Decorating With Christmas Lights Year Round

Mantel: Form + Function for Your Fireplace

Make an Antique Wood Mantel Shine

See More Photos: Tour a Classic Southern Estate with a 21st-Century Sense of Fun

Or, Paint the Brick and Style Simply

In this charming Craftsman bungalow, the living room's fireplace surround and mantel got a 21st century refresh with a coat of bright white paint. Styled simply with a pair of graphic framed prints, hand-carved wooden candlesticks and a vase filled with dried pampas blooms, the living room has a laid-back look that's oh-so livable. Take a tour of this sunny cottage where Cali cool meets Scandi sensibilities, below.

See More Photos: Tour a 1,400-Square-Foot Portland Bungalow With Cali-Scandinavian Vibes

Go a Little Bit Country

Farmhouse style continues to be a popular choice for cozying up any area of your home — kitchen, bedroom, dining room and even ... the mantel. Just pair thrifted finds, like a vintage spatterware platter with an equally aged spongeware pitcher, blue glass salt shaker and ceramic salt cellar — all filled with backyard blooms. Add in a favorite book on country style and a weathered winnowing basket for a mantel that's farmhouse fresh. Get more farmhouse style pointers, below.

learn more: Farmhouse Design Style 101

Or, Incorporate a Taste of the Tropics

Coastal style is always in style — whether your home is landlocked or seaside. Give your mantel a vacay every day feel with natural fibers, like rattan, and vases filled with faux or fresh tropical blooms and palm fronds. Coastal collectibles, like this wee brass boat (that — fun fact — is actually a vintage sailing trophy!), are a playful way to add a beachy vibe. Get more tips for incorporating coastal style, below.

learn more: Coastal Design Style 101

Opt for Contemporary

With the graphic, glazed terra-cotta tile surround stealing the show here, the simple pine mantel serves mainly as a shelf to display a collection of stoneware vases filled with fresh-cut branches. A few old, weathered books and a round mirror complete the contemporary vignette. Learn more about cornering contemporary style, below.

learn more: Contemporary Style 101

Or, Make It Trad and True

Famous for her cozy-meets-luxe interiors, designer Sarah Richardson hit all the right notes with this stunner that pairs a surround of richly veined marble slabs with a mantel custom-constructed from Victorian architectural corbels attached to stock wood trim — all painted high-gloss white. Above the mantel hangs an ancient, carved Corinthian capital, while Sarah added just a few candles and a flower-filled stoneware vase to the mantel itself. See more of Sarah's own family home, below.

See More Photos: Sarah Richardson Builds an Off-the-Grid Home for Her Family

Add Some Backyard Blooms

Short-lived but always a happy sight, spring peonies are just too pretty not to bring inside. Brighten up your mantel (for free!) with a vase filled with the fluffy, frilly flowers — or whatever backyard pretties are currently in bloom. No blooming plants in your backyard? We can fix that — get our recommended plants for a cutting garden, below.

See More Photos: 20 Flowers for a Cutting Garden

Or, a Blooming Plant

Orchids get a bad rap — but, given the right conditions, Phalaenopsis orchids are a relatively low-maintenance stunner that can remain in bloom for up to 4 months, then rebloom again year after year. Learn how to keep your orchid happy while avoiding common problems with our tips, below.

learn more: Orchid-Care Tips

And, Craft a Tropical Cachepot

Perfect for adding a laid-back beachy vibe, these upcycled cans look like trendy (and pricey!) accessories — only you'll know how easy and inexpensive they were to craft. Display them with other tropical-inspired touches for a beachy grouping that'll make every day feel like vacay. Learn how to upcycle your own, below.

get the how-to: How to Upcycle Castoff Cans Into Beachy Planters

Make the TV the Star

While everyone isn't a fan of the aesthetics of hanging a TV over the mantel, it's typically the best solution for living rooms that also function as a family or media room. Get our tips for properly hanging a TV above the fireplace, below.

See More Photos: Installing a TV Above the Fireplace

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Or, Add a Massive Mirror

There's a reason that you see so many mantels topped by mirrors. Mirrors bounce the available sunlight around, helping a room feel much brighter and larger — and they also reflect a pretty view of your living room itself or adjacent spaces. Wondering how to hang a heavy mirror like a pro? Get our tips, below.

get the how-to: The Easiest Way to Hang a Heavy Mirror

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Style Mantel and Built-Ins Similarly

Don't stop showcasing your signature style with just the mantel. If you have an adjacent built-in bookcase, fill it with collectibles of a similar design style, color palette, texture or overall vibe. Get all our tips for decking out your bookcase, below.

