I love having a mantle and fireplace in our living room even if it's just for looks because it's so fun to decorate through the holidays. To create a fall mantle I pulled some things I already had around the house, DIY'ed a little bat art, and added a variety of mini pumpkins.
I think there are three major keys to creating an interesting mantlescape:
1. Stick to a strong color palette-In this case, everything is black, white, or gold with orange as the standout color. If you want things to look cohesive choose three to four colors that repeat. It'll look good close up and from across the room. Too many colors start to compete with each other.
2. Layer, layer, layer-I have a large mirror to help frame the space and then stacked art work over that and then had pumpkins and books in front of that. Everything is slightly overlapped but not completely covering up the thing behind it. Another element in layering is staggering sizes of things. Larger to smaller, wider to narrower as you layer. It keeps your eye moving.
3. Texture is Important- I've mixed the hardness of glass, metal, and metallics with the softness of paper, flowers, and pumpkins.
These are all guideliness I keep in mind when I'm creating vignettes in my home. If you're feeling stuck just switch something out and look at it from the other side of the room. Leave it for a day or two and come back with fresh eyes and you might see what needs to be tweaked. If all else fails, you can never go wrong with flowers!
To keep this year's mantle feeling fresh even though I used a lot of elements I've had on hand for years I created some Halloween art. I found a chipboard bat silhouette at Hobby Lobby and painted it with black acrylic paint. Then I thrifted a frame and fitted it with a thick piece of white cardstock (also from Hobby Lobby) and mounted the bat with double-stick tape. It's graphic and was really easy to make.
Have you already started decorating for fall?
-Rachel
I really like the fact that the clipboard and the cloche make it easy to switch stuff up. Maybe it's time to buy some mums nd pumpkins .
Posted by: Rachel | 09/23/2013 at 03:12 PM
That looks so cute! Excellent job
AmeriAus Blog
Posted by: Chelsea | 09/23/2013 at 03:55 PM
love! We're probably going to decorate our new house before we even unpack anything else. We love Halloween! And it will be our first home with a mantle so I'm pretty excited to try out some of your techniques :)
Posted by: Craftyminx | 09/23/2013 at 04:37 PM
The mantle looks great and I am personally a huge fan of owls :)
Posted by: joyce welch | 09/23/2013 at 05:16 PM
About to move into my very first home and I can't wait to decorate. This post was super cute!
cantbuymelovvve.blogspot.com
Posted by: Angi | 09/23/2013 at 06:30 PM
This is so cute! You did a great job. It looks like you were thrifty and used a lot of things that you already had. We just moved into a little apartment that has an old, nonfunctional fireplace. The mantle only sticks out about an inch from the wall so I can't really put anything on it! It is odd and I wish I could do more with it. Right now I just have pictures hanging above it as if it was just a wall. I hung a cute wreath on our front door hanging from twine and enjoy lighting my Pumpkin Apple candle from Bath & Body Works... I love it!!! :)
Posted by: Rachael | 09/23/2013 at 06:37 PM
This looks fantastic! Beautiful and inspiring.
Posted by: Eve | 09/23/2013 at 06:40 PM
Argh. It's not anywhere near Halloween. I could see a Fall mantel, but Halloween? Please can't we avoid holiday creep and just enjoy Fall for a while?????????
Posted by: Kara | 09/23/2013 at 06:57 PM
Kara,
You can do whatever you feel at your own home, obviously.
Posted by: racheldenbow | 09/23/2013 at 07:11 PM
I just pulled the Halloween box down tonight,and my kiddo and I had a blast figuring out what we'd do with all of it. I'm pinning this post because your house is a lot like mine, so the same kind of stuff works :) For the shallow mantle situation, I would make a cool banner of vintage halloween cards or fabric.
Posted by: Julie B | 09/23/2013 at 08:14 PM
Looks great! This really makes me wish I had a fireplace, too! I love the look of the wood stacked in yours.
That must be the most adorable bat I've ever seen. I've already seen a few this fall–it's definitely not only a halloween thing! :)
Posted by: Sarah Stäbler | 09/24/2013 at 12:45 AM
It looks wonderful! Decorating for autumn just doesn't happen in the UK!
Rosie x | Every Word Handwritten
Posted by: Rosie W | 09/24/2013 at 04:44 AM
I haven't, but I love the guidelines. Thanks for the continued encouragement to repurpose and use simple crafts to elevate a project. Love it!
Posted by: Elizabeth | 09/24/2013 at 07:44 AM
Gorgeous! I need to go get some mini pumpkins, pull out my Halloween decorations, and do the same. You have some great tips! xo
Posted by: Melissa @ Bubby & Bean | 09/24/2013 at 07:48 AM
I'm so in love with the use of the clipboard. It's something so simple, but it's versatile and can be switched out for each season! Absolutely wonderful! Thank you for sharing!
Posted by: Jamie | 09/24/2013 at 11:31 AM
I'm working on my mantle. Not for the holiday but just for the fall season. It's so much fun changing things up.
vintagehoneybee.blogspot.com
Posted by: rachel | 09/24/2013 at 01:32 PM
I love this post! Excellent advice, I love how simple this was, yet you created something very interesting and pleasing to look at:) Very cool!
Posted by: Sarah | 09/24/2013 at 05:43 PM
Love the clipboard! We have a very shallow mantle and that would be a great way to add art while not taking up too much room.
Posted by: Kate | 09/24/2013 at 10:01 PM
I love the mini fat pumpkins! The weather has just started to turn autumnal here in the UK, so I cant wait for the leaves to turn golden and fall so I can grab them and make some seasonal accents for my home too!
Laura
xox
Posted by: Laura | 09/25/2013 at 01:13 AM
I love it! And great tips. I put a stack of pumpkins under a cloche last year, and seeing it on your mantle in a similar way makes me smile. Love all the inspiration you give us :)
Posted by: ruthie | 09/25/2013 at 06:32 AM
i adore this time of year! I love fall, I love halloween, I love the coziness of homes at this time of year! You do such an awesome job of making your home exude the seasons outside! this is the time of year I want to curl up and watch sleepy hollow, and hocus pocus, and this would be the perfect setting to do so!
Posted by: amy | 09/25/2013 at 12:49 PM
Adorable! Your lfamily is blessed to have your decorating skills in your home. You have created such a beautiful, life-giving environment.
Posted by: Emily | 09/26/2013 at 03:36 AM
Love this! And your mantle is gorgeous. I love the brick. Thanks for the inspiration!
Posted by: Meg Skop | 09/29/2013 at 07:42 AM
This was a super helpful/inspiring blog post! In all your house tours/holiday posts I love your mantle but I can never seem to recreate it, and now I feel like I've got the hang of it! ;)
Posted by: Sena Dees | 10/01/2013 at 05:17 AM