I’m so excited to share this year’s holiday mantel with you today. I love decking out my whole home for Christmas, but my absolute favorite thing to decorate is our old stone fireplace mantel. Since our home was built in 1790 I’ve really tried to embrace old fashioned and organic decorating for the holidays. Here’s how I created my holiday mantel vignette this year.
Layered garland
I always start with my garland when I’m doing my holiday mantel. In past years, I’ve used fresh pine garland, and doubled it up, which was beautiful. But it dried out fast and I found I really couldn’t decorate any earlier than the first week of December or I’d have a crispy garland dropping pine needles all over the living room long before Christmas Day. Last year I switched to a faux garland, and it’s worked out nicely. I use a realistic looking pine garland, layered with this Eucalyptus garland, and it creates a nice layered look. There are lots of ways to hang garland on a mantel, but my favorite is to do an asymmetrical look, starting on one end and letting the garland drape down the other. I add additional fullness on the draping end, and I think it has a wonderful natural, relaxed feel.
Added natural elements
Once the garland is in place I usually add natural elements to give it a more rustic feel. In past years I’ve added dried orange slices to my garland, but this year I decided to mix it up by adding dried babies breath instead. I picked up a couple bundles at Trader Joes and just added the sprigs here and there, where ever I liked until it looked right. I love the texture and whimsy they added to this year’s holiday mantel.
Antique Brass Bells and Linen Ribbon
Cascading Antique Brass bells have been a staple of my holiday mantel for the past 4 years, but this year I added a hand dyed linen ribbon and I love how it added just a bit of color. You can see how I made these linen ribbons right here.
Candlesticks and tapered candles
Is there anything more “classic Christmas” than a beautiful white tapered candle? I knew I had to add some to my holiday mantel this season. I placed them on collected antique brass candlesticks I’ve sources from thrift and vintage shops around New England flanking the new winter art.
Winter vintage art print.
I started switching up the art on my mantel last year for the winter season, and I love how much coziness it adds to the space. This year, I chose this lovely snowy pine scene for my holiday mantel, and since it’s not super “Christmasy” I’ll leave it up until spring.
There you go! Our holiday mantel for 2023. I hope this inspires you and gives you some ideas for making your home feel lovely and extra cozy this holiday season. Your family deserves it, and so do you!
