Early Fall Mantel

Create a stylish early fall mantel with time worn books and mixed leaves.

As I write this, it feels like fall but whilst I was decorating and photographing my mantel it felt like summer. I had the fire going and it was 94. The things us bloggers do for a good photo! Ha! Ha!

I’m excited to be taking part in week 3 of Krista’s Seasonal Simplicity Tour. Last week I shared a dried hydrangea wreath and the week before I shared some watercolor place card free printables. Thank you all for your kind comments on those posts. Today is all about mantels!

This is the first time I’m decorating our mantel for fall since we refaced it and added the gas fireplace last winter. You can see that makeover here. It really is a huge transformation.

This part of our living room wasn’t used much before but now that we have a flickering fire it’s become a favorite spot to read books or the paper, play boardgames, or just sit and meditate.

In my styling I wanted to play up the rich, dark woodwork. We fell in love with the woodwork in our home when we first saw it. To highlight this I used branches in greens and deep wines, old books, brass candlesticks and wooden fruit. Some people would say it isn’t okay to mix woods but I love mixing all tones to add more depth and texture.

“Life starts all over again when it gets crisp in the fall.” – F. Scott Fitzgerald

For some reason, I’m really attracted to the warmer colors this season. I usually love cool colors but right now I find myself gravitating towards wine, burgundy, and amber hues.

I bought the greenery bunches from the supermarket and used vases I had in the basement. I originally thought I was going to pile all the greenery across the mantel with some dried hydrangeas but when I started working on it, this spoke to me more. I also thought with the high heat and humidity that they greenery would last longer, if placed in water.

The mirror is from Home Depot and I love that it has an old world quality to it.

The old books were found roadside when I was going to Matthew Mead’s Magazine Launch Party. You guys would have laughed. I was dressed up and pulled to the side of the road and filled my trunk with these amazing books. I can’t figure out why the family were throwing them out…

I love that some are missing spines and bits of the covers. Isn’t the gold writing so stunning?

The candlesticks were a find from a barn sale at Bent Nail Farm Antiques a few years ago, I shared them with you here.

The wooden fruit was from Target a few years ago. I love how they add a little modern touch to the vintage pieces on the mantel.

Oh, and it’s totally acceptable to mix real and faux. The leaves on the right are real but I mixed in some cascading faux greenery for a more romantic affect.

When styling I use books to add different shapes and heights, so your eye will be drawn to see the whole space. Our mantel is very long.

Oh, and you might notice the rusty cowbell. I bought it for my kids because we love the More Cowbell Skit from Saturday Night Live. It aired 18 years ago but is so brilliant. Click on over to it if you need a good laugh 😉

Here’s a look at the full mantel, you can see our dining room in the background:

The chair is usually buy the window but I dragged it over to give you an idea of the space. I’m loving our kilim pillows from last year mixed with this faux fur throw Conor needed at Target.

Our oriental rugs are antiques.

I hope this gave you a few ideas for decorating your own mantels. I will include some sources below.

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