adria35 I like my mantel traditional mixed with a little rustic. My name is Adria Westbrook I am a designer in Northern Indiana "Notre Dame Country"! I use things from my yard and just keep working with it until it looks full and lush.

Ruth Ulrich Winter Wonderland

olldbobbi My husband's creation, along with his photos of our white flowering jade tree in the backyard:

olldbobbi Becky! Where is your mantel???

sheas My wall color already makes a (loud) statement, so I try to keep my mantle clean and refined while still being festive.

leswolfe Our kitties decided to join us while shooting this picture.

Todd Armstrong Our fireplace mantel

leswolfe Our Christmas Mantle

olldroo So what do you do when you don't have a mantle???? Becky???

JAN MOYER oldroo,
A wonderful drawer chest, with a large mirror above can have the same focal effect. Do the greens/garland around the mirror... add a vignette of your choice on the top of the chest. A creche, a huge bowl of ornaments.... whatever! The "dressed" mirror is the thing. Think lush.

juabourque My wife Barbara really had an inspiration with this year's holiday decorations.

olldroo Love the 'lush' idea, Jan, trouble is in our heat it is dead in no time. Have to resort to plastic all the time and it just gets soooooo passe. Candles are out, again because of the heat and when it doesn't get dark till 8.30 - 9pm the impact is lost anyway.

Suzy The whimsy of my Merry Christmas mantle was put together with all of the kiddos in mind. I love to see the sparkle in their eyes!

Elizabeth Hagins Interior Design My mother used these decorations -- they have an authentic late 50s-early 60s vibe.

JAN MOYER oldroo,
SNAP OUT OF IT!!! : ) : ) When you use the faux variety, mix in a big variety of greens also faux... you can twist in ivy, you can add magnolia leaf, you can add almost any "leafy" green to a basic garland., along with any inexpensive fir greens varying the mix.Add some fake fruit, and echo that with real oranges on the chest studded with cloves for scent. Restoration Hardware has fantastic plllar candles that glow like the real deal.... and are super safe as well. Hardly anyone uses real greens as they die even in a northern climate and we all like our effort to look fresh for weeks. Trust me... done lush..it will look super.
http://www.restorationhardware.com/catalog/category/products.jsp?link=WaxAndFlamelessCandles&categoryId=cat1710081

mariakeating Our Christmas Mantel

Tom I was up in Michigan over the Thanksgiving weekend and decorated my daughters mantel and tree for the holidays. We wanted to incorporate some things she used on a regular basis but enhance for Christmas. So she purchased fresh boxwood and I made several boxwood trees for her mantel and the rest of the home. This is their first Christmas in this home and they are trilled to have the space....

JAN MOYER This is NOT a mantel : ) It is a hood over a 48 inch gas range that changes with every season. Not the best photo but fills the kitchen with xmas cheer

Becky {this is happiness} This year for my Christmas mantel I decided to use preserved boxwoods in lieu of garland and I'm so happy with how it turned out. It's simple and elegant. I love the square wreath boxwood and the glass antiqued mercury Christmas tree is a favorite of mine as well. Our whole mantel and fireplace is surrounded by our large Christmas tree on one side and then by a trio of smaller lighted trees on the other side, creating a beautiful Christmas atmosphere in our family room.

More of my mantel here: http://thisishappinessblog.blogspot.com/2012/12/boxwood-christmas-mantel.html

Warmest Wishes!

cap5 Fresh is best, straight from the garden and smells wonderful as well. Tried to upload a picture of my hearth but it didn't work?

JAN MOYER SORRY... better picture of the NON mantel over the gas range. I started this for a client six years ago... and every few months I am seasonally up on the ladder yet again : )

Cindy This is my "Peace On Earth" Mantel. I found the Angel wings on Decor Steals and painted and glittered them. I wrote on the mirror with glitter paint and used fresh greens on my mantel. My hubby helped by making a board to place on the mantel to extend the depth of the mantel.

Vel Criste Here is our White and Bright mantle this year... :-)

mjd6750 A few years back

cathy72156 Love red and white with a touch of ice crystals for sparkle!

olldbobbi cap5, sometimes you need to reboot your computer to get pics to attach.

Cindy Jansen This year I gathered together my antique Swedish kettle collection for the fireplace mantel with some of my blue and whites. I decided to order my greenery on-line and enjoyed having it arrive on a day I wasn't working. Best wishes for everyone.

Ruth Ulrich A Winter Wonderland. That is what I call the decorations this year in my circa 1926 home. With boldly painted walls and woodwork, the white and crystal certainly holds their own. I grow Casa Blanca lillies during the summer, so using a silk version mixed in well with the decorations.

