Stuck on ideas for how to brighten up a lacklustre fireplace mantle?

#1 Go full fall with a pumpkin patch! 

It’s all faux so it can last all season long. Start with greenery. You can get garlands with berries or flowers,  or ones with greenery only so you can use it all year for each season. Trim it so you can strategically place it on the mantel.

Choosing proportions to make it look good can be hard, start by adding pumpkins and mixing different shapes and sizes. It is is important to stick with odd numbers like 7 pumpkins. Be sure to vary the size and scale of the objects to create a balanced display. If you like soft pastel colours you can go with muted pink, cream and sherbet orange. This idea works in any colour palette! Just make sure you choose no more than three colours in similar shades. You could do greys and black, shades of blue. Also keep in mind that craft paint is hard to find. You can mix colours like mixing white with a dark orange to get the shade you want. And the pink pumpkins are chalk paint because that was all I could find.

Finish the mantle with berries and flowers. Again… you can trim them off the stems so you can strategically place them.

#2 Mantle Style

This one is more sophisticated. If you want a more subtle fall look, making a few small changes to your mantle can have an impact. Layer art. The dark shades of this vintage-style sketch and the black frame add depth. The large scale really adds an impact, but you could layer a couple of smaller pieces too.

Add fall florals at different heights. Choose rich colours that complement your existing décor, like these. These beauties are from Fiori Oakville. I love using a jar and an urn on a pedestal, rather than a typical vase.  

Introduce rich texture with something low along the centre of the mantle, like this on-trend dough bowl (can add a couple other vintage elements too). If you can’t light a fire in your fireplace, candles add warmth as nights get darker. Pop in a few tapered candles across the mantle.

Rainsford Company