How to Style Your Mantle After the Holidays
With the close of the Christmas season comes the cathartic stripping away of the now stale Christmas decor that once filled your home with so much warmth and whimsy. While I love the cleansing ritual of putting it all away (and dusting every nook and cranny that has been hidden for a month), my home is always left feeling a little like the North Pole: stark, barren, and devoid of life. However, with a blank slate comes opportunity! A chance to, once again, infuse some life and charm into your home in new ways.
Our mantles are no longer clad with stockings, garland and bows, offering the perfect blank canvas for a new look for the New Year. Styling your mantle is as easy as 1, 2, 3.
Tip!
When hanging a mirror or a large piece of art make sure to hang it 6” - 10”above the mantle.
Center Focal Point: This may be something you may already have in place, but consider swapping it for something new to totally transform your space. A mirror or a large piece of art can be hung or propped.
Large Scale Object (or Objects): On one side, you’ll want to consider a larger scale object, like a vase full of dried florals or a smaller piece of art. Sometimes this could be a grouping of 2 to 3 items. The idea is to create some mass here.
Balancing Smaller Scale Objects: You’ll want a few more elements to balance out the other side of the mantle. The scale of these items should be slightly smaller than your large object(s) that are opposite them and should, therefore, have less visual mass. Consider stacking books to anchor smaller objects and give them a place to rest.
Tip!
To achieve the perfect balance of asymmetry, make sure your items on either side of the mantle are not the same height.
While many of the unique items used to style our mantles are available in our Inventory Shop, this makeover doesn’t necessarily require a shopping trip. I like to shop my home for special items to include in my styling and consider new ways to use objects I already have. For example, a candy dish of my Grandmother’s is used with glass beads to add color and texture, simultaneously combatting my lingering Christmas sweet tooth. A slender vase that was gifted by a friend is given prominent display as the perfect vessel for a single dramatic stem. I believe the items that we allow space for in our homes should be equally beautiful and special to us, whether they are important family heirlooms or something we’ve collected along the way. What treasures will you use in your home this year?