Valorie Hart My mantel is in the kitchen, so I use fruit theme ornaments and lots of sparkle. xo xo

zcruse With the rose and open-lace plate collections on either side of the mantle, I did not want the wall to overwhelm the room with a busy mantle. Also considering the massive stone wall, I decided on a simple, yet elegant holiday mantle decor.

stilesquinn I am doing a silver theme in my living room this year-with some greens mixed in.

embracegrace First Christmas in our new house!

INSIDEOUT Modern and Traditional ”Woodland Glam”- evergreens, antique Italian statue crowns, wood elements and sparkly ornaments.

Lisa Wrixon Interior Design I do two mantles - one more formal in the living room and one less in the family room - the challenge is to make the work together - My colours are orange and green and black with antique silver accents. I use fake boughs of evergreen and use real pinecones and greens placed through out. This is last years image so I will post this years once completed to compare. Doing the mantle always starts my holiday theme and I go from there to decorate the rest of the house doing Christmas vignettes.

Marie Vlasic To quote a decorator friend of mine, "Less is more, but more is fabulous" This is actually one of the smaller mantles I've had over the years. I start with fresh mixed boughs & pine cones, and add jewel-tone leds, a string of bubble lights, peacock and ostrich feathers (our tree is done the same way)

rosebud3 Thanks to all of you for sharing your Christmas mantels. They are all wonderful!

Home Front Interiors I wanted to contrast against the salmon wall color and tie in the blue in the paintings. Foliage used was out of my yard, pine, cedar, holly branches and English boxwood. The colors also coordinate with the tree.

highlandproject The more ornaments the better!!!!!
Throw in the kitchen sink.
Ribbon, flowers, pine cones, beads, bird nests, feathers, fruit, horns, favorite people photos, Whatever.
Light. Voila.
Your own memory mantel.

highlandproject Up close

tontine13 Keeping it moody and Scottish reminds me of home at Chirstmas. Use what you have and build on it until you are happy with it.

Spallina Interiors Mantel decorated in green, gold & cream.

mtngirl2011 Sheas---where did you get that lovely wooden Noel shelf sitter? I love it! Your wall color is gorgeous!

Heidi Chanatry I used all items I had on hand to do my Pottery Barn style mantle. Love the lights in the recycled glass jar!

Viktoria Proctor I like to keep the mantel itself simple to showcase our stockings. They were handmade by my husband's aunt. Mr. Nutcracker at the end is also a family favorite and has to stand on the mantel every year.

my1passionisgod My mantle has always been used to hold my nativity. It gives it a special place of honor and keeps it out of the way of little hands and puppy feet.

The Creative Man My mantel was built in 1928. I have collected Santa's from 1890 till present day and love displaying them on the mantel. When we moved into the house there was a tag sale in which we purchased a box of antique ornaments and have continued to add to the collection. The garland is decorated with white lights and all of my miniature ornaments. It feels to me like a child walking into an old german chocolate store with all the sparkle and glimmer one see when looking up.

Lisa Wrixon Interior Design I do two mantles - one more formal in the living room and one less in the family room - the challenge is to make the work together - My colours are orange and green and black with antique silver accents. I use fake boughs of evergreen and use real pinecones and greens placed through out. This is last years image so I will post this years once completed to compare. Doing the mantle always starts my holiday theme and I go from there to decorate the rest of the house doing Christmas vignettes.

cryschavez A mix of everything!

reg1967 I used traditional colors with a bit of everything to create a warm yet lively feel.

Laurel Ennis My mantle looks a certain way in the light, but in darkness there comes a message in the shadows.

Cheri I like simple for our little cottage....

sewit12 I am a minimalist...nothing too fussy. This year's theme is crystal and gleam, so this is how two of my "mantels" turned out.

kathyjunk I'm all "Grinchy" and "Whoville" with my decorating - thus my mantle

beamcdowell I can never decide whether to do silver and hold or red and green. So I do it all

beamcdowell New lime green and yellow green satin ribbons this year

buchey I love a fireplace, preferably woodburning, but gas is ok too. I need all of your help. My house was built in '38. The face of my stone and brick fireplace was painted white (strangely not the inside of it) when I moved in. It was electric, we removed the very old plug and wiring when we moved in. There isn't a hearth, it's just the same hardwood flooring as the rest of the livingroom, which I also love. However I want to change this to a working gas fireplace. I don't know where to begin. We have already changed the house over to gas (as it's radiant heat and were running off oil) and made sure to have enough gas incoming and extra hook ups in the basement (for future gas dryer, gas stove, etc...). Help with: 1. I don't know if the paint needs to come off the stone somehow (for safety reasons) or if I can leave it. 2. Will I have to build a hearth first, so the firebox isn't sitting on the wood floor? If yes will I have to reinforce the floor from the basement to hold it? 3. Can a firebox be built to fit the opening already in place? I have a family member who is a certified stone mason and a friend who is a certified gas fitter. Thank goodness!!! Thanks in advance for any advice you can give.

