8 Ideas And Tips For Decorating Your Mantel For Every Season

As the seasons change, you may look for ways to redecorate your home to better suit the outdoor weather conditions, landscape colors, and any upcoming holidays. Making modifications to your home's decor also helps keep your space inviting and exciting — both for you and for any visitors. Your mantel is one area of the home where you definitely want to focus these efforts. "Seasonal mantel styling is an art form that transforms your home's focal point throughout the year, creating a dynamic visual narrative that reflects the changing landscape. Each season offers a distinct opportunity to refresh your space and showcase thoughtful design," Shiva Samiei, an interior designer and the CEO of Shiva Samiei & Co., shares with House Digest during an exclusive interview.

Not sure how to go about switching up the vibe of your mantelpiece? While mantel styling can be an art, a few failsafe formulas and cornerstone decor pieces are all you need to get started. Ahead, you can find a range of ideas and tips to help you decorate your mantel for each of the four seasons. We reached out to three interior designers — including Samiei — and they each offered their expert tips on some of the best decor items to incorporate into each seasonal display and how you can use them to accentuate key elements of spring, summer, fall, and winter.

Spring signifies new beginnings — and it is the perfect time to give your mantel a fresh new look. "Spring calls for a lighter, more organic approach. I love using ceramic vessels filled with fresh botanical elements — perhaps delicate cherry blossoms or emerging tulip [flowers]," shares Samiei. To implement this part of the look that Samiei recommends, consider pairing these white ceramic vases from Sullivans on Amazon with these artificial cherry blossom flowers from Uieke (also on Amazon).

In addition to these ceramic and botanical elements, Samiei also recommends adding raw ceramics, woven baskets (like one of these from La Jolie Muse on Amazon), and pastel-toned canvases and other art pieces to highlight the theme of renewal that is so present during the spring months. She explains how she recently decorated a mantel for one of her clients following these recommendations and incorporating some of the best colors to decorate with for the spring. "We used a collection of white ceramic vases with emerging green stems that brought the mantel to life, creating a bridge between interior and exterior spaces," she says.

Jennifer Fordham, the principal interior designer and the CEO of Pembrook Interiors, offers additional insight on decorating a mantel for the spring. Like Samiei, she recommends leaning in to natural elements, sharing during an exclusive interview with House Digest that "the foundation of an effective mantel display should begin with natural elements as focal points." When picking out botanical elements for a spring mantel, she suggests placing forsythia branches and forced bulbs in clear glass vases or containers, such as this Diamond Star Tall Square Vase. These can serve as the focal points for your display, creating a pop of color.

To help tie everything together and add more visual intrigue, Fordham also suggests you "incorporate soft green or yellow candles and botanical prints." The gentle green and yellow colors, combined with the floral prints you choose, will help capture the essence of this season of new life and renewal. If your tastes lean more muted, less floral, and you're looking to create an organic modern aesthetic in your home, simply switch the flowers for something like eucalyptus branches and opt for line drawings. Speaking of drawings and art, Fordham shared an insider secret, saying that swapping out freestanding artwork in tune to the seasons is an easy way to keep your mantel feeling fresh, without having to rethink the styling layout too much. 

As spring transitions into summer, many of us are excited for the warm months ahead that promise fun excursions, beach trips, and (hopefully) plenty of rest and relaxation. According to Samiei, you should decorate your mantel to match this cheerier mood. She recommends incorporating a mix of coral pieces (such as this Nautical Crush Trading White Sea Coral), driftwood, and ocean-inspired ceramics (such as this Stonebriar Textured Ceramic Pillar Candle or the Cucumi Rustic Coastal Vases) to achieve the "more relaxed, playful aesthetic" that the warm summer months demand.

Speaking of playful, if you love a themey feel that's slightly cheesy, now's your chance to display those cutely kitsch seaside decor pieces. But if you want your mantelpiece to lean a little more mature and less overtly beachy, Samiei explains that arriving at a decor scheme that will provide both a chic and sophisticated look for your living space doesn't have to be complicated. She notes how "a carefully curated collection of blue and white ceramics, paired with natural linen elements and perhaps a piece of vintage maritime art," can help you pull everything together.

During an exclusive interview, Erika Dale, an interior designer and the owner of Erika Dale Interior Design, shares some of her best tips for decorating a mantel for the summer with House Digest. "The first thing I always grab are LED taper candles. Adding several (or many) of these to a [mantel] creates a warm glow and a little sparkle, making your room as cozy as a summer evening full of twinkling bistro lights and fireflies," she says. With these LED taper candles as the start of your design (which she says you can keep throughout the year), Dale recommends integrating the verdant shades of summertime into your display with some fresh-feeling greenery — a tip that can also help you decorate your mantel like Joanna Gaines.

