Nature Inspired Mantel and Christmas Tree

Remember yesterday when I told you guys that we had an open floor plan? Well, if you walk through the front door and don’t turn your head to the right to see the entry or the left to see the dining room but look dead center and straight ahead, you would see our mantel.

The stacked stone. Can we just talk about that for a second? It’s my favorite.

Every time I decorate the mantel not just for Christmas but literally for each season, I think about our carpenter. He made this mantel for us the day he made all of the trim and the window sills. At just over 7 feet it’s one of my favorite features in the entire house.

I know sometimes decorating a mantel can feel a little overwhelming but it honestly doesn’t have to be. I usually divide the mantel in thirds and start with the center section. We normally keep this deer in the breakfast nook area but since we’re all “Heaven and Nature Sing” themed up in here it seemed more appropriate to place it front and center above the mantel.

I placed these stockings from Target underneath the deer

using these vintage brass holders which were a gift from my one of dearest friends.

When you’re decorating for the holidays or really any time of the year, repeating elements from one room to the next will really help keep things consistent. I used these same rusty lanterns and pine cones when we decorated the front porch

and these sprigs of greenery and moss in the dining room.

After you have the center portion fixed you’ll be able to move on to the left third

and the right third too.

Creating a festive mantel, you and your carpenter can be proud of.

Just off the fireplace is our Christmas tree. I can clearly remember the day I said out loud, “We’re not getting a tree this year.” It was right after Hurricane Matthew and we were walking the property checking for damage. There were trees, limbs, branches and debris scattered everywhere. We agreed we would buy nine new trees to replace the ones we lost instead of buying a one Christmas tree and at the time the notion seemed perfectly fine.

A few days before Thanksgiving, my heart softened just a little bit when I heard, “I can’t imagine the living room without a Christmas tree this year.” Ok, you win. One trip to the store later, we compromised and brought this inexpensive 6-foot white tree home.

We hauled all the ornaments we could find that were in shades of greens, browns and golds down from the attic keeping our nature theme in mind during the hunt. These are a few of my favorites…

I made a burlap bow for the top in the same style as the bow on the front door and the silver platters in the dining room to keep all the looks consistent. I swear that E Z Bow Maker was the best $10 my mom could have spent.

We’re always looking for cozy spots to read around the house and this thrifted chair fits the bill. As you guys know I’m all about snacks and hot drinks! Everything in this picture was thrifted save for the marshmallows. You can find out how we made a gourmet marshmallow bar at Bliss Barracks here. Most of those were gone the night of the party.

I kept the coffee table styled pretty simply. I wanted the décor to be as easy to remove as possible in case we decided to play our favorite games, put our feet up by the fire or read magazines on a random Tuesday.

The living room has definitely been a fun place to cozy up and relax this holiday season.

See you guys back here tomorrow. I’ll share how we decorated the breakfast nook with festive touches of nature that evoke effortless Southern charm. Until then, I’ll see you on Instagram, Facebook and Pinterest.

Many blessings,

CoCo