Fall Mantels, Elements

Welcome to fall mantel 2010. Only one of a kazillion ways to usher in the new season. (Okay, truthfully, I feel like throwing a kicking-and-screaming tantrum that summer is over. We hardly had any sun here in Seattle. I'm feeling pretty gypped at this point and it was with a little bitterness that I pulled out my four boxes of fall decor. But I digress.)

If you're like a lot of people, you know what you like when you see it, but have a difficult time producing the results from scratch. So, for this fall mantel, I'm going to point out some elements, so that you can train your eye to see why you like something (and then produce your own gorgeous fall display at home).

1--I started with my favorite fall garland. This is actually two pieces that overlap in the middle to give it some centering fullness. The garland sort of underscores the whole arrangement, draws it all together. I used white artists tape to secure it. It doesn't leave any sticky residue. (See below for my taping method)

2--Then I attached some bunches of Indian corn (I buy these at pumpkin patches or the grocery store and use them year after year). They are bound on the husks so they don't sever the corn from the husks. I also taped them to the mantel like this:

They're a little heavy so I put a crosswise piece of tape over this tape to secure it.

3--The green window was already in place (thanks to Mother's Day), but I added another ($2 at an antique sale!). I turned it perpendicular to the other window for variety, and placed it off center. I love the old chippped paint texture.


4--Balance is really important here, even in an asymmetrical arrangement. I added the hydrangea wreath for some visual "weight" on the left side. It's hung with a wreath hanger I stole off my front door.

5--I LOVE berries, and the color on these ones. They are on a wired vine, which makes them super easy to work with. They are taped in two places at the top (you can see the left one). They add some fun texture and mirror the berry cones I've got on the left side.

6--Berry cones (from Target last year). It gives some nice height and unusual shape to the mantel. If you're using two of the same things together, vary the height (you could use candle holders like this, old books, vintage wooden crates, etc). They're also a 'weightier' element. The deep orange color is gorgeous. Unfortunately, it gets lost against my red wall. Next year I'm going to try to find some old, grey barnwood for a background.

All the different textures make it visually interesting.

7--Fall is all about pumpkins, right? This one is tipped toward the front. I rolled some tape (you can see it at the bottom) to help keep it in place. The smaller window, to me, looks almost like a setting all it's own.

8--Of course I had to add candles! A small detail element, to round out the variety of sizes. They look so warm and inviting, like "Come on in for some hot cider and apple pie!"

So, the thing that this mantle has going is variety. There are big windows, small pumpkins and candles. Circle wreaths and pumpkins, triangle berry cones and Indian corn, rectangle windows. It's got elements on either side to visually balance it, and underlining garland that ties the crazy mess all together.

Questions? Leave a comment to let me know if these were helpful ideas.

PS: Here's a link to last year's mantel.