This is how my mantle has looked for the past ... I don't know ... 2 months or so.
Using most of the same things, but cleaning it up a bit and changing their positions, it's a whole new look. It's more symmetrical, more balanced. More traditional. Which changes the entire feeling of the room. For no cost and about 30 seconds worth of time.
Most people shove things on their mantle, coffee table or bookcases and leave them exactly the same way for all eternity, or at least until the next holiday when they put up a) garland b) a wreath, or c) a giant stuffed Easter bunny in a straw hat and overalls.
Put away that bunny. Today I have inspiration for you. 24 variations on the same mantle using regular objects that most of us have. Books, candlesticks, vases, and most importantly ... weird little objects. Unexpected things like binoculars, antlers or cameras.
So sit, relax ... and start scrolling.
Inspired? By even just one? All you need is one.
Tips for mantel design.
Display a collection. Designers say this all the time. But what *is* a collection? I don't collect Royal Doultons or antique doorknobs or anything like that. BUT, I do have a bunch of white vases. I don't necessarily collect them. I just have them. Same with books, white stuff in general, antique mirrors, candlesticks, and the list continues. You may not think you have a collection, but you probably do.
Display things that mean something to you. The fifth picture from the bottom, that has the metal surrounded by a gold frame shows the mantel with a bunch of the fella's accomplishments. His metal for running the Around The Bay Road Race in Hamilton, a small kettle bell award from a Crossfit competition, and a circle of concrete from a big job he worked on. Set out separately around the house they don't amount to much, but together on the mantel they work and they remind.
Don't worry. Don't worry too much about getting things "right". It's a mantel. You can change it if you want. Just do what looks good to your eye. You know why? Because no matter what they say in decorating magazines, you're the one lookin' at it. Chances are a magazine editor isn't going to come bursting into the living room to chastise you for not having a "pop" of colour.
Gold & Silver. Yes. As a matter of fact. You *can* have both gold and silver together on a mantel, coffee table, or wrist.
Continuity and Balance. Now I'm about to backtrack on the "don't worry" thing. If you are worried that a magazine editor might be coming over, think about continuity. You can have a variety of mismatched objects on your mantel, but something in them has to go together. There has to be something that lets your eye roam around the entire mantel. It might be a tiny bit of black in a frame that repeats in a book or a feeling of "country" in all the pieces or a tiny white votive candle that balances out the white vase on the other end of the mantel. Even a mantel that seems unbalanced when you first look at it, has something that is indeed balancing it.
The very last mantel picture in the series is a good example of that. Nothing is symmetrical when you first look at it but the white candles on the right balance the white vase on the left. The gold frame on the right balances the gold frame in the centre, which is emphasized with the tiny vintage brass flip calendar on the stack of books. The blue of the Picasso print on the left, is picked up in the blue of the dress in the gold frame and again, everything is emphasized by the blue book in the stack of books.
Accessories
The accessories I used are all things I had around the house and most of them are inexpensive. The only thing that's really worth anything is the antique gold frame with the little girl in the blue dress. Everything else was under $100 and a lot of the accessories were either free or bought for $3-$10 at garage sales and flea markets.
You can buy pop up opera glasses like these on Ebay for around $12.
I absolutely LOVE this small landscape painting. I got it at a garage sale for about $5. The chipped enamel platters are from an antique market.
The Bombay Company sold these glass blocks up until a few years ago. As I've said before a glass block or a glass dome can make anything look important. Even these $5 ceramic roses.
Tinga Tinga. At least I think that's what this African painting is. It's not colourful like Tinga Tinga normally is but it's from the region and painted on masonite. Estate Sale $20.
Sometimes you don't have art, but you do have art or coffee table books. Stick them in an empty frame, either open like this, or closed, displaying the cover like in the 9th picture from the top of the mantel pictures.
