An Elegant Christmas Mantel

by Jen @ RamblingRenovators - 5:30 AM

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas around here! I finally have most of the indoor and outdoor decorations up and I'm excited to show you one of my favourite spots, our Christmas mantel.

I'm joining Krista and my blogger friends today as we share our festive Christmas mantels for the Seasonal Simplicity tour. The fireplace is the focal point in our living room and it truly becomes the heart of our home during the holiday season. It's a lovely spot to sit and get warm by the fire, listen to music while sipping on a cup of tea, or enjoy company.

It's always a fun challenge to come up with a new look for the mantel, but in the end, I typically gravitate to a style that is classic & elegant. Let's have a closer look at this year's elegant Christmas mantel.

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I wrote a comprehensive post on "How to hang garland on a mantel" few years ago which details how I put a look like this together. One thing I failed to mention though, is where do I start? I actually start by putting up and decorating my Christmas tree.

I won't show you my tree just yet, but suffice it to say, since the mantel and the Christmas tree are in the same room, I like them to match and relate to one another. That means having some of the same elements and Christmas decorations and sharing the same overall feeling.

I've done colourful mantels in years past like this cheery red and blue mantel, but this year I went for a refined, rustic look with a color palette pulled from nature.

For this mantel garland, I've used chocolate-hued velvet ribbon, white berry sprays, pine cones, and fur accessories with accents of brass. Those things also make an appearance on our Christmas tree and work beautifully against the white mantel.

Sadly, I couldn't take a photo with the fire on as we had to remove the fire logs. We had a squirrel incident this summer and we're waiting on the chimney sweep to arrive and clear out the squirrel's nest up in the chimney before we can light a fire.

I'm impatient because the holidays are all about a cozy fireplace burning bright! If we can't get the chimney cleaned in the next few weeks, I might consider adding twinkle lights to the garland to at least add some sparkle.

Isn't he a handsome fellow? I found this brass deer at a booth at a Barrie waterfront festival one summer. I almost decided against buying it but couldn't get it out of my mind so we went back for it.

It's heavy and we had to carry it all the way through massive summer crowds, past the ferris wheel and carnival games, to the farthest parking lot. Still worth it, lol! Anything shiny helps to bring out the holiday spirit. Consider adding gold or silver to your Christmas decor to make it feel extra special.

This year, I decided to place our matching arm chairs on either side of the fireplace. Rearranging your furniture is an easy way to create a cozy conversation area, with the chairs facing into the room towards the sofa.

I'm all about comfort at this time of year so having a basket nearby with a warm blanket and extra pillows is always a good idea.

This side of the room is just as cozy. The evergreen tartan throw is a recent Amazon purchase which I am thoroughly pleased with. It's the perfect complement to my greenery garlands and natural holiday decorations. The green colour is sold out but they have this black and white throw which looks just as thick and warm. It's a great size for putting at the foot of the bed too.

I like to have a side table or coffee table within reach of an armchair. This gives you a place to put down your tea or book. I've decorated the table with my mercury glass globes that I bought from Pottery Barn years ago.

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I have real actual gifts wrapped, if you can believe it! Gift wrap is a perfect way to continue your colour scheme. I've gone with an earthy green wrapping theme this year. The leaf gift wrap was from H&M last summer and the tartan paper is from my collection on Society6. I love a good plaid wrapping paper for the holidays, don't you?

Most of my Christmas mantel decorations are ones I've had for a long time. The cable knit Christmas stockings were from Lands End a few years back. I've found these stockings which are similar and have great reviews and are inexpensive.

I've used natural elements to give the mantel a rustic feel. Typically I have the garland lying on the top of the mantel but this year I've placed my mantel garlands on the front with more of a swag. The faux garland was from Decors Veronneau but sadly it sold out quickly, as many things have this year! I've layered it with a eucalyptus garland from Ikea. You could create the same look with fresh greenery. Tiny brown satin ribbons add just the smallest hint of shine.

It might look finished but I'm constantly tweaking my Christmas decor. Do you do the same? I can't wait to (finally!) welcome guests back into my home this year.

As I mentioned, today I'm joining some of my talented blogging friends who are also sharing their Christmas Mantel Decoration Ideas with you as well. Be sure to visit their posts by clicking on the links below the images.