7 Steps for Decorating Your Designer Holiday Mantel

These quick and easy tips will have you styling your fireplace like a pro in no time!

7 Steps for Decorating a Designer Mantel this Holiday

Pick a color palette. One or two colors is best, or a variety of shades of the same color.
Set the backdrop. Use large artwork, or architectural elements to set the background. Avoid overly busy designs in the art, as it will be distracting.
Place tall items. Do not set in an evenly spaced straight line across the width of the mantle.
Add a mix of candle sizes in different heights and widths. I used a mix of real flame (be careful!) and battery operated candles.
Start to add in greens. I used the clippings from my Christmas tree. Layer in the big branches first to fill in the big open spaces.
Add decorative elements to the greenery such as coordinating ornaments or bows.
Tuck in some more greenery to fill in any remaining holes in your design.

Scroll through the photo gallery below for detailed images of this process:

Keep to your color scheme, knowing that green will always be a color
The overall shape of your finished design should be relatively triangular
Think in “layers”: background, tall items, greens, lights, ornamentation
Your eye tends to prefer odd numbers of items or groups.
Don’t think too hard about it! Let the elements dictate where they want to be. Allow the design to happen organically.