The Busy Girl’s Guide to Decorating a Fall Mantel

Today, we’re continuing our series, The Busy Girl’s Guide to Decorating a Fall Mantel!

Fall in Florida

Sometimes I look at the glossy pages of a magazine filled with gorgeous Fall foliage, golden colored trees, and wheelbarrows full of pumpkins and feel the teensiest bit jealous.

Don’t get me wrong, I’m super excited for the people that are featured. I mean, what an honor, right?

But when I look outside my window I see lots and lots of green.  And sometimes it seems like Fall in Florida doesn’t quite measure up to those beautiful photos in the magazines.

If there’s one thing I’ve learned about this year though, it’s to be thankful for what we do have. 

And that is a home we love, trees that shield us during hurricane season, exciting makeovers on the way, pretty flowers from the grocery, and a bit of help from our craft supply store.

No matter what the foliage outside your door looks like right now there’s plenty of time to make the season extra special. 

You can go all in and over the top or just add pops of color here and there with these simple tips.  

Here’s a look at The Busy Girl’s Guide to Decorating a Fall Mantel and Living Room…

This post was updated in September 2020.

The Busy Girl’s Guide to Decorating a Fall Mantel Tips

Mantels can sometimes be tricky so my best tip for decorating a Fall mantel is to mentally divide the mantel into thirds.

Start with the center portion and have it be your focal point. 

We’ve had the DIY horse sign for a while which I made using the same easy transfer technique as I used for our vintage-inspired apple picking sign.

But you could also use an old window, a mirror, a chalkboard, a favorite piece of art, or some architectural salvage.  

Decorating a Fall Mantel with Symmetry 

After you have your focal point in place, make it super simple by decorating a Fall mantel with symmetry on the other two-third portions of the mantel.

Make sure your mantel has varied heights to help add interest and offset the focal point.

Layering Texture & Greenery

Next, add something with texture, greenery, or nature-inspired related to Fall.

Whatever you choose will need to be something smaller in height than your focal point piece and your symmetry pieces.

Once you have one side that complements your focal point completed, address the other side of your Fall mantel. 

Decorating a Fall mantel on this side will be fairly easy, especially if you love symmetry.

You’re basically just repeating the elements you’ve already used from one side to the other. 

Edit, Edit, Edit

After you have all three sections finished, step back, and decide what is working and what is not.

I usually need to edit at least one or two items until I get a look tI actually like.  Sometimes, I go super simple and other times I’m really in a festive mood.

Either way, I always edit!

You can decide if you want to add something to the hearth of your fireplace or not after you have the mantel complete.

Obviously, anything you add needs to be kept away from possible flames for safety reasons.

As far as decorating the rest of the living room goes, consider how your family actually lives. You may want to add a few pumpkins to your side table or easy pops of color on your coffee table. 

There’s honestly no right or wrong way to decorate, simply add what you love from Fall candles to pumpkins to seasonal pillows and greenery.

I know it might seem like Fall decorating takes a long time but creating a festive home doesn’t have to be complicated at all.

Just remember to pick a consistent color palette, be true to your signature style and find easy pieces that fit your lifestyle and help you celebrate the season.

Let us know what colors you’re using to this year and how you’ll be decorating a Fall mantel! Until next time, I’ll see you on Instagram, Facebook and Pinterest.

A Few Other Fall Inspired Posts You Might Enjoy:

• Decorating the Entry for Fall 
• Fall Front Door Decor Ideas 
• Fall Porch Decorating Ideas 
• Embracing Fall Home Tour
• DIY Fall Centerpiece 

Many blessings,

CoCo