As you're deciding how to incorporate greenery into your mantel, your first instinct may be to opt for branches in vases. While this is definitely a designer move, Dale suggests doing something a little different She says, "While faux stems are certainly gorgeous and easy to change out, consider using a real houseplant if your mantel gets enough light." For a final tip: Placing a mirror behind your indoor plants is a clever way to increase the amount of illumination they get, and it can make for an attractive focal point above your fireplace that adds depth to the room. 

As we transition from summer to fall, we put away our shorts, sundresses, and flip-flops in favor of jeans, sweaters, and boots. You'll also want to change your mantel's decor in the fall to pick up on this cozy transition. "Autumn is about rich textures and warm tones," says Samiei.

She recommends using muted ceramic pumpkins (similar to the Elanze Designs Harvest Decorative Pumpkin), dried botanical elements, and copper candlesticks (like this one from Onart Home on Amazon to add depth to a fall mantel display. To complete the look, Samiei says, "Layer in rich textural pieces like woven baskets, vintage bronze objects, and art that captures the season's warm palette." She recounts a recent project for a client in Vancouver where her team combined burnished copper accents, dried hydrangeas, and artwork that featured a mix of deep green and burnt orange hues to pull together a stylish fall mantel. Decorating for fall on a budget is certainly doable too. Between the reasonably-priced pumpkins and gourds in your local grocery store and the ability to thrift things like vintage candlestick holders, textured woven baskets, etc., and repurposing elements from mantel displays for other seasons — all you need is a bit of creativity and ingenuity.

Fordham also offered some inspiring ideas for those looking to decorate a mantel for Thanksgiving and the rest of the cool and crisp fall months. To help keep seasonal changes manageable and make it easier to transition your design from summer to fall — or later, fall to winter — she shares an actionable tip, saying, "Think of your mantel like accessorizing an outfit — keep the basic structure consistent while rotating seasonal elements for fresh appeal."

To switch in a fall feel, like Samiei, Fordham recommends leaning into warm metallics with rich brass tones by integrating elements like these antique brass candlesticks from Amazon. For added autumnal accents, she suggests pairing brass pieces with celadon or earth-toned ceramics (like this rustic ceramic vase from Siducal on Amazon). To complete the look, instead of opting for pumpkins, Fordham feels some fall-toned candles are in order, saying, "Add drama with turning leaves and deep orange candles." Speaking of candles, the designer also shared that using a pair of hefty candlesticks is the ideal way to add symmetry and balance to a mantelpiece vignette.

As the weather outside turns cold and snowy, Samiei recommends styling your mantel in such a way that it "captures the essence of warmth and elegance." To create such a sophisticated look, some of the materials she suggests using include vintage-style silver (such as this Alisveristime serving tray from Amazon), sculptures made from alabaster, and mercury glass candlesticks.

With those larger elements as the base of your winter mantel, Samiei also recommends "Incorporat[ing] evergreen branches with soft white lights and a collection of monochromatic ceramic vases in varying heights." Some products that you could use to achieve the look she recommends include these Anjaylia Fairy String Lights, these Xipegpa Artificial Pine Branches, and these white ceramic vases from Cemabt on Amazon. By integrating these kinds of elements into the tableau on your mantel, Samiei explains that you'll be able to create "depth and interest while maintaining a clean, refined aesthetic that doesn't feel cluttered." The slightly monochrome look also creates an ideal base into which you can weave holiday-centric elements like pine cones and Christmas decor during December.

Winter offers incredible styling opportunities — whether you're beginning to envision some Christmas mantel decor ideas or just trying to bring a warm and cozy feel to your home to counteract those frigid outdoor temperatures. Similar to Samiei, Fordham suggests leaning on cool metals to create sophisticated silver-toned accents. For contrast, the designer also recommends bringing in some color via candles. If you have yet to start holiday decorating in earnest, add some white florals for softness. "Layer white-branched magnolia stems with mercury glass candlesticks and weathered zinc vessels. Add warmth with deep burgundy or black candles," outlines the designer. 

Some of the items that can help you achieve the look she recommends include these pillar candle holders from Amazon paired with the Candwax Pillar Candle Set. Finally, layer in some of these magnolia stems from Amazon to pull the look together. The gorgeous magnolia flowers will not only stand out against the darker candles and zinc vases, but they'll also mimic the color of the fallen snow during the winter months. When you're ready to put up holiday decorations, swap out the florals for evergreen foliage and bring on the baubles, berries, stockings, and any other Christmas-themed decor.