• Home
  • Start Here
  • About
  • My Home
    • My Home Tour
    • Paint Colors
  • DIY/Decor
    • Decorating
      • Rental Ideas
      • Budget Decorating
      • My eBook
      • Decorating Tips
      • The Florida House
    • DIY
      • Before & Afters
    • Crafts
    • Organization
    • Holidays
  • Shop
    • Shop my Christmas Decor
    • Shop Our Home
    • Shop My Instagram
    • Favorite Throw Pillows
  • Media
    • Contact Me
    • Advertise
    • Disclosure
  • Nav Social Menu

    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • Twitter

Making Home Base

  • Home Tour
  • DIY Projects
  • Shop Our Home
    • Shop My Instagram
    • Favorite Throw Pillows
  • Shop My Holiday Decor

Decorating Freebies

Sign up for FREE access to the vault of a dozen decorating freebies from planning printables to decorative wall prints.

May 24, 2018 2 Comments

How to Style A Mantel Area with At Home

Filed Under: Decorating Tips, home decor 2 Comments

295shares
  • Share
  • Tweet

This post is sponsored by At Home Stores. Thank you for supporting the brands that support Making Home Base.

Hi friends! This week I finally gave my mantel area a much needed refresh and I’m excited to share it with you. Since we built this fireplace surround and mantel last year, I’ve had a great time styling this space seasonally and just in general. It’s been awhile since this whole area has had a refresh and it’s time. Today I wanted to share how to style a mantel step by step. I’m sharing how I select decorative pieces and where I find affordable items. So if you’re ready, let’s dive right in and I’ll show you to how to style a mantel!

How to style a mantel + more decorating ideas

Here’s a before image of the space. I wanted to update this space in a budget-friendly way, bring in some global-inspired

pieces, while also keeping true to my home’s casual coastal style. I kept all the furniture and larger items with the exception of the rug that should have been tossed months ago, it was filthy. This area can be a bit awkward since it’s on the far end of our extra long living room. Since it’s a good distance away from the tv and sofa, we are able to use it as a completely separate space, which I love. I enjoy using this as a separate sitting area.

Here’s my strategy when styling a mantel:

When styling a mantel, I always begin with a large focal piece. In this case, I used the same print I’ve had hanging here. I love the blues that carry throughout the entire room.

Next, I style the two opposite sides of the mantel with decorative pieces. I pick items that are larger in scale since this is a large mantel and small items would just disappear in the mix. I also follow the rule of thirds here. I traditionally like to have a grouping of three objects at three points which you can see in the image above. This creates a more balanced look. I also like to have layers on the mantel. So, if decorative objects aren’t your thing, you could layer picture frames, mirrors, even bud vases on the mantel as well.

Decorating tip: Select decorative pieces that will work throughout the entire home not just in one space. I love pieces with texture and natural elements. I love the colors and texture of this globally inspired vase. In fact, all of these affordable vases I found at At Home are perfect finds for my mantel. The wooden bowl and tray I found have a coastal element that I love and ties nicely into the rest of the room.

To complete this space I replaced the rug with this sisal one from At Home. I was shocked that it was less than $80 for a 5×8! The tribal looking pattern is a happy pop of unexpected beauty in this coastal inspired space.

I finished off this seating area with some pillows of course. I love these striped ones with tassels. They’re only $20 each and I can see them making their way throughout my house. The stripes remind me of the mudcloth or grain sack. I also found this ottoman pouf that is perfect for resting your feet and every seating area needs something for that. I regret only getting one because it’s just so perfect.

Lastly, I couldn’t pass up this wooden tray. One thing I loved about visiting my At Home store is that they had collections of different styles to inspire you. I found this wooden bowl in the neutral natures section and found a bunch of pretty global trend options in that section.

Overall, decorating a mantel is much more about your personal taste than rules to follow but if you’ve been wondering how to style a mantel, I hope these times were helpful! I hope you’ll also take a peek around At Home and see what globally inspired goodies you can find that fit your home’s style.

 

Related Posts

  • Peel and Stick Backsplash – Removable and Rental FriendlyPeel and Stick Backsplash – Removable and Rental Friendly
  • Family Game Night with Walmart+Family Game Night with Walmart+
  • Plans For Our Modern Coastal BedroomPlans For Our Modern Coastal Bedroom
  • Casual Coastal Master BedroomCasual Coastal Master Bedroom
  • Trending: Cane Furniture and Woven TexturesTrending: Cane Furniture and Woven Textures

About Chelsea

Chelsea Coulston is the resident decorator, baker, and pillow hoarder around these parts. A wife to an active duty Sailor and mom of two girls, Chelsea's got a knack for decorating even the most challenging spaces (just see her military base house!) She's inspired by cool beach tones and warm natural elements that remind you of a day at the beach. After living in a half dozen rentals, she's enjoyed spending the last few years in a cute ranch style home that she and her husband have almost completely renovated themselves. Chelsea lives in sunny Jacksonville, Florida with her husband and two daughters.

Previous Post: « 15 Tidbits About Me
Next Post: End of Year Teacher Gift – Or Classmate Gift »

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Mary says

    August 27, 2018 at 12:33 am

    Hi Chelsea
    Would you please tell the brand and color of paint you used for your wall around the fireplace?