brittneyneva Our mantle is all about family.

bettyboogie Any suggestions for a L shaped mantel behind a freestanding gas (looks like woodburning) stove??? I have a lot of space to cover and also the stovepipe blocks part of the view. I can't ever decide what to put up there at any time of year. I've had a collection of vintage vases on the mantle but they don't have the needed height and hanging a picture or mirror doesn't seem to work because of the stovepipe and the 2 walls. (I don't want too frilly as I've done some cottage shabby chic-ish looks before but am not really into that now.)

INSIDEOUT Modern and Traditional Hi Bettyboogie, wow, you've boggled my mind trying to picture your l-shaped mantle set behind a piped stove. Any chance of you posting a photo? Thanks!

INSIDEOUT Modern and Traditional Hi Bettyboogie, wow, you've boggled my mind trying to picture your l-shaped mantle set behind a piped stove. Any chance of you posting a photo? Thanks!

Linda Home Front Interiors & Highland Project: Love, Love, Love what you have done! Love the blues in HFI and really love the detail of HP's fireplace and all the decor! Great job to both of you......WOW

stuartfleming Hi this mantel featured eucalyptus and white roses for the aromas. Both sides can be moved and repositioned in other rooms quickly for an added dimension.
Stuart

Betsy Hall Our Christmas mantel from the House of Hall - see more of my Christmas decorating photos on my blog at www.distinctivedecoratingbybetsy.com - more photos to come.

spinduffer Savannah Christmas

ploefff Mantels aren't standard here but each year my grandmother puts out the "nisselandskab" It's a snow clad landskape of small gnomes (nisser) frolicing. I don't know when this trend started but it's big with the older generation. I found some pics on google to give you an idea.

Even though they are super cheesy it's not really Christmas without it. I do a more modern take on the small village.

Jules During the 2 year process of selling our old home and finding our new one, Christmas decor has been in storage all that time. It was so much fun to decorate for the holidays after such a long break, I kinda went wild! Color scheme is copper, ivory and chartreuse, so easy to add elements from nature, as I just picked some dried out hydrangeas that will get a light dusting of bronze to complete the look. Thanks for letting us share our creations, Becky!

The Look Interiors, Inc. So loving all of your mantel pictures! Clever and inspiring! Here's mine this year.

The Look Interiors, Inc. Is there a way to save some of these awesome pictures posted in this thread to my idea books?

Becky Harris The Look - we'll be uploading and sharing a handful of these in an upcoming ideabook, where you can clip pictures to your ideabooks.

Contributors, if you're so inclined, I encourage you to also upload their photos to your Houzz accounts so that other Houzzers can find them in your profiles and clip them to their own ideabooks! You all have such wonderful ideas and I'm having so much fun looking at them! Thank you so much for sharing!

fairviewbonnie Each year we create a new look. This is our look for 2012!

C.W.Pottery I like a mix of artificial and natural for quick and easy decorating.

Becky Harris Oldroo, it's just one place to decorate - love the other ideas seen here. I say work with whatever plants you've got. Unfortunately, I know next to nothing about the flora in NSW, but I love anything green in a vase, perhaps draped in delicate (fake) gold or silver garlands. I also love oversized vases filled with colorful ornaments myself. I have seen people hang stockings from stair banisters, buffets, console tables, even doorknobs - anything that will hold them.

abbiec I've done a country chic mantel with lemons in our farmhouse setting.

bettyboogie @INSIDEOUT Modern and Traditional, Here's what I did a couple years ago, it was ok but not what I'm feeling these days. During the rest of the year it always looks wrong no matter what I do, I tried large pictures but wasn't getting it to work. I was so excited to have a mantle of sorts, but never can get the look I'm hoping for. I'd prefer to go in a more modern clean direction. Perhaps minimalist is the way to go here?? it's not my natural tendency but I do like that kind of look very much, more all the time actually.

mmmjs5 My favorite part of decorating for Christmas is my mantel. Day & Night pics

Becky Harris @buchy, I recommend posting your question on the Discussion board with a picture so that more people will see it and chime in with suggestions.