See More Photos: 45 Must-Know Tips for Styling Your Built-In Bookshelves

Or, Create Cohesion With Color

Ahhh ... color, a designer's go-to for uniting disparate areas into a cohesive whole. Here, designer Connie Vernich coats the walls, ceiling, built-ins and fireplace in a rich emerald green for a stunning study that feels scholarly and totally buttoned-up.

Make It Maximal

See More Photos: Coastal + Classic Style at This Stunning Sea Island Home

Or, Make It Minimal

Proof that minimal doesn't mean cold and sterile, this living room keeps it classic with a black and white color palette. Sculptural, hand-crafted accessories on both the mantel and hearth pair beautifully with the fireside's real star: a black leather 'Wassily' chair, first designed by Marcel Breuer in 1925. Learn more about this highly collectible chair, below.

learn more: Trending Now: The Wassily Chair

Keep It Classic

Simple styling, like an oil painting flanked by a pair of bloom-filled vases, is a perfect fit for this historic bedroom's traditional style. Fun fact: The artwork is actually a painting of the home itself, commissioned by the designer as a gift to his clients. See more gorgeous spaces in this 175-year-old home, below.

See More Photos: Tour a Classic Southern Estate with a 21st-Century Sense of Fun

Or, Incorporate Quirky Collectibles

Fun finds like these salesman samples of architectural cupolas are too unique to hide away — and the same goes for whatever fun and funky finds you collect. Sort through your stash and style your mantel with quirky items that'll make you smile or remind you of a lost loved one or places you've lived (or have always wanted to visit) — essentially, throw out the rules and fill your home with items you love.

Opt for Restful in the Bedroom

A modern fireplace with a large slab of gorgeous Calacatta marble topped with a custom walnut shelf creates a cozy focal point in this blue-hued bedroom. In a space this restful, minimal mantel styling — just a few vases and a single leaning painting — is best.

See More Photos: 50 Inviting Main Bedroom Color Schemes

And, Make Mantels Functional in the Kitchen

True, we may not all be lucky enough to have a fireplace in our kitchen or dining room, but how charming is this English example where the wide mantel shelf provides storage for everyday essentials that double as pretty decor? Check out a few of our favorite country kitchens, below.

See More Photos: 27 Cozy Country Kitchen Designs

Keep It Light + Bright

A single soaring print, framed with a wide, white mat and agapanthus in a tall, clear glass vase are all the ornamentation needed over a carved marble mantel this stunning.

Or, Go to the Dark Side

Matte black paint gives this fireplace a moody, glam makeover, all while cleverly helping the flatscreen TV virtually disappear. A great solution for folks who want to mount a TV over the mantel but don't want to make it the star of the show. Ready to try a darker shade? Be inspired by a few of our favorite inky interiors, below.

See More Photos: 21 Trendy Spaces That Prove Black Is the New Black

Cue the Candles

Thrifted brass candlesticks are the easy way to light up your fireplace mantel — even when it's too hot out to start a fire in the firebox. To find them, search estate sales, thrift stores, garage sales and online secondhand sites. No need to match the candlesticks' silhouettes; mismatched looks great as long as the metal stays the same.

Or, Candle Lanterns

If you prefer the flicker of real flames over battery-operated candles, consider placing the candles inside clear hurricanes or lanterns to add an extra layer of protection while also eliminating the need to clean up pools of dripped wax.

Hang a Single Large Piece of Art

The standout feature in this sunny living room is the abstract painting above the mantel. "A subtle background provides a gallery-like backdrop to allow artwork to sing," says designer Kerrie Kelly. Here, the natural grasscloth walls provide a neutral backdrop so the painting can draw your eye. Check out a few more of our favorite living rooms, below.

See More Photos: 35 Living Room Looks We're Loving Now

Or, Lean Several Canvases

Style Symmetrically

Symmetry is defined as the quality of being made up of exactly similar parts facing each other or around an axis — which essentially means arranging items so they are mirror images or appear perfectly balanced. This mantel, with its mix of tall temple jars and low, lacquer-red vases, perfectly puts symmetry to work for a classic combination of items in a variety of heights. See more of designer James Farmer's own home, below, where rustic meets refined.

See More Photos: Tour Southern Designer James Farmer's Refined, Traditional Home

Or, Style Asymmetrically

A custom, curvy wood-paneled surround adds a pretty detail to this traditional fireplace where a central abstract watercolor is flanked with an asymmetrical grouping of candles and a tiny vase filled with white tulips.

