How to Decorate a Simple Spring Mantel
Spring is busting out all over, and it’s time to switch up your seasonal home decor! A great place to begin is with your fireplace hearth mantel, if you have one. If not, substitute the top of a buffet or large piece of furniture. Starting your spring decor with a pretty display will inspire you to keep going! Here are some tips for How to Decorate a Simple Spring Mantle.
Today’s post is part of a monthly Pinterest Challenge, organized by Cindy at County Road 407. If you’re swinging over from A Stroll Thru Life, I’m sure you enjoyed Marty’s classy style. Be sure to soak up all the inspiration from my talented friends down below!
Every month, Cindy chooses an inspirational, seasonal pic from Pinterest we all design around. Today’s pic is from Deborah at Hip and Humble Style. She has a great DIY for Faux Spring Cherry Blossom Branches. You can catch the how-to and a glimpse into her pretty home HERE. I could move right in!
Isn’t this such a pretty spring decorated mantel? Simple and fresh. Let’s take a look at some of the elements, so we can create our own, similar look.
Here are the design elements I noticed in Hip and Humble’s pic:
I really like the overall coloration of this scene, too. The wood against the white, the pop of black with the pastel pink, and the live green plant. I was excited to recreate this look for myself! Hopefully the ideas will inspire you, too!
How to Decorate a Simple Spring Mantel
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First, Choose a Backdrop for your Spring Mantel
With the days growing longer, a mirror is the perfect way to capture that spring sunshine and use as a backdrop for your display. Round mirrors are a hot trend right now and I almost bought one for this challenge. But sticking to my vintage roots, I decided to give our old bathroom mirror a refresh with a coat of black paint. Think this vintage mirror was originally from a vanity I split apart years ago.
I took the mirror off and gave the aqua paint a little sanding with 100 grit. Then I brushed on 2 coats of Miss Mustard Seed’s Milk Paint in Typewriter (you can get it HERE). Once dry, I distressed it by hand and wiped on a sealer coat of hemp oil (you can get it HERE). I love how a little bit of the aqua paint shows through and also a bit of the wood color. This mirror has always been one of my faves with it’s Bakelite mirror holders; I love it even more now!
Add Spring-Blooming Branches to your Simple Spring Mantel
Springtime blooming trees hearken the beginning of spring. They’re like seeing the first robin. I love spreading them around my home in their various colors of whites and pinks, along with yellow forsythia branches. This year I spotted some pretty coral colored branches that needed a spot on the mantel. Corals and pinks are a sure sign of spring!
Unfortunately my little pitcher was too small to handle the height of the tall branches like in the inspiration pic. A vintage galvanized watering can with some rocks inside brought a little of my junky style to the scene. (This is a “new” aquisition from “Latest Vintage Finds and How to Refresh Them”) Use what you can find around your home that fits your style!
Add Springtime Eggs to your Spring Mantel Decor
The inspiration pic had 2 tall candleholders to the left of the round mirror. Very elegant looking, but I didn’t have anything similar. For a different vertical effect, I placed springtime speckled eggs into a chickenwire cloche. To give it extra height, I placed it on a couple of vintage books.
Unfortunately 2 bags of eggs weren’t enough to fill up the space in the cloches and I wanted the eggs to extend the eye upward. Rather than buying more eggs, I used a cheap excelsior grass filler between the layers. The added texture is great and the overall look is more vertical.
Fresh Flowers and Foliage Finish Off the Simple Spring Mantel
Tulips just bring a smile to your face, don’t they? Luckily Costco has had some nice bundles available when I grocery shop:) My little vintage white pitcher had to get on the mantel and was the perfect place to show off some happy tulips. Along with the trailing ivy plant I actually kept alive all winter, the Simple Spring Mantel is complete!
Yep, our ceiling is pink. And Mr. Fix-it has not complained…much. It shines a beautiful glow on everything in the room! I like a little bit pretty, a little bit rustic. If you like our light fixture, you can get it HERE.
The Finished Simple Spring Mantel and What I’d Add
Hip and Humble’s mantle is probably a little more sparse than my personal style, to be honest. You can tell my version is more colorful, but think I will add a few more accessories. I’m thinking a rustic bunny to the right of the watering can would be cute. And maybe a couple vintage, colorful flowerpots with votive candles for some light.
Would you add anything more, or do you like the scene as is?
Are you getting all excited to decorate for spring? I know I am! Can’t wait to see all the pretty mantels from the rest of the Pinterest Challenge gang! If you’re hopping in order, pop on over to Sweet Pea next; I’m sure you’ll love Paula’s Pink and Green Spring Mantel! She’s got vintage running in her veins, like me:)
Thanks for stopping by and reading How to Decorate a Simple Spring Mantel!
Please Pin, Share, and Enjoy the Rest of the Inspiration!
Sharing at these lovely parties:
This is such a beautiful way to welcome Spring into your home, Lora, I love it all. It’s been really pretty weather in Florida lately which definitely has us ready to pull out all the bunnies and head to the nursery to pick up flowers for the flower beds. I hope your week has been lots of fun, hugs, CoCo
Thanks, CoCo; it’s been beautiful here, too. Love it when Spring starts in March in MN! I’m sure we’ll see a couple more flakes, but the snow is melting fast!
