Hello, dear friends! Did you have a good weekend?
Ours was a busy one. Just got back from visiting our daughter at Brown University in Providence. We enjoyed spending few days with her during her mini-break. I love visiting the city of Providence with its many art galleries, amazing restaurants, and wonderful shopping. We don't have a Sur La Table store near our hometown, so I enjoy strolling through the aisles of Sur La Table and browsing at all the French goodies on the shelves.
With the temperature in mid-50s, we enjoyed the spring-like weather in Providence, and I was hoping for warmer weather now that we are back at home. But I guess that is wishful thinking, because we are expecting 2-3 inches of snow in the next few days! With that in mind, I thought I will share with you my mantel decorated for the winter.
I love decorating the mantel and adding seasonal changes. It is by far the most decorated surface in my home.
I like clean lines and keeping it simple when styling a mantel.
Designing tips for decorating a mantel:
1. Anchor item: Choose a large object such as a piece of artwork, over-sized clock, or a mirror in the center of the mantel that serves as a focal point and has the biggest impact on your design.
I chose the gold framed painting of Claude Monet as my anchor item. I love the vibrant color and tone of Impressionist paintings.
Try to keep the anchor object proportionate in size to the fireplace mantel so that it looks visually balanced.
2. Visual height: Add visual height such as candle holders or a tall vase on either of the anchor item.
You can choose to place either identical or mismatched objects on the left and right side of the anchor item as long as they add height to your design.
I chose this aqua ceramic vase filled with dried floral to add visual height.
On the other side of the painting, I placed a pair of Wooden pedestals holding pots of greenery for height and balance.
Love how the aqua blue ceramic vase picks up some of the colors from Monet's painting.
3. Accessories: Lastly, add accessories of different heights in the empty spaces on either side of the anchor item to add visual interest. Keep the scale of these fillers smaller in size than the anchor object.
When creating a vignette for your mantel, think in terms of a triangle formation where the tip of the triangle is the center of the anchor item so that your vignette looks visually pleasing.
Also, when decorating your mantel, don't forget to decorate the hearth so that everything ties well together. I placed an over-sized metal lantern on my hearth.
I hope these design tips help you to play with your mantel the next time you decorate for the seasons.
I enjoyed sharing these decorating tips with you.
Before I sign off today I would like to express my sincere thanks to these wonderful ladies for featuring my Styling Bookcases at their weekly parties. Please stop by and visit them if you get a chance for loads of inspiring home decor ideas, DIY projects, mouth-watering recipes and more. Or maybe share your own creative projects and ideas at their weekly linky parties.
Thank you ladies!
Thanks for your visit! Have a great week!
~ Hugs, Poppy~
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