For me, holiday decorating is all about the mantle because it can really be simple and all you need but still make a huge impact and make the whole room look festive. Especially if you don’t do trees. So here are just some simple tips that can make the mantle be the star.
Step One: Come up with a color scheme. If you keep the palette simple and let the greens speak for themself, the rest will be a cinch. For this client, I chose green (lots of different hues); silver; grey and white.
Step Two: Scavenge for elements. Now that you know your colors keep an eye out for things that will work and make sure you load up on texture, vary size, and combine objects with strands so that your eye has lots to bounce around and look at on your mantle. I find stuff all through the year… in flea markets; antique stores; wrapping sections of stores; and things I have lying around my home.
Step Three: Put your greens down first. When you are putting your mantle together place your greens down first and make sure they are not matted down by your objects, but rather lifted up so they drape over the mantle’s edge and some sprigs even working their way up the wall.
Step Four: Next add your objects. Add your objects next and stand back to make sure you have them placed where you want them. Next weave the ribbons and baubles that you’ve found so they are winding around your objects. Add your lights ( I always look for a little dazzle in the lights.. it’s ok if they blink slightly but make sure you get the ones that don’t all go off and on at once. The battery pack ones are best as you can hide the pack behind your greens and don’t have to deal with wires hanging off the mantle).
Happy Holidays