Nod to Your Home's Location

Designer Sarah Richardson honored her lakefront home's watery locale by styling the mantel with a massive model sailing ship. Take a tour of her beautiful waterfront getaway, below.

See More Photos: Tour Sarah's Summer House

Or, Nod to Your Home's Surroundings

In a country home, be inspired by Mother Nature's scenery and colors to deck out your mantel. Here, designer James Farmer showcases the homeowners' love of the surrounding Georgia countryside with a folk-art-influenced hunting scene painted on a wood panel. Family heirlooms, like red ochre temple jars and antique French wine bottles in a saturated shade of forest green are a perfect fit for the home's rustic-meets-refined style.

See More Photos: Tour a Family Lodge in Georgia That Celebrates the Sporting Life

Consider Your Room as a Whole

This pretty living room starts with a soft white foundation — white walls, fireplace and a sofa— then layers in blues and pale pinks. A mix of patterns, from florals to checks, lends personality to the soft furnishings while designer Caitlin Wilson keeps the fireplace area relatively low-key, then fills the surrounding built-ins with accessories in the pretty pink and blue palette.

And, Consider Your Fireplace as a Whole

When styling out your mantel, consider the fireplace as a whole: from the overmantel, above, to the firebox to the hearth, below. For our farmhouse fireplace, we used an antique gilt mirror to brighten up the overmantel, added color to the dark and gloomy firebox with a basket filled with dried PeeGee hydrangeas and dressed up the hearth with a Moroccan tile stencil and leftover craft paint.

Decorate Seasonally: Spring

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And, Pile on the Spring Blooms

To really make your spring mantel sing, head outdoors with clippers and gather bunches of blooming forsythia, lilacs and peonies — or whatever's in bloom. Tip: For longer lasting blooms, cut all flowers early in the day when stems are full of moisture and plants are least stressed.

Decorate Seasonally: Summer

A diptych, or two-panel art piece, gives this fireplace area double the tropical vibes. More tropical leaves in a vase and a leaned print keep with the jungle vibe, while a gnarled piece of driftwood adds a sculptural touch. Get more mantel decorating tips from our friends at HGTV Magazine, below.

See More Photos: 5 Cures for a Ho-Hum Mantel

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And, Honor Summer Holidays

Celebrate Memorial Day or the Fourth of July by weaving patriotic shades of red, white and blue through your mantel decor. Leftover wood boards painted in sunwashed shades of pale blue and white create a summery stand-in for a flag, while tiny starfish, attached with hot glue, act as Old Glory's stars. On the mantel itself, rope-wrapped candles, a jar full of sand and shells and a driftwood sailboat lend a beachy vibe. Photo courtesy of Layla Palmer.

Decorate Seasonally: Fall

A fireplace is your living room's focal point so give it its due by styling it for the season. Here, we mixed faux and fresh pumpkins, pinecones and vases filled with freshly clipped sunflowers and fall greenery. The hand-painted sign is the star. Learn how to make your own and get our best fall decorating tips, below.

See More Photos: Our Favorite Fall Decorating Ideas

And, Haunt Your House for Halloween

After all, if you've got it — haunt it. For our Halloween mantel, we started by picking a palette. Limiting colors to three main shades is a foolproof way to create a look that's perfectly pulled together. For our Halloween mantel, we chose black and white and shades of orange. Metallics are a must for any well-style vignette, so mix in copper, gold or silver for an added touch of glam. Get more of our favorite Halloween decorating tips, below.

See More Photos: Our 100 Favorite Halloween Decorating Ideas

Decorate Seasonally: Winter

This living room proves that the stockings can be hung by the chimney with care without allowing Christmas decorations to dominate the space. Here, designer Lauren DeLoach brings holiday flair to the stately cast stone fireplace with a trailing pine, cypress and eucalyptus garland woven through with a rosy velvet ribbon. Snowy faux-fur stockings shine against the organic garland and bring interesting asymmetry to the display. Get ready for the Big Man's arrival with our favorite holiday mantels, below.

See More Photos: 40 Christmas Mantel Decorating Ideas

Don't Forget to Plan for Pets

Decking out your fireplace for the season is fun, but keep furkids' safety in mind and place any potential nibble hazards like poinsettias, amaryllis, holly and mistletoe far out of reach. Inquisitive pets could also easily knock over a lit candle, so either position candles where dogs and cats could never reach them, or sub battery-operated votives for flickering flames. Get more tips for a festive holiday fireplace, below.

See More Photos: 12 Tips for a Festive Holiday Fireplace