How to Decorate a Large Mantel for Christmas
Melanie Acevedo
'Tis the season for gathering around a cozy fireplace with a holiday cocktail in hand to unwind from a long year with family and friends. But as you start to make your plans for holiday decorating, what to do on that oh-so-important mantel? It's easy to focus most of your efforts on Christmas tree ideas, Christmas table settings, and even Christmas door decorations. But as the focal point in several parts of the home—from living rooms and home libraries to dining rooms and outdoor rooms—the mantel deserves some extra consideration when it comes to Christmas decorations.
The key to Christmas mantel decorating is to incorporate seasonal bounty in natural materials, from mantel garlands to Christmas wreaths hung above the mantel. You'll also want to consider adding in candles, fresh flowers, and, of course, stockings into your Christmas mantel decorations. Whether your style is traditional and classic or rustic and casual, you'll find plenty of inspiration for Christmas mantel decoration from these ideas pulled from the VERANDA archives. Happy decorating!
Francesco Lagnese
1 of 21
Willow and Straw Flower Garland
For his living room mantel, floral designer Lewis Miller creates a garland from willow, pinecones, straw flower, and yarrow that exudes joyful abundance. A wreath comprising similar elements hangs above, its palette beautifully complementing Miller's blue walls.
Werner Straube
2 of 21
Velvet Ribbon and Berries
For Christmas, coziness reigns in designer Alessanda Branca's Chicago library. She decorates her mantel with an evergreen garland accented with traditional red berries and green velvet ribbons tied in bows. Glass hurricanes add height at the corners.
Sang An
3 of 21
Sweet Peas and Citrus
Dried oranges and kumquats plus a cluster of white hydrangea and sweet peas brighten this Christmas mantel garland for a seasonal alternative to traditional red and green. Additional hydrangea and sweet peas adorn the sconces flanking the bronze relief bust of George Washington.
Werner Straube
4 of 21
Anemone and Amaryllis
Simple glass vases filled with red and white anemone and white amaryllis lend a feminine, floral note to this woodsy, cedar garland. Tall glass hurricanes add height at either end of this Christmas mantel decoration.
Werner Straube
5 of 21
Candelabra, Bud Vases, and Ribbon
In the living room of her Chicago townhouse, designer Alessandra Branca adorns her mantel with an evergreen garland accented with candelabra and red taper candles, bud vases with white roses, and simple, red velvet ribbons tied in bows. A carved wood sign that reads "Joy" sets the tone for her Christmas dinner party. Cortina Tartan, Casa Branca
Aerin Lauder
6 of 21
Evergreen Garland and Red Stockings
Tastemaker Aerin Lauder trims her mantel with a classic evergreen garland accented with pinecones, then hangs red-and-white stockings filled with gifts. Two small glass lamps (Circa Lighting for similar) anchor her Christmas mantel decorations with extra glow.
Melanie Acevedo
7 of 21
Magnolia and Pine Trimmings
At Clovebrook Farm in New York, author and potter Christopher Spitzmiller decorates his mantel with evergreen pine garland trimmed with extra-large pinecones. For an extra-festive oomph, he also trims out the mirror above his fireplace with a giant magnolia wreath.
Gordon Beall
8 of 21
Unadorned Greenery
At his townhouse in Washington, DC, designer Darryl Carter dresses the mantel in his parlor with a simple swag of greenery, unadorned with ribbon, ornaments, or other plantings. This seasonal statement infuses the room with a festive air without distracting from the architecture or his art collection.
Max Kim-Bee
9 of 21
Sky-High Garland
Decorator Richard Keith Langham transforms his New York living room into a festive setting for large holiday gatherings or intimate Christmas dinner parties with dramatic mantel decorations. Here, garland swoops as high as the moulding on the ceiling, framing the mirror above the mantel and trimmed with large red ornaments. Other accents in red (taper candles, ribbon, and more ornaments) echo elements of the room's decoration (the rug; striped, 18th-century Georgian dining chairs; and tablecloth in a Fabricut fabric) and make for a striking contrast to its apple green walls.