INSIDEOUT Modern and Traditional Hi Bettyboogie, I guess Becky is right about posting questions under Discussions but I'll just say that sometimes elements are better left alone so that other areas can grab the attention. Your minimal inclination....Happy Holidaze!

Becky Harris I hope my comment didn't come out as implying she was getting poor advice over here! I always encourage people who ask questions in comments to explore the discussions board as a Houzz community tool :) Answers in both spots are fabulous, I just like people to know that the discussion board exists.

demichael I'm not ready to let go of Fall yet. I love all the colors.

Becky Harris I have to admit you guys, it's 75 degrees here in Atlanta and it's not really getting me ready to yuletide out my house yet either ;)

lireese I change it a little each year, but there is always a garland and some poinsettias.

sharonsf I live in a 1907 Edwardian home in San Francisco. In my living room room I keep the feeling elegant and the star of the mantel is a schwiboggan I bought in Rothenberg Germany when I visited the Christmas Market there a few years ago, I sing in a choir so I was thrilled to find one showing a choir. In my dining room the theme is snowmen so the mantle has a good variety of them plus my collection of incense smokers from Germany. The dining and side table in the dining are also laden with snowmen.

rbull I favor classic and traditional. I like to leave room for Santa.

nancoise Here's mine in a 1700's Pennsylvania farmhouse! It's for sale too...the farmhouse, that is! This fireplace decor was featured in Princeton's PM Magazine. Styling by Nancy Crell (Realtor/Sales Associate Princeton, NJ)

It's a mix of funky store-bought finds and attic treasures — greenery compliments of the lovely Holly and Evergreen trees that grace the property

nancoise 1700"s Pennsylvania Farmhouse photo #2

nancoise 1700"s Pennsylvania Farmhouse photo #3 by Nancy Crell

suerobins Living by the water in a small New England town, in Connecticut, provides the inspiration for this seaside home. Interior designer, Deborah L. Boudreau, helped her friend of 46 years, Sue Robins, set the color scheme for this home. White, black, and gray is carried through this cottage style home including the holiday mantel. Sparkly, black, honeycomb candles add a hint of holiday while battery operated lights, from Restoration Hardware, help show off the various textures of the glass candlesticks, glitter balls, mercury glass, and coral sculpture, with a dramatic impact.

olldroo Thank you for your kind words Becky. Living in a construction zone at the moment, Christmas will be a non-event this year but I have gained a lot of great ideas from here and I can watch out for things (especially at the sales) ready for next year - I will even have new furniture by then to decorate too.

We have a beautiful NSW Christmas Bush that I have been going to plant in the garden for many years now and finally decided this is the year I will buy one, use in the in house (when builders aren't around) as a token and then plant it out ready for future Christmasses.

http://asgap.org.au/APOL2007/feb07-s1.html

The flowers are beautiful cut. We also have hydrangea, gardenias and agapanthus out now right in time for Chrismas and vases of these look lovely, especially with the red of the Christmas bush. I even have a golden gardenia that should add some bling.

lisalovesquilts Hi Olldroo. Just a thought. You can get cone shaped floral foam (dry or wet) and make your own tabletop/mantelpiece Christmas trees. I'd use wet foam, fill it up with what ever greenery is appropriate to your climate but any Christmassy greenery is best. Get red spray roses and use them as 'baubles' to decorate the tree. Or you can get hypericum from the florist and use that. With wet foam you can spritz it to keep it moist or just use put it in the sink and drizzle it from the faucet. The dry foam is even easier to decorate and no maintenance issues. Even if you don't go for the tree shapes floral bricks are excellent for making centrepieces and don't forget leafshine to make your greens last and of course shine!
We haven't done our mantle yet but there are some beauties shown above. Good work people. Suzy I really liked yours as being similar to the way we go because the children really like the red, green and gold of 'traditional' Christmas looks.

Joyce It goes without saying that "understated" is not in my vocabulary this season! I started with the jar 'o balls, and the two Italian urns and then just escaleted into what I have here. The color scheme this year was inspired by the colors of the Baroque Pear box on the right. I love the rich, warm colors and the touch of glimmer from the gold. I love the fresh greens, too. Now if it would only get cool enough here to light a fire!

embracegrace Becky, thanks for the reminder. I just started posting photos of our finished house (and mantle). Houzz was such a help for us over the last two years of dreaming and building!
. We also have a blog chronicling the whole process with a lot more photos and a home tour: http://dejongdreamhouse.blogspot.com/

crabtreestudio This is the mantel in our 1940's home. Handmade artwork, with greenery, deer, and small lights (from Restoration Hardware - love their "starry lights"). The tree will be decorated this weekend.