Your spring mantel looks lovely! I am happy to feature you at this week’s All About Home link party. Thanks for sharing!
https://followtheyellowbrickhome.com/all-about-home-link-party-29/
Thanks for the feature, Amber!
Lovely spring mantel, Lora, and your mirror is gorgeous! Thanks for sharing at Vintage Charm!
Thanks, Cecilia!
I love the way you painted the mirror. I like how you made this challenge fit your own Spring style.
Thanks, Denise!
Your mantel is so pretty, Lora…and really feels like spring! Your mirror turned out beautifully!
Thanks, Linda! Now for the rest of the house;)
Lora,
That vintage mirror is gorgeous. Love the way you finished it. It’s the perfect addition to your mantel with the rustic wood! Happy spring!
Thanks, Christy!
I really enjoy this series of using a design to work from. You’ve tutored me on breaking down a design to it’s actual elements. I enjoy seeing how you different gals interpret the original picture. Also encourages me to use what I already have. Your mirror is perfect for this one and I love how your used the excelsior to boost the volume of the eggs, plus it adds lovely texture. To answer your question I do think adding the additional elements would fluff the whole look, of course I’m a vintage maximalist!
So glad you enjoy this Pinterest Challenge series, Pam! We have fun with it, too, and I’m so glad you feel like you’re learning from it; that’s my goal! Mr. Bunny will definitely be joining the mantel for Easter, and some vintage pottery planters, too:) Thanks for commenting!
So pretty, Lora!! I love the sweet wire cloche filled with colorful Easter eggs and the tulips!!! Made me think of going out to the Tulip Farm out in Aubrey, TX, a couple of years ago now. Redoing the antique mirror was a great idea! It looks amazing in black. <3 Enjoying being on the PC tour with you again this month. 🙂
Happy almost spring hugs to you,
Barb 🙂
I got that cloche as a white elephant gift this Christmas, believe it or not!
Hi Lora, I love this mantel. I wish I had thought to bring a watering can into my mantel. I may have to borrow that idea! And, the Easter eggs and that mirror is perfect! This is one of my favorites! Happy Day! Laura
Thanks, Laura! I was looking around the house for something else with a spout to fill in for the white pitcher, and there it was-my newest watering can! I scrubbed it up and gave it a coat of poly so it was mantel-worthy:)
Lora, I absolutely love what you’ve done. That mirror is gorgeous, and the transformation is really perfect! (I’ve actually been doing research and have thought about using MMS paint for a furniture project, so thanks for the demo.) I think my mantel needs a bit more color like yours, so I might keep playing with it.
I’ll be adding a few more pieces to my mantel, too, Crissy. You should definitely try MMS paint; it is like no other-I love it!
I love, love, love it all. The eggs are genius and I also really love the tulips added to the mix. So much pretty color and different textures. Well done.
Thanks for your sweet compliments, Marty! It is definitely getting me in the mood to spring decorate the rest of the house!
I think your mantel looks great just as it is. This makes me want to get out all my Spring things!
Me, too, Vikki! Thanks:)
There are so many great take aways on you mantel like the mirror and the watering can, but using the excelsior grass filler with the eggs is brilliant! Love it Lora!
Yep, when you don’t want to spend anymore money and don’t want to make an extra trip…fill up with cheap filler!
I wish I could get my sticky fingers on that mirror! It’s fantastical! Your mantel is so happy, bright and cheery – Love it! Great tutorial as always. Thanks so much for joining in too. I adore you style! Pinned
Thanks, friend! I’ve had that mirror forever and am loving it’s new little black dress;) Thanks for be our fearless leader! Love your hops!
Happy spring mantel,it has everything , pretty, colorful, and painting the mirror was really wonderful. A rabbit would be cute.
Yes, he would…now if I can only locate one:( Hanging in the move-or-not-to-move balance is really cramping my decorating style:( I may have to buy a new one;)
Your mantel looks so fresh and pretty, Lora… I def would put something to the right of the watering can. And you have me thinking about pink ceilings now… that’s a genius idea! Love the shape of the mirror, too! Pinned! Love hopping with you!
Thanks for pinning, Julie! Definitely would recommend the pink ceiling; I’ve loved it for years!
WOW! I love what you did with your mirror. It really pops on your mantel, which I love that as well. Such a pretty Spring mantel. The touch of pink flowers added a softness. Love it Lora!
That bit of black just really pops all the colors, doesn’t it? I love black with pastels!
I love what you did to the mirror and your mantel looks so fresh and pretty!
Thanks, Pamela!
What an enchanting mirror! I love the fresh pops of springtime color too.
I’m so ready for springtime colors! This challenge really got me going:)
I love it! The mirror is gorgeous. The cloches are adorable too.
Thanks, Katie!
Your mantel looks beautiful decked out for spring, Lora! My favorite part is the vanity mirror that you repurposed. I love that it stands on its own and that you can easily move it around to use in other areas of your home.
I love those old mirror frames, Paula-with or without the mirrors. I use them all around the house for everything!
Lora
Love and I couldn’t agree more, love the mirror transformation. I see bits of the blue and it adds a nice touch.
Another great job. Oh and the eggs in the cloche perfect touch.
Cindy
Thanks, Cindy! My spring juices are flowing now!