One Mantel, Three Ways
Are you behind in your holiday decorating this year? If your
home or loft has a mantle, we have the perfect way you can
make a holiday statement with little time and effort.
To demonstrate how easy this is we dressed a fireplace mantle in three holiday styles — modern & simple, sparkly glam
and family traditional — each of theses 3 designs were simple
to put together and reasonably affordable as we shopped
within the home for most of the pieces we used including the
larger items such as the silver reindeer, giant candles, garlands and more.
Whether you are designing a mantel for your conventional
loft design or a special holiday such as autumn or Christmas,
there are some basic guidelines in mantle design we put together to help you get started.
First, ground the mantle’s design. This can be done one of
two ways with a variable size item (s). Your focal point can either be one in the center of the mantle or two matching large
items placed on either end of the mantle. If you have a large
Mirror, or Television hung above your mantle, this will play a
role in your decision on where to locate your focal point(s).
Second, add movement. Choose items that move the eye.
It can be candles, w hich move from the flickering flame or
items of varying heights that draw the eye in various directions, include accessories that are intriguing and add visual
interest.
Third, layer the mantle. Whether it is photos, candles, or
accessories, layering and staggering different sized items in
front of each other is a must to create an unusual composition.
Fourth, add interest by varying heights: Along with layering,
adding accessories of varying heights is more visually engaging. It helps the eye move up and down and across. Between
layering and varying heights try to keep the idea of creating a
wave effect in mind. Start out little on one end, then gradually increase the height of your accessory placement, halfway
to the center start coming back down in height when you get
to the center start coming up again, and finish low.
Let’s put some of these guidelines into action with our three
Christmas mantle designs. Starting with a traditional family
look.
Stockings hung at varying heights are a great way to show
the family hierarchy. In this example, the parent’s stockings
are hung higher on the mantle and are in a more classic velvet design while the children’s stockings are a more playful