Since having to take down the Christmas garland (for fire safety reasons… that got BRITTLE), I’ve been working on styling our mantle for the rest of the winter months. Full disclosure, I usually just play around with placement and go with whatever looks good to me at that moment. I also tend to move things around on a weekly basis. However, this time around, I tried to make note of some of the general “guidelines” I find myself following when doing a restyle like this.
The Rule of Three
If you have an interest in home decor, at some point, you’ve probably heard about the “rule of three”. My mom has been telling me about this since as long as I can remember. With any kind of shelf, mantle, or table styling, groupings of three seem to be the most visually appealing. This doesn’t literally mean three things are always used, but it’s a good baseline. Odd numbers, in general, tend to look more natural.
As far as our mantle is concerned, I use the rule of three by visually break it into three sections, the middle and then each side. Then within those areas, I use the rule again to style within each section.
On the left side, I have three items…. greenery, books, and bells. In the middle, I stick with one large item. (Again, doesn’t literally have to be three) On the right, I have houses, candles, and more books.
Then to take it a step further, if you look below the mantle at the fireplace ledge, there are also groups of three. The birch logs in the center, the pillows and vase to the right, and the pillow/blanket/basket to the left.
Choose your Focal Item
I start most of my styling with a large focal item, centered on the mantle. For me, this item tends to be a large wooden sign, a large mirror, or a large piece of artwork. I’ve also done a grouping of three pieces of artwork that visually comes across as one larger item. I’m currently loving the look of this Hobby Lobby black circle mirror as our focal point. Once that is in place, I move onto the sides.
Balance the Mantle
I tend to stick with the same decor categories when balancing out the rest of the mantle. I like to have some kind of greenery, some books, some candlesticks and some miscellaneous items. The specific items change depending on the season (i.e. I try to use cedar or cypress in the vase during the winter months and more eucalyptus or flowers in the spring and summer), but the categories typically remain the same. The garland came down, but I was able to use a few wintery stems, bulked up with some eucalyptus to create this arrangement.
Make the Fireplace Cozy
I use the brick fireplace ledge as my chance to make the space feel cozy. I try to use as many throw pillows and throw blankets as I can get away with. If you can get away with draping a throw blanket over a corner somewhere, it gives off the coziest vibes. If not, hanging it from a ladder or folded up somewhere still helps.
For pillows, I kept the cable knit one I had from Christmas because it’s in the “sweater weather” category and can carry all through winter. The other brighter white ones were swapped out for these two cream options. I love the contrast of the black and the texture of the wool.
Add Varying Heights
This applies to each “section” you’re decorating. I try to play around with the height of the pieces I’m using to add some variety. It tends to look unbalanced if one side has all low items or vice versa. You can see the varying heights in the decor items on the mantle, but I struggled with what to do on the fireplace level. Eventually, we are going to build a thicker mantle that will eliminate the large blank space directly below it. Until then, I felt like the space needs a taller item in the mix.
This picture shows what the ledge looks like with all similar-height items, just the pillows and blanket…
I still love the look, but there’s a big block of white right in the center that leaves me wanting to fill it. In this next photo, I’ve added the vase with the cherry blossoms…
Another way of breaking up this space is with the ladder in the below photo for the more farmhouse version of styling. One of my favorite items to decorate with are ladders (which is why there are two in this one area) because they add height and character to a space without blocking your view or feeling heavy.
And that’s it! Super simple but nice to have a little “go-to” checklist. Happy styling!!