1. UPLIFT YOUR MANTEL WITH FOLIAGE
If you thought autumnal foliage was only for your fall wreath ideas, think again. Decorating with plants can make a huge impact on a mantel, too.
2. STYLE WITH SYMMETRY
If you're unsure on where to start placing fall decorations on your mantel, then styling with symmetry will always create a neat and visual pleasing display.
3. EMBRACE A MORE RUSTIC AND SUBTLE SEASONAL DISPLAY
We love the elegant simplicity of the fall mantel decor in this calming, neutral living room. The overall design in this space embodies a chic blend of both the traditional and the modern, with the fall mantel decor perfectly encapsulating this style. The sculptural fall foliage has been beautifully balanced with a pair of vintage framed artworks, establishing a stylish yet simple fall mantel display that subtly nods to the changing of the seasons.
4. EMBRACE BERRY REDS, BURNT ORANGE AND OCHRE TONES
The best fall mantels are decorated with an opulent garland made from fresh flowers and foliage.
5. CREATE AN ECLECTIC FALL DISPLAY WITH DECORATIVE OBJECTS
Sometimes the best fall mantel decor is a simple vignette, which you can create with what you already have at home.
6. TEAM GREEN WITH SHADES OF RUST AND CORAL
Fall trends come and go but one that will never go out of fashion is the green/orange color combination that echoes the autumnal colors you see outside.
7. OPT FOR AN ASYMMETRIC ARRANGEMENT
A fall mantel design that's easily translated for fall table decor ideas is a grouping of candles, though there is a styling method to try that's fail-safe.
8. DECORATE WITH PRETTY PAINTED PUMPKINS
Pumpkin painting ideas are so much more elegant (and unlikely to rot) than carved pumpkins, and what's more, you can use them on your fall mantel to reset the color scheme for your entire room, giving it a different character for the season.
9. REPURPOSE WHAT YOU ALREADY HAVE
Gathering foliage for your fall front door decor? Keep some over for your fall mantel.
10. USE AN OVER-SIZED MIRROR TO REFLECT CANDLELIGHT
Decorating with mirrors can elevate a mantel year-round, but it's a must when you are putting a seasonal display, and candles, in front, since it can double the impact and cast a beautiful light across the room.
11. INCORPORATE HARVEST FRUIT AND VEG (REAL OR OTHERWISE)
One of the best parts of fall is the wealth of newly seasonal food that comes with it. Don’t just leave all the fun to the kitchen, however – bring nods to your vegetable patch’s bounty into your mantel design too. Purple flowering cabbages make for gorgeous displays, and of course pumpkins and gourds are an essential mantelpiece addition for Halloween decor, as well as for your fall porch decor.
12. GET COZY WITH PLENTY OF CANDLES
There is surely no better time of the year than to get out your best candles – and even if your mantel sits over a lit fire, fall always call for a little extra warmth.
13. MIRROR YOUR SOFT FURNISHINGS
Your mantel likely takes pride of place in a room where curling up and keeping cozy is one of the most important autumnal activities.
14. SWAP IN AUTUMNAL ARTWORK
If you have a mantel, you likely have something over it – and if it’s not a mirror, then it’s almost certainly a piece of statement artwork. Wall art, however, doesn’t always need to stay in the same place. Rearranging the frames and canvases on your walls is a great way to give a room a new look for a new season.
15. MIX AND MATCH FOR A RUSTIC LOOK
Bundling up in a country bolthole is everyone’s dream fall escape – but wherever your home may be, it’s perfectly possible to channel farmhouse decor through your seasonal decor. ‘Placing a textured material over a mantelpiece such as a hessian runner adds a rustic quality to a room,’ says Emma Sims-Hilditch. ‘Antique lamps placed at either end, or a stack of old rustic books are a great way to achieve a pleasant rustic quality.’
16. CHOOSE NATURAL COLORS AND MATERIALS FOR YOUR ORNAMENTS
Natural hues are at the heart of all the best fall color schemes, so be sure to put the front and center of your fall mantel ideas. In this grand drawing room designed by Cindy Rinfret deeply hued polished woods underpin the decor throughout, lending the whole scheme an absorbingly autumnal theme.
17. KEEP THINGS SERENE AND SIMPLE
‘Just because it’s fall, that doesn’t mean you suddenly have to abandon your pared-back style. Sometimes simple is best,’ says Sims-Hilditch. ‘An overloaded mantel can look busy and cluttered. Instead, why not place a candle at either end, or perhaps one large one in the middle? This is a simple way of adding a soft backlight to the room, creating a welcoming and homely aesthetic.’
18. CHOOSE DESIGNS THAT CAN BE EASILY ADAPTED FOR CHRISTMAS
How long do you leave fall decorations up? If fall is here, then that means the holiday season is just around the corner. If you don’t want to have to totally rethink your fall mantel decor in just a few weeks’ time, make a fall wreath that can be easily adapted as a Christmas wreath idea.