As fireplace experts, we’re naturally drawn to fireplace decorating and design ideas year-round. However, at Christmas, we’re particularly intrigued by all the many ways that one can embellish fireplace mantels. We’ve broken them down into 7 themes, to help you find your perfect Christmas mantel decor.
Christmas Mantels with Flowers
Incorporating potted plants, like amaryllis or poinsettia, is a simple way to add Christmas cheer to your fireplace. They don’t have to be red; white is a more understated option, and may work better with your decor.
Any flowers, when incorporated with other holiday elements, can make a statement. We love how white hydrangeas work with this green and brown theme, below.
Christmas Mantels with Candles
Candles convey a sense of occasion any time of year, but add them to Winter greenery, and you shout ‘Merry Christmas’! Grouping multiples together has the most impact. If you’re worried about live flames amongst the greenery, opt for battery-operated candles. (Also a great option for cat-owners, if your feline likes to explore ledges!)
Christmas Mantels with Greenery
Winter greenery not only looks great, it scents your home with holiday smells. Christmas greenery can be natural and unadorned, or loaded with lights, flowers, trinkets, or fruit. Which you opt for will depend on your decor, your energy level and/or the talent of your florist. One advantage of an unadorned garland is that you can spritz it with water occasionally, to keep it looking fresh longer.
When it comes to greenery on the mantel, you also need to decide whether to drape it over the sides, or to limit to the ledge itself. Some boughs drape better than others — they come in longer branches that can be twined together with wire. Shorter species will not lend themselves to draping.
Christmas Mantels with Fruit
Fruit is a very traditional element to add to your Christmas decor. Choose fruit for its scent — lemons, oranges — or for its colour — pomegranates, apples. Pineapple may seem a little tropical for our Canadian Christmas, but it’s a symbol of welcome, and is very appropriate for the entertaining season.
Christmas Mantels with Collections
If your fireplace mantel usually holds a collection of some sort, there’s no need to move it during the holidays. Why not incorporate into your Christmas mantel? A collection of blue and white porcelain looks charming when placed among the greenery on the fireplace above. And this saves you from having to store the collection over the holiday season.
Another take on the ‘collected’ Christmas mantel is to incorporate a collection of Christmas decorations, like the silver trees, above, or the coordinated Christmas stockings, below.
Christmas Mantels with Ornaments
Incorporating ornaments into your mantel decor will help to tie it in with the rest of your Christmas decorations, and your colour theme. The ornaments may be part of a theme, as in the coastal look above, or more neutral, as below.
Christmas Mantels with Lights
If electrical connections allow, tiny lights can make a mantel glow from within. Wrap them around your greenery garlands, or set them behind your decorations.
Many Christmas mantels are a combination of several of these elements. Mix and match the ones that appeal to you or which best suit your decor, and create a one-of-a-kind showpiece.
Happy Holidays!
Stylish Fireplaces and Interiors specializes in electric fireplaces and custom designs. In their Toronto-area showroom, they feature 20 finished display walls with over 40 fireplaces plus stone, brick, wood, and leather wall coverings to inspire your next project.