How to Simply Style Your Mantel and Bookshelves

Looking to style your mantel with no-fuss decor? Look no further than this post! It’s Jillian here, and today I will show you some photos to give you some easy decorating ideas. Most of my mantel decor can be left up year round with maybe a few changes made around the winter holidays. My family room has a mantel with a TV above it, as well as built-in bookshelves on the sides. My formal living room has a simple mantel above the fireplace. Let’s start with the family room, as it is a more complicated space to decorate.

Family Room Mantel

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Since the television is large, I decorated the area around the television very simply. A few small interesting succulents in front of the TV with some larger simple vases to the sides is all the mantel needs.

Succulents

As you can see, the television takes center stage (unfortunately), so my plan was to draw the eye to the the more interesting and attractive side built-in areas. I tried to keep things balanced, brightened things with some pops of blue, and brought in some plants since this room gets tons of sunlight. Let’s head over to the ginger jar area that I recently styled, as this is now one of my favorite nooks in my house! Lisa took the photos of this area when my lilacs were in bloom (also one of my favorite things). She recently wrote about ginger jars in the latest Nests’ Nifty Nine post too.

Ginger Jars

I know it’s not big news that ginger jars are hot right now, but what is big news is that gorgeous pillow! Well let me tell you more about this new beauty. I was looking to up my decorating game in these window seat areas, so when I came across this amazing pillow I ordered away! I am in love–the colors are perfect for this room and these pillow really help to tie this area together in a colorful and whimsical way!

Pillow

Here is a look at the other built-in area in the family room before we move into the living room. This area is simple and useful with a bright blue clock (similar colorful clock) and a few other vintage decor items.

  

Living Room Mantel

I recently moved this oversized piece of art by my mother-in-law, Jean Jusko, to above the mantel, and I am thrilled with the change. Before, I always felt that I needed a lot of stuff to fill the space, but not so much anymore! A large piece of art is an easy and great way to fill a mantel and reduce the need for a lot of clutter and decorative items. Check out the art at Minted, as it comes in many shapes and sizes–perfect for any mantel!

 

I love my new art-like lamps too! They really create a frame for the mantel display above. For more on my living room, check out this post too. Now on to the simple decorative accents on this mantel. I used mercury glass candle sticks (similar), shaker boxes (similar), a faux plant in an urn, and voila, this mantel is done!

 

I hope you enjoyed this mantel tour today, and feel inspired to tackle decorating your mantels and shelves on the next hot, lazy summer day!