    Thank you
    Mary

    Reply
    • Chelsea says

      August 29, 2018 at 9:25 am

      Hi Mary, it’s Chantilly Lace by Ben Moore mixed at Home Depot into Behr interior paint.

      Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating




Primary Sidebar

Hi! I’m Chelsea!

I'm Chelsea. Wife to Matt, and mama to P and Millie. I'm a fan of making and decorating things and everything blue + white. I believe that there is no such thing as too many throw pillows. Lover of iced coffee and cocktail Fridays. I'm glad you're here.

Follow Along

facebook instagram pinterest twitter

Search

Home Tour

Archives

  • Privacy Policy
  • Annie the Brave
  • How To Start A Blog
75% of the country is snowed in and I’m wearing 75% of the country is snowed in and I’m wearing shorts about to take my kids to the park. I feel a little left out. No snow day in this desert. 😭
Anyone else craving a change? Idk if it’s becaus Anyone else craving a change? Idk if it’s because we’ve spent so much time at home or what but I just want all new things. 😬 I changed out the pillow covers and that’ll do for now. Do you know this feeling??? #coastalliving #howirent #decorating #homedecorblogger #kismetcheckoutmyhouse #layeredhome #howihome #abmathome #bhghome #liketoknowit #LTKhome @liketoknow.it.home With the @liketoknow.it app you can shop everything in this space #liketkit http://liketk.it/38qta
This guy and I met at 14. Married at 20 and I have This guy and I met at 14. Married at 20 and I have been following him around ever since. Valentine’s Day is whatever but I did want to give a permanent spot for this one because I really do love him.
Removable wallpaper is a game changer! A couple mo Removable wallpaper is a game changer! A couple months ago Matt and I spent an afternoon slapping this up on our bedroom wall and it completely transformed the space. It can be super hard to put your stamp on a rental but I’m pretty pleased with the way this room turned out! #rentalfriendly #bedroom #milspouse #diyprojects #removablewallpaper #coastaldecor 
Download the LIKEtoKNOW.it shopping app to shop this pic via screenshot http://liketk.it/36TCW #liketkit @liketoknow.it @liketoknow.it.home
#ad Homeschool/General parent “pro” tip - buy #ad Homeschool/General parent “pro” tip - buy a shower caddy and stuff it full of art supplies to keep your kids from having their markers and crayons all over the place. For real though, this was a game changer. Previously, I had one hard and heavy caddy for all of our supplies that I would plop on the table during our school day but I found my kids constantly getting up to grab a pink crayon or the blue marker. Or at the end of the day things weren’t getting put away properly and the next day we couldn’t find the glue or the scissors. Now, they each have a caddy that they are responsible for. I’ve partnered with @walmart to share this simple organizing solution. The girls keep their supplies together and carry the caddy around to wherever they choose to school that day/minute. I used my Walmart+ membership again to pull this off. I was able to order all the art caddy necessities online using the W+ free shipping, no order minimum (excludes oversized/freight & Marketplace items) benefit so I can limit my time in stores. #walmartplus
Sitting here thinking about everything that’s go Sitting here thinking about everything that’s gotten me through this last year.
1. My family - having my girls home has been everything I never knew I needed. 
1a. My mom - in those early pandemic days, when we didn’t leave the house, she would meet me halfway between here and Vegas. We would sit in the middle of the desert with our masks on and just visit. I needed that so much and I know she did too.
2. My friends - it’s hard to imagine making it through this year without the friendships I have. They’ve carried me. A small group of neighbors here that would meet at the park for some outdoor fellowship and our weekly dinners made life feel a little more normal. Having regular calls with my best friend in FL was gold especially since we can’t see each other. And regular chats with @bykaithanson got me through especially in those early days.
3. Regular therapy - if I wasn’t already going before all this happened I surely would need to now. This all is very heavy stuff and having someone that is outside your circle to talk to is so important. This saves me again and again.
4. Making bread. I started making last year so when it blew up during that first quarantine I was so excited that we all were baking together. Whenever I’m feeling anxious making dough helps.
5. Exercise - this was the year I finally made exercise a priority. I love how much better I feel when I move my body each day. I’m less anxious and I’m more at peace.
6. All the technology that connects us. Marco Polo, FaceTime, texting, FB Messenger, all of it. Being able to reach all of my loved ones with the tips of my fingers has made it a lot easier when I can’t see them.
7. Television - how many shows have we binged this year? I don’t even know but I remember tackling Friday Night Lights in the beginning of the pandemic and being so sad it was over. 
8. This community. One thing I wanted in 2020 was to CONNECT with you all here and that has happened and its been wonderful getting to know each of you!
💙
We’ve been through a lot this year what has carried you? Tag a friend that’s gotten you through. 
Hoping and praying for a truly happy new year. 💙💙

Copyright © 2021 ·Captivating Theme · Genesis Framework by StudioPress · WordPress · Log in

Privacy Policy
This website uses cookies to improve your experience. We'll assume you're ok with this, but you can opt-out if you wish.Accept Read More
Privacy & Cookies Policy
Necessary
Always Enabled