Quick Reference
List of Mantel Accessories and where to buy some of them
**note most of these links are now out of date and unavailable but searching the Internet you'll find similar objects**
Books
Candles
Candlesticks Mercury Glass from Ikea, Large Clear Glass from Pottery Barn
Vases
Opera Glasses Ebay
Platters
Frames
Art
Prints
Mirrors
Awards
Found objects (driftwood, sticks, rocks, moss, etc)
Folded burlap Coffee sack Several on Etsy
Antique cameras Brownie Cameras on Ebay
Random Objets d'art (gold artichokes, white lacquer box, gold leaf books, ceramic roses, antique framed prints, silver flying pig, black lady sculpture)
Orchid
Tea lights
Enamel jugs 3 white jugs from Ikea
Antique wood pulley Available on Ebay
Antique antlers Can be found here on Etsy
Wood Acorn Box by Brenda Watts, Cattails Studio
Vintage brass flip calendar Can be found here on Etsy
Now get out there and rearrange! And if you're wondering, my favourite ended up being the final mantel. The unbalanced one with the 2 gold frames and Picasso print. It is how my mantel looks right now.
It barely won out over the classic Swedish country look with the white enamel platters, white jugs and small landscape painting. I may switch over to that in a month or so.
Or maybe I'll take everything down and put a big stuffed bunny on the mantel if I find one that tickles my ass. As luck would have it ... I'm not expecting a magazine editor over any time soon.
→Follow me on Instagram where I often make a fool of myself←
Hope
Can I shop your house instead of mine? That little landscape with the sheep just melts my heart!
Call Me Patty
I thought they were all great, I don't know if I could pick a favourite. They each create a different mood.......but seriously?......the ashes? Come on Karen, that just ruined the whole shot.
Rondina
My favorite was the sixth one. The first one with the man playing the guitar. It had depth and I thought the items were perfectly placed off-center. I'm the type that arranges things one way in a house and they stay there forever, my mantel being the exception.
Alex
Damnit now I am a really bad Canadian for not having a fireplace. Next house it's a must have.
Nancy Blue Moon
I don't have a mantel anymore..would love to have one again..I love your antique mirrors the best..
Karen
Prepare yourself for a lot of love, Karen: love the Pottery Barn glass candlesticks, love the mantels with more ornate mirrors the most, and love that I can see your entire post in Google reader!
marilyn
i liked # 5 the best...love that print! followed by 12 and 17..great post karen! i too like to fool with my mantle..dont know how to send u a pic or i would
Linda
I love the "twigs" mantel, it's so calm/modern.
I have a "mantel" that's 80" long, 23" deep, and 29" before you hit the ceiling. The previous owner built it around his large screen TV. I don't have a large screen TV, I have a 35" TV. Aside from tossing a man up there, I have NO idea what to do with that much space!
Lisa
Our fireplace is in a corner so I have a curved mantle which can sometimes be challenging to decorate. I think I need to start experimenting a lot more and not get so hung up on working around the curves.
Cindy Marlow
First, one needs a mantle...however, I did say, 'Oooh, I like that!' at least 16 times!
Langela
My favorite is the pitcher and platter setup.
Angela that London
This is a little bit spooky Karen, I was going to message you today to request some more of your inspirational decor ideas. I first found your blog about 2 years ago when I was looking for ideas on displays for the large wall unit bookcase I'd bought. It was the shoot in your house that inspired me to buy my beautiful antler on Ebay. I also collect vintage and my long suffering fella has learned to love my 1940s chandelier and various other girly 'tat' as he calls it. Yeah well we still got the big telly and PS3 so shut it! Where do you hide yours? (telly!) I love pics 8,14,16 and 24 best - your gilt mirror collection is lovely. I've done similar in the bedroom but with 1920s/30s mirrors and I also mix brass with silver in my collection of vintage chain-mail bags. Now feeling I should let in a bit more masculine style influences love your fella's lump of concrete - superb! More of your house please if can bear it. Gold medal for Karen, hope doing the mantel didn't drive you mental.
Karen
Hi Angela - Thanks! Even though it was the most logical and probably easiest, I refused to put my television over the mantle. It would overpower the room and instantly become the focal point. Which I didn't want. So I hung the television on a telescoping and articulating hinge on the wall to the right of the fireplace. To angle it for better viewing we just pull it out. It's still ugly but less of a focal point. ~ karen!
