Decorating Your Mantel For Summer

Learn a few easy tips about decorating your mantel for summer to give your home a fresh new look for the season.

I like to decorate for the seasons and holidays so of course, I added some new mantel decorations for summer.

Even though we vacation and entertain outdoors during the summer months we still spend plenty of time in our family room. That's where our fireplace and mantel are so if I decorate nothing else indoors for summer I usually decorate the mantel.

Decorating a Fireplace Mantel for Summer

Here are a few summer mantel ideas and tips to use as inspiration for your own great summer mantel decor.

Step 1. Come up with a theme. It doesn't have to be too specific. You could even just choose a color theme. For my mantel, I wanted something light and fresh. I was thinking about water like the ocean or a lake.

Step 2. Choose a focal point. I have a very wide mantel so this is something I always do and usually, it's in the center. If you have a small mantel you may not want to center it and that's okay, but a larger focal piece always works well.

I chose a painting my husband bought me. It was in my bedroom but I thought it would look nice in the family room for a couple of months. It's pretty large and has the colors I wanted.

Artwork is a great option but you could also use a large mirror, an empty frame, a wreath, or other summer decor.

Step 3. Start adding pieces to the mantel in your color scheme and some that add texture and interest to the mantel.

I used green glass cake stands and white vases. The white lightens the area and the green glass works with the painting and gives that feeling of water. I also used a large blue lantern with some faux green succulents and a pretty bird as an anchor on the end.

Again, they are in the right color scheme and the lantern gives some height and lots of texture to the mantel.

Step 4. Continue to fill in the mantel with more of the same in different sizes and textures.

I needed to balance the lantern so I used a a large resin pineapple. A few more vases and white candles with birch candle holders fill in the space.

Step 5. Add in small pieces that add some contrast or balance.

I used some eucalyptus branches in the milk bottle vases. The dark greenery adds a nice contrast to the other pieces. I also added another faux succulent in the mini vase, a faux blue hydrangea flower in the flower pot, a pretty aqua glass vase, and a vintage blue mason jar with sea sponges inside.

If you are thinking about creating something for a beach theme you could try driftwood, coral, or seashells.

Step 6. Stand back and see if something doesn't look right or see if there are areas that need more.

Step 7. Sit with it for a while. You can always add or subtract as the days go by. However, usually, I'm pretty happy with what I already have.

Here's the finished look. I love the way it lightens the room for summer. It makes me think of the beach and vacationing at the lake. A very cozy, casual feel for a short time before it's time to change it all up for fall.