Helen Norman
10 of 21
Magnolia and Kumquat Garland
For southern twist on traditional Christmas greenery that can last from Thanksgiving through the New Year, try accenting a magnolia garland with kumquats and pinecones as shown here in the dining room of a Lowcountry home designed by Andrew Howard.
Simon Upton
11 of 21
Ranunculus and Fruit
In the London home of Alidad, a marbleized wood mantel is piled high with fresh greenery, winter fruits, and red ranunculus. This display feels festive for Christmas, but can also last all winter long!
Brian Woodcock
12 of 21
Cedar, Eucalyptus, and Citrus
Event designer and consummate host Keith Robinson knows a thing or two about entertaining during the holidays. Here, he shies away from traditional green and red in favor of decorating his Christmas mantel with white taper candles, woodsy boughs of cedar, and pops of fragrant citrus.
Max Kim-Bee
13 of 21
Pear, Pomegranate, and Pine Garland
At her barn in Connecticut, designer Bunny Williams festoons her mantel with boughs of wispy pine accented with seasonal fruit like pear and pomegranate. Knit stockings add a particularly festive touch.
Annie Schlechter
14 of 21
Cedar Trimmings
For his Christmas dinner party, Richard Keith Langham trimmed the mirror above his mantel in verdant cedar boughs to amp up the festive factor. Red flowers, stemware, and a tablecloth make for a rich complement to the mint green dining room, which is furnished with English shepherd's-crook chairs in nicely worn leather from Christopher Howe and spoon-back chairs in satin stripe from Stroheim & Romann.
Max Kim-Bee
15 of 21
Pinecones and Limes
In the living room of this Greenwich, Connecticut, home, a French 18th-century gilded mirror, screen, finials, and portrait get a Christmas makeover with festive garland dotted with limes and pinecones.
Thibault Jeanson
16 of 21
Ribbon-Trimmed Garland
Inside the brightly-decorated dining room of interior designer Charlotte Moss' Manhattan brownstone, a fire roars under a mantel trimmed with a lush garland accented with golden ribbon and apples that add to the cheer.
Thibault Jeanson
17 of 21
Roses and Evergreen Garland
The Christmas mantel decorations in the Manhattan pied-à-terre of designer Alessandra Branca feature evergreen garlands punctuated with roses from a sidewalk Christmas tree vendor and a fanciful Italian gilt-wood clock carved to look like a mossy ledge.
SYLVIE BECQUET
18 of 21
Dramatic Eucalyptus Garland
Instead of draping garland across your mantel, consider looping it around whatever hangs above your mantel for a more theatrical effect. Here, eucalyptus garland lends a festive vibe to the entire room and can last well beyond Christmas.
Thibault Jeanson
19 of 21
Amaryllis and Pepper Berry Garland
For Christmas, florist Renny Reynolds decorated the mantel in his Pennsylvania living room with a garland of amaryllis and pepper berry. A painting by William Langson Lathrop hangs above the blueberry-stained mantel from 1797. The pillow on the wingchair is in a Ralph Lauren Home fabric. The Philadelphia Windsor chair is 18th century.
Max Kim-Bee
20 of 21
Magnolia and Pinecone Wreath
Hung between French 18th-century medallions, this magnolia wreath encircling pinecones conjures a convex mirror. Russian 18th-century chairs border the fireplace, and the custom ottoman is in Prelle velvet.
Erica George Dines
21 of 21
Fruit-Filled Garland
Pears, lemons, limes, and magnolia branches add color and texture to an evergreen garland on the mantel of this cozy Dallas bungalow with interiors by Lisa Luby Ryan. Above the fireplace are French rock-crystal sconces from Vintage Living, and the ornaments on the tree, including mercury glass, are all vintage.
How to Decorate a Large Mantel for Christmas
Source: https://www.veranda.com/home-decorators/g37448614/christmas-mantel-decorations/