When it comes to decorating for the holidays, your mantel is one of the most important features in your entire display. It’s where your family gathers to open presents under the Christmas tree, and it’s typically the perfect backdrop for holiday pictures. While stockings and garlands are classic decorations that will always look cozy and inviting, there’s definitely more you can do when it comes to styling your fireplace.
Updating your mantel can provide your home with an immediate design revamp. And the emerging seasonal trends from this year are highlighting both the appeal of timelessness and the allure of fresh styles. While it may feel daunting to move away from your usual holiday decor scheme, these gorgeous ideas from interior designers will help guide you in the right direction.
Read on to see how to craft a stunning holiday mantelscape like a designer, ensuring a vibrant and exciting look year after year.
Over-the-Top Greenery
Greenery is a central theme in many holiday decorations—the more coniferous tree branches you can use, the better. Designer Bethany Adams suggests embracing this element when decorating your mantelpiece, as layered branches are effortlessly attractive. The lush mantel displayed above is from her own home. She crafted this stunning holiday display using four floral foam cages, foraged greenery, and a selection of florals.
“To add some festive orange color, I added branches of live persimmons I purchased from Trader Joe’s, but you could also use faux branches and use them year after year,” Adams tells House Beautiful. “Nestled between the branches (and with a fire extinguisher within reach!), I placed brass candlesticks of multiple heights from H&M Home with candles in varying, rich hues.”
If you keep the floral foam moist, this display can last you through the New Year.
2-Pack Glossy Taper Candles
Floral Foam Cages, Pack of 4
Minimalist Elegance
Sometimes, the best way to highlight specific architectural features in your home, like your mantel, is by going the minimalist route.
“This Christmas, we are going to be embracing a more minimalist, gentler, and yet very elegant approach to holiday styling,” Ashley Macuga of Collected Interiors says. To create a warm, inviting atmosphere that counterbalances the hustle and bustle of the holiday season, Macuga suggests leaning into decor that feels more edited and scaled down.
The designer lists softer hues like blush pinks and creams with hints of gold and Champagne to add a subtle sparkle. Rather than add on a huge garland, try touches of eucalyptus here and there (as long as your house is feline-free) with minimal wreaths and simple pillar candles or tea lights to add a calming warmth. This will create a more refined mantelscape that doesn’t leave you feeling overwhelmed just by stepping into the room.
Leaf Garland Embroidered Napkins, Set of 4
Barga Taper Candleholders
18pcs Artificial Eucalyptus Stems
Now 17% Off
A Touch of Grandeur
Designer Bambi A’Lynn Bratton doesn’t like holding back when it comes to decorating the mantel for the holidays. Add sparkle, brightness, and a sense of grandeur to make your fireplace feel truly luxurious.
“I love decorating a living room mantle with silver decor, candles, antique pink balls, and ribbon (silk, satin, and velvet are my favorite festive options),” Bratton says. Or, if you’d rather something a bit more natural, bring elements of the outside in by layering noble fir, eucalyptus, cedar, and juniper branches on your mantel.
10-Yard Velvet Ribbon Spool
The Holiday Aisle Silver Deer Statues, Set of 2
Tonal Blush Glass Boxed Ornaments. Set of 9
6-Foot Jingle Bell Faux Garland
Modern and Metallic
A general rule of thumb for designer Meredith Owen when decorating mantels is taking into account the overall design style of the home. For example, having an ultra glamorous mantel in a home with a more rustic aesthetic would look out of place and awkward.
In this particular home, she and her team went for “a more modern garland using metallics mixed in with greenery to give an understated but elegant look,” Owen says. They layered ribbons with berries, branches, and florals to bring in elements of nature, enhancing the design with bronze accents and lights that emit a soft glow. “We kept this mantle design simple because of the more modern nature of this home,” Owen adds.
9-Foot Flocked Berkshire Spruce Garland
Deluxe Faux Smoke Berry Branch in Dusty Plum
Alcott Hill Mini Christmas Tree String Lights With Brown Cord
3D Silver Glitter Star Christmas Tree Ornaments
Holiday-Everyday Blend
A top tip from designer Roger Higgins of R. Higgins Interiors is to incorporate the holiday arrangements with the existing mantel decor. Though this will look different in each home, Higgins always uses fire-retardant materials to enhance the mantels.
“I love to combine faux and real elements together for a balanced look,” he says.
6-Foot Faux Red Mini Berry Garland
Large Natural Pine Cones, Set of 20
9-Foot Wood Beaded Burgundy Garland
Balsam Hill Fraser Fir Foliage
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