smallest in front. Use chunky candleholders on each side. Or, you can fill up your mantel with many pieces of art that follow a similar theme.
Asymmetry
If you want to try something different, place a large painting or other piece of art on one side of your mantel, and smaller decorations on the opposite side. The large piece will draw the eye to one side of the room, which is useful if you want to draw attention to other décor in the room.
Spring
Place white dishes and rattan chargers along your mantel. Stick green foliage in white pitchers. Place light-green birds’ eggs along the mantel, including in the rattan chargers. Place a white candlestick on each end of the mantel, with an optional small rattan nest on top. The centrepiece could be a spring-themed painting or a chalkboard with a springtime quote.
Summer
Stick with one colour, such as white, for the theme, and use glass and metal finishes for candle holders, vases, and lanterns. Add beach accents, such as sea shells and a piece of drift wood.
Fall Harvest
To celebrate the fall season, place colourful heirloom pumpkins along your mantel. Accent with pinecones and other fall foliage.
Halloween
Spray paint two broom heads black and stick them in two black pots to create topiaries for each end of your mantel. Place candelabras on your mantel, and drape cheesecloth from the candelabras to create the look of spider webs.
A glass mirror with a ghost will make for a spooky centrepiece. Also, add a fake tarantula or two along the mantel.
Winter
After Christmas, decorate your mantel to reflect the winter season. This could be a white theme, with while candles and flowers, and bare branches for accents.
Valentine’s Day
Add pink or red accents to your mantel for Valentine’s Day, such as red flowers, red candles, and a piece of red artwork amongst a simple white and black theme.
Whatever your tastes and interior décor are, you can decorate your mantel to match or complement the room.
Make the most of your fireplace mantel this holiday season, and throughout the year, with these fireplace mantel ideas.