Simple Modern Boho Fall Mantle
You read that right… we have a mantle! I was thrilled when Krista invited me to join her fall mantle hop, because it lit the fire under my rear to spring me into action. You see, ever since we gave the basement level family room a makeover last spring, the mantle has sat untouched. At the time of the room’s transformation, we had removed the old mantle, but saved the wood slab mantlepiece to redesign it into a more modern rustic floating style. I will share in a later post just how we took our old ugly country style mantle and reinvented it into what you see today, but this post is all about how I styled it for fall. Besides, let’s face it, decorating it is much more fun than installing it, unless of course you prefer taking several trips to the hardware store, cussing under your breath, and cutting yourself. DIY is dangerous, at least in our house. 😉 Anyhow, I truly enjoyed putting together a simple modern boho fall mantle for you and am happy to be joining several bloggers also sharing their mantles today. You can find their links all at the bottom of this post. (I am an Amazon Associate, and I use affiliate links through which I earn a small commission on qualifying purchases. I appreciate your support.)
Our basement level is one that Wilder doesn’t typically go to, so I am able to have more plants at reachable heights, and sharp objects, like antlers, that no one will impale themselves with. Just getting that disclaimer out of the way. 😉
I am going to walk you through my process of putting this mantle together, although regrettably I didn’t take process photos. I began with the biggest piece, which was the artwork. The muted sepia tones feel very fall like to me, and although I will probably keep it here throughout other seasons, it seems just right at the moment.
In addition to the vibe of the bison, it also fits the scale of the space perfectly. As you can see, we have a TV in this room as well, and I did not want it mounted on top of the fireplace. However, I do need to have art or a mirror or some kind of piece up on the mantle that really outweighs the black box so that it becomes the focal point rather than the TV.
Once I had decided on the artwork, the next cozy fall touch I wanted to add was candlesticks. For most of this mantle, I worked mainly with items that I already had on hand. I did, however, purchase modern black candlesticks. Unfortunately when we moved, I got rid of most of my candlesticks. Oops! With the vision I had for our mantle, I could picture something very modern and sleek and came across this very affordable trio of candlesticks on Amazon. I love the varied heights which add interest. I placed those in their trio to the right of the artwork.
On the left side of the mantle, I added a vintage Edgar Allen Poe book, which naturally feels dark and moody, and fall like. I bought these little marbled pumpkins a few years back from Target’s dollar spot, and they’re still going strong. I placed one on top of the book and one next to it. Lastly, I added this little Jonathan Adler squirrel which actually broke off of a wine stopper that had been gifted me years ago. I still love it as a little figurine.
After placing the candlesticks, book, and pumpkins, it still was lacking a little life. I am a huge fan of vintage amber glassware in the fall, and have used them for so many vignettes and tablescapes throughout the years here (my favorite being this one). When we moved, I made sure to pack them carefully because they’re always going to be my precious. Anyhow, I filled when with water and trimmed my pothos plants down to place in the bottles. I then sprinkled them throughout the mantlescape on with side and am really pleased with the vibrance and energy they brought to this space. I would have loved to have some autumn leaves, but our trees aren’t there yet. Pampas grass may have beeb lovely, too, but I am usually one to try to work mainly with what I already have on hand, and I had pothos! (By the way, I will probably move the pothos to some other bottles soon… I love to propagate them, but they don’t do well in these amber bottles. I am not sure if it’s because of vintage residue or the dark glass? I honestly don’t know but it doesn’t work well.
Lastly, on the hearth, I added my mama pothos in her basket as well as a pair of antlers I have had for years! I painted them white and gold several years ago and still love them today.
And that, my friends, is my first mantle here in Greensboro! I will be back soon to tell you how we took this ugly and dated shiny maple mantle and made it into a modern floating piece that suits out style soon. (Truth be told, we have to set it in about an inch more… but I wanted to join this blog hop! Once we get it in that last inch, then I will be back here to share the full DIY reveal.
You can shop this post here:
Now be sure to check out all of these inspiring fall mantles below. 🙂
The Happy Housie ** Tatertots and Jello ** The Handmade Home
Modern Glam ** Taryn Whiteaker Designs
Craftberry Bush ** Cassie Bustamante ** Cherished Bliss
My Sweet Savannah ** The DIY Mommy
Amidst the Chaos ** She Gave it a Go ** Life is a Party
Clean & Scentsible ** This is Our Bliss
Finding Silver Pennies ** House by Hoff ** Rambling Renovators
Jennifer Maune ** Maison de Cinq
This is Simplicite ** Lolly Jane ** Life is Better at Home **