Simple Fall Mantel Decorating

Well, believe it or not, we’re solidly into the month of September now. As soon as Labor Day hits, I pull out all of our fall decor and start adding simple touches of it throughout the house. This year, I’m kickstarting with simple fall mantel decorating.

Fall at Sunny Side Up

Soon, I’ll be baking all things autumn and chili will be on dinner repeat. But before Matt and I get wrapped up in all the fall things, I like to get inside and outside decorating done. Decorating our mantel is an easy task that I enjoy. Fall is just one of those seasons that seem to fly by for me. In the blink of an eye, I’ll be unboxing sweaters and jackets and planning for Christmas, so savoring the little things is important to me. Imagine this mantel with a background of a muted paint color so the barn beam that makes up the mantel can pop. Then picture this brick limewashed so just a bit of those dark colors show up. That’s what the future of this space will look like, but it just won’t be happening this year. Our dance card is full!

Less Is More With This Easy Fall Mantel

When it comes to decorating our 1890s farmhouse, we believe in the less is more philosophy for a few reasons:

• We are renovating every single space in this house. It has great bones and charm galore, but there’s not a single room that doesn’t need a LOT of work. We have a fireplace in our kitchen of all places, but it’s there and so, therefore, is our mantel.
• Matt and I like to work on one room at a time overall. I would go crazy having projects going on all over the place without plans and timelines in place. The kitchen is not being touched until next year so I have another fall and winter to go with turquoise walls and dark brick. And I’m fine with that. There will be a time and place for my kitchen renovation.
• I have high standards for what I buy. Everything has to be useful, timeless, and attractive enough to use for several years.

Fall Mantel Decorating Steps

• I took all of my summer decor off the mantel and wrapped it up to go into storage until next year,
• I pulled out all of my fall decor and made some decisions on what to use this year. I wanted to focus on some classic natural elements and a lighter look.

• On the mantel, I added a fall garland of leaves and cotton stems first and then added a few burlap, fabric, and twine covered pumpkin shapes I bought last year. I found similar ones on Etsy here.

• I bought some antique cornhusk dolls a few years ago and added them to the mantel. I love the way they tie in the old farmhouse feeling to this space.

• I centered a sign on the mantel that’s a good reminder to be thankful for blessings.

• On the hearth area, I filled a glass vase with seeds and leaves and then added more cotton and wheat stems. The pop of white looks dramatic against this dark brick.

Since this mantel is in the kitchen, I’ll be enjoying it every day. I really appreciate all the seasons in their moments. When fall hits, I love the smell and crunch of falling leaves. The smell of a fire in the firepit or a cozy candle burning adds that coziness I crave come autumn. Just because college football is mostly not happening doesn’t mean we’re not busy. We love watching football games on Saturdays, but we’re actually looking forward to spending downtime outside and in nature more this year instead of being parked on a sofa. Soon, I’ll be getting all those outside spaces decorated for fall too, like our farm bell. Keep an eye out for those posts within the coming weeks!