Rebecca P
Super fabulous post! It looks like it was probably a lot of fun to put together, but also a lot of work! Just wanted to let you know I thoroughly enjoyed it and will be referring back to it again and again for inspiration.
My favorite, btw, is probably the one with all the mirrors. So dramatic! Second is the one you chose!
Thanks!
Karen
Thanks Rebecca! ~ karen
Diana
Hi Karen,
well done!!!
That is what I`m doing in my job every day!
as a window dresser in a furniturestore!
Love the glassblock and my favorite is the 3rd one. it`s so clean;o)
Rebecca
I love all of these looks! I wish I had a mantle to get creative with.
Another Jan
Rebecca, I do not have a fireplace,but built a faux one in the corner to house my ugly flatsceen and DVD, etc. Z-brick, drywall and a bit of trim. Fun project!
Natika33
Awesome! I like your idea of changing your mantle more often. The Japanese version is probably the tokonoma. It gets changed a bit more often (since they usually have to replace the dying flowers), but the overall design is kinda boringly similar. Maybe I'll practice doing something entirely non-Japanese in that space and see what works.
On another note - do you have any suggestions for displaying rather childish (ie. not so refined-looking) objects? I have a bunch of relatively small and cutesy plastic figures that tend to un-sophisticate anything they're put beside. Most of them I can put in boxes away somewhere and be happy, but I'd kinda like to display these guys http://www.1999.co.jp/itbig12/10121225a16.jpg
Any help?
Laura P.
You could put your figures in a shadowbox, like Jen from Epbot did here http://www.epbot.com/2010/05/show-and-tell.html. Or perhaps a rock display case. Either way, you only have to move/dust one thing instead of many!
Natika33
Thanks Laura - I'll try that. I thought maybe they would look cute peeking out from around books too... not sure... all my books are textbooks for learning Japanese and super boring looking, so I think I might have to make book covers too... *sigh*
Laura Bee
Lovely, I am so jealous of your mantle. Mine is totally out of place oak monstrosity. (gas) In the corner with a drywalled ledge above. I keep thinking of painting it white. Or ripping it out & putting a nice little gas "woodstove" so we won't have a mantle to deal with. The cat likes sleeping up there though.
And whose guitar pick is that? Just curious, I caught a pick thrown by Honeymoon Suite's bass player Gary after a show a few years ago. He tossed it right at me - best catch ever!
Karen
LOL. The guitar pick and framed, signed set list are from a Ramones concert (one of approximately 100) I went to starting in around grade 9. I also have drumsticks. Gabba Gabba Hey. ~ karen!
Laura Bee
Way cool! I have a drumstick from way back that I can't for the life of me remember where it came from. Must have been a great night...
Jenny
Ooooo...I do have baskets that can take a few holes. I really like that idea. If I get it set up "picture worthy" ill send you a shot of it. :) Thanks!
Jenny
I have a challenging problem, as some mave have as well; a cable box and a ps3. These are "required" on my mantel because my tv is above it. Do you have any advice on how to incorporate those into a cohesive looking mantel?
Karen
Jenny - You're not going to like my answer, but I want you to move your television. Not willing? Uch. O.K. The only thing can do with the cable box and PS3 box is either a) see if you can somehow get longer cables for them so you can hide them lower down or simply put them in something. A wicker basket, lacquer box ... that sort of thing. Something that the remote can work through. You may need to drill a hole in it to get your remote to work. Depending on the size of your mantle you can also just place stuff around the offending boxes to hide them. It's hard to give any more advice than that without actually seeing the situation. Hope it helps a bit. ~ karen!
Angela
My TV is also over my mantle. We ran cable under the house so the DVD, DVR, etc. are in the closet across the room. Works great!
Natika33
Can you partially cover them with pretty paper or cardboard (leaving space for air of course)?
Katrina
Man, this totally reminds me of many an art school assignment. Take a small set of items and draw them over and over in different arrangements. Once you hit about 50, your mind sort of lets go and you start to see the items as colors, textures, and shapes instead of "things." It lets you get rid of any preconceived notions of how things are "supposed" to go and that's how you can get interesting and new compositions.