How to Create a Fresh Summer Mantel for Free

Its the time of year when I crave fresh and new. The end of the school year, routines, schedules and the start of the warm Summer months we all crave here in the Midwest. When I’m in the mood to decorate or switch things up in the house, the first place I go is all the other rooms. And in this case, outside, too! Aside from the Kitchen, the Family Room is the place we spend the most time in and so I decided the mantel would be a great place to spruce up for Summer. Today, I’m sharing How to Create a Fresh Summer Mantel for Free!

And all I did was shop my house and clip some flowers from the side of the house!

If you’re just stopping by today for the first time, then welcome! 

I’m thrilled to be joining Krista from The Happy Housie and a ton of fellow bloggers in The Seasonal Simplicity Summer Series and today’s edition includes all sorts of Mantel & Vignette styling for Summer. Be sure to stick around and see all of the inspiration at the end of the post, along with the sources for the items you see throughout mine.

HOW TO CREATE A FRESH SUMMER MANTEL FOR FREE

If you have a TV above your mantel in the Living or Family Room, then it’s one of those pesky areas to decorate. You are constantly staring at the space and you’re not sure what to do to make it more visually appealing. And in this case, seasonally appropriate.

It’s easy to string garland and lights across the mantel for the holidays, but every other season is oftentimes tricky. 

I knew I wanted to bring in some fresh flowers and change the overall look, but didn’t want to spend any money. 

So here is what I did!

6 SIMPLE OBJECTS TO USE TO DECORATE YOUR MANTEL FOR SUMMER

• Fresh clippings
• Vases/glasses/jars
• Art
• Books
• Metal figurine
• Interesting object

Use what you have and use your creativity to check each item off the list before you add it to your mantel.

Stretch your imagination and don’t think too literally. This is supposed to be fun!

Before I began decorating my mantel for Summer, I removed everything on it, wiped it down and started with a clean slate.

ONE || FRESH CLIPPINGS

I love buying fresh flowers at Trader Joe’s, but the truth is, they don’t last forever. Knowing I wanted a fresh and colorful vibe, but didn’t want a price tag, I grabbed my scissors and started clipping some flowers off of our Weigela bush on the side of the house.

I also texted my next door neighbor and asked if I could clip some white ones from the side of her house! 

After googling the type of shrub, I learned that these are a type of Spirea, known as a “Bridal Wreath” with their dainty white blooms. So pretty!

TWO || VASES / GLASSES / JARS

Next, I gathered 9 glass “vases” to put them in. 5 were mini wine carafes and 4 were mini cordial sippers. I trimmed down the clippings and put 1-2 white ones in each of the carafes, 1-2 of the pink ones in the sippers and then alternated them across the mantel.

Originally, I spaced them out across the entire length of the mantel, but then my maximalist heart needed more than just flowers. so I went shopping the house for items to put on each end.

THREE || ART

I grabbed a black and white abstract art piece from the Laundry Room and set it off to the right side, slightly behind the mounted TV.

FOUR || BOOKS

Books are such a versatile styling tool! I use them in nearly every single room! They are so great for decorating vignettes on coffee tables, nightstands and entryway tables because you can stack as many books as you need in order to get the height you need on one side of the table or the other. 

I have stacks and stacks of books all over, so I grabbed this “Work in Progress” book from my office shelves and put it on top of 2 books that were previously on the mantel.

The top one is a super light pink which I love, but most of my books are neutral so they all work well together.

*TIP: Thrift stores are great places to pick up coffee table books. Peek under the jackets to see what color the spines are if you’re looking for a certain color palette.

After the books are in place, I like to put an object or vase on top like you’ve seen here, here or here, and I’ll talk more about that next!

FIVE || METAL FIGURINE

Since I already had an entire mantel filled with vases of flowers, the next idea was a metal object. Something with an interesting shape or texture to it. I tend to use a lot of metal spike figurines [like this one or this one] when decorating, but I wanted a slightly softer look, so I pulled this large, round wire orb from the top of the Living Room bookcase and set it on the stack books.

The gold figure balances out the gold frame on the right side, so although they are different shapes and heights, there is some form of symmetry.

SIX || INTERESTING OBJECT

Have you seen those wooden bead strands floating all over Pinterest? I didn’t know I needed or wanted any until I started decorating my mantel! I wanted something to loosely lay in front of the frame sort of close to the surface.

A strand of beads was just the answer! But I didn’t have any! Or at least I didn’t think I did…

Then suddenly I remembered seeing a black and white Kukui Nut Lei [from our trip to Maui a few years ago. We were greeted at our resort with a Lei. Mine was made of fresh flowers and T’s was a Kukui Nut Lei. I remember keeping it because it was so beautiful!] in my dresser drawer. It was even better than a wooden bead strand. It held special meaning and the bold black really pops against the white mantel.

And that is how this Fresh [and free] Summer Mantel came to be!

I totally believe you should fill your home with things that make you happy, tell a story and hold memories of your life.  I vividly recall that wonderful vacation each and every time I look at that spot!

For items 2-6, use what you have, dive into your decor stash and play musical chairs with items from various rooms! Switching things around from time-to-time help make your spaces feel fresh and new again. Even if you’re reusing items you’ve had for eternity!!

See all my tips for “Shopping Your House” here.

Do you make subtle changes to your mantel or do you wipe it clean and start over each season or holiday?!

Here are some of sources for the items you saw above in a clickable, shoppable image gallery:

Now be sure to check out my friends’ mantels and vignettes for even more Summer decorating inspiration!

 

Today I’m joined by some of my blogging friends who are also sharing their summer mantel and summer vignette ideas.

Just click the links below the images to be taken to their post…

Simple Thrifty Summer Mantel Decor at The Happy Housie
Easy Summer Mantel with Peonies at Modern Glam
Effortless Summer Mantel Ideas at Grace in My Space
Summer Entry Way Decor Ideas at Lolly Jane
Summer Shelf Styling Tips at Finding Silver Pennies
Outdoor Garden Bench Vignette at Craftberry Bush

Simple Summer Living Room at House by Hoff
The Summer Edition of our Coffee Bar at My Sweet Savannah
Eclectic Summer Mantel at JoAnna Anastasia
Simple Summer Style Kitchen Shelving at Cassie Bustamante
How to Create a Summer Mantel with Character at Sincerely, Marie Designs

Summer Mantel Decor at Rambling Renovators
DIY Bedroom Plant Shelf at She Gave it a Go
Summer Mantel Decor at Amidst the Chaos
How to Create a Fresh Summer Mantel for Free at This is Our Bliss
Summer Hutch Styling at Clean & Scentsible

Bright Simple Summer Mantel at Tatertots and Jello
Easy Summer Mantel Styling Ideas at Cherished Bliss
Boho Summer Mantel Decor at Life is a Party
Easy Breezy Modern Minimalist Shelf Styling at This is Simplicite
Summer Mantel at Rooms for Rent

Don’t forget to pin for later:

To see other posts in the Seasonal Simplicity Summer series, you can check out my full Seasonal Simplicity post gallery here!

Blue & Fresh Greens Summer Mantel

And for more Summer inspiration head here and all of my previous mantels here!

Stay well, friends.

xxoo