olldroo Lisalovesquilts - thanks for the foam idea, had totally forgotten about that. High maintenance to prevent it going mouldy and stinky with the humidity but that is doable.

spinduffer Savannah Christmas Mantel

Melissa Koch Fine Art Studio Here's an idea for those without a mantle, decorations can be hung from the ceiling to create a really magical atmosphere.

anncastro I found this rustic mantel at a flea market and it fit perfectly over my boring 1920s fireplace. With a beloved Buddha, some candles, and our stockings, it's festive but calm.

shoppingthecloset I don't have a mantle, but I wish I did! Instead I use the top of my dining room buffet as a "mantle" where I can create different seasonal vignettes.

JAN MOYER shoppingthecloset
May I make a suggestion for next year ? Turn the mirror to a vertical hang. Beef up the garland with a chunkier, mixed greens....think lush, just as you would on a mantel. You're going to astounded with your result!! Yes, the mirror can stay in a vertical hang all year round and you will have a prettier height within what I believe are wall sconces to enjoy! Happy holidays to you, and happy decorating too!

Doreen Schweitzer Interiors, Ltd. Copper can be an elegant Christmas color. I incorporated it into my clients Christmas decor.

jdefird This is my first year in my home, so I wanted to decorate my fireplace and also my entertainment center. I used cheap garland from Big Lots (80 feet for $7!), poinsettias and sprays of flowers from Hobby Lobby, three bronze trees from Oriental Trading, and a few vintage ornaments from my grandmother.

Apex Carpentry Here is a mantel that I made.

Kim Gilley I had to work around the tv. Yay... I just threw some things together that I have never used before. It's not great, but it's mine.

Sacksteder's Interiors The Sacksteder's Interiors design team pulled together a very traditional theme with classical elements to create an elegant overall style in this mantle display. The glittery ornaments create a refracting affect of the lights to give soothing results in the evening and a warm glow. And the combination of branches with soft orbs introduces natural accents while maintaining the look of sophistication. For more aesthetic appeal, lanterns anchor the balance of the combination for a decorator's touch.

Atalie Our house was built in 1909. These subtle decorations soften the dark quarter sawn oak and mahogany walls. The live wreaths in the sunroom permeate the smell of Christmas throughout the entire house.

Cheri Just made some more adjustments to our mantel .... liking the all white birch log candles that we made by drilling holes in top to hold tea lights.

Michelle Hi Becky;
All these pictures really show how our own personalities express themselves through decorating our homes, The photos of my past Christmas mantel designs, that I have recently reviewed, revealed how fashion and my own preferences have evolved. Personally, for the last two years, I have become more fond of greenery. associated with deer, which seems to have been be the case for many, since some of my pictures on that theme have been quite popular on the Houzz web site. Here is the latest photograph of our family room mantel, treated in the same spirit..

Michelle Actually, this was the picture I wanted to attach... It can be found in my Ideabook entitled: "White Christmas"

juliom Christmas 2012 in Sacramento, California

miwi7588 Not much. I kinda go for simple. Although i think I will add garland to mantle to complete look.

Carolyn Zone9alady I like a full lush effect in woodsy tones!

Sacksteder's Interiors The Sacksteder's Team created a festive display in a very traditional Christmas style. Using sleighs and jute/fabric ribbons as part of the combination. Christmas greens along with red poinsettias and floral stems add texture, color, along with interest and variety. The team accented with bells, ice skates, and stars to help pull together this festive look making this a display that tells the story of time spent with family and friends during the holidays and what we may do to enjoy that time spent.

Always Nesting Love all the great mantels. So many talented decorators here with lots of inspirational ideas.

www.alwaysnesting.blogspot.com

jestelle I've made a felt candy garland and arranged my presents in a way that looks nice to me.

nbkth55 Our three mantels

olldroo nbkth - wow, they are absolutely beautiful, I love the villages.

Lelia Oana Simple, nu fuss Christmas decor for a narrow mantel. My minimalist mantel display includes lots of shimmery cones of different heights. In lieu of the Christmas wreath I hung up green sparkly ornaments. The deer, a " Value Village" find, was covered with Rub ‘N Buff silver leaf. The silver ceramic sphere is a thrift find as well. I just gave it a good polish for a nice mirror shine!

tenmarys Christmas sheet music puts the finishing note on this 1880's mantle.

Mike Larkin My Christmas mantel.

barit22158 Dining room and living room mantels.

Ashton Harrison Here is my mountain home holiday mantle

Mike Larkin This is the holiday mantel in our Manayunk home.