Decorating a Mantel for Fall – 5 Easy Ways!

Have you started decorating for fall yet?  At this point, I’ve only done some early fall decorating but I haven’t decorated my fireplace mantel yet.  So, today I’ll share some of my fall mantels from the past.  Hopefully, I’ll inspire you with some ideas to use when decorating a mantel for fall!

Here are 5 Fall Mantel Decorating Ideas:

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1 – Decorating a Mantel for Fall with Lanterns and White Pumpkins:

If you want to decorate an easy mantel for fall, you can’t go wrong with lanterns and white pumpkins.  This was the first fall mantel I decorated after we remodeled our fireplace.  After updating from a builder basic fireplace to a stone one, I wanted to keep my mantel decor simple that year.

Since I still wanted to add a pop of fall color to the black and white, I added some berry garland as a base.

Fall Mantel

Then to give some height to my fall mantel decor, I centered a black and white framed photo of my kids.  Of course, if I had planned ahead, I would have used something fall themed for the focal point…but I was probably the only one who noticed.  As long as the photo was black and white, it worked.  I’ve also done variations of this mantel using a gallery of black and white photos.

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2 – Decorating a Mantel for Fall with Apples and Pumpkins:

With the abundance of apples and pumpkins available in the fall, why not decorate with them together?  That year, I leaned an apple print for height and then lined up some seasonal items across my fall mantel.  Since decorating in odd numbers is visually appealing, I placed three mini pumpkins in the center.  Of course, I went with white pumpkins again since they’re my favorites.

Fall Mantel with Apples and White Pumpkins

To continue the apple theme, I filled some small baskets with apples on each end.  This is just one of my favorite ways to decorate with apples.

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3 – Decorating a Mantel with Fall Colors:

As the leaves change into their gorgeous autumn colors, bring some of that look inside.  In this case, the fall leaves inspired me to hang a colorful leaf garland across my leaning black mirror.  You can’t go wrong with a leaning mirror when decorating a mantel…unless it falls!  Ha!

Then I continued the fall colors with a variety of apples and some vibrant artwork.

Autumn on the Mantel with Apples

To tone down all the color from the faux leaves and artwork, I added in some black and white.  And yes, that included another small white pumpkin!

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For another version of this mantel, I simplified the color palette…

Since the first colorful mantel felt a little busy for my family room, I simplified the color scheme a bit.  First, I added more orange to coordinate with the candles and exchanged the apples for some simple textured spheres.  Gotta love those natural elements when decorating for the autumn season.  Then I swapped out the more formal artwork for a simple pumpkin patch photo.  This was the fall mantel I kept in place that year.

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4 – Decorating a Mantel for Fall with Black and White:

3 Fall Mantels

For those of you who prefer a cleaner look, here is another option in black and white.  From the previous fall mantel, I removed the faux leaves and just kept the basics for a modern farmhouse vibe.  You can’t go wrong with black and white for a crisp clean look…in autumn or any season!

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5 – Planning Ahead with a Hint of Halloween:

Simple Black and Orange Mantel

Instead of leaning my large rectangular mirror, one year I hung a round mirror above the mantel.  Then, I decorated with orange, black and white for fall. 

Once we flipped the calendar to October, I added a simple Halloween decoration…a scary jack-o-lantern.  Well, maybe not that scary!  Besides hanging the mirror, this easy fall mantel took about two minutes to create…definitely my kind of fall decorating!

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Hopefully, I inspired you to create a different look for your fall mantel this year.  Since most of us are home these days, use that time to pretty up your house for the season!

If you’re like me, you slowly bring out the fall decor while you tearfully say goodbye to summer.  This year, I think I’ll cry even more tears with the uncertainty of school…and basically everything in the world!  Though, usually once the cooler days of September kick in, I jump right into fall decorating mode!  Speaking of fall decorating, be sure to check out my latest fall mantel!

If you’re not quite ready to welcome fall just yet, read 5 Things I Don’t Love About Fall!  See if you agree with me!

What are your favorite fall mantel decorating ideas?

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