14 Fun Fall Mantel Decor Ideas

September 23, 2024

Decorating for fall is something many people look forward to each year. If you’re looking for something new, try creating a fall scene on your mantel. It can be a simple display or something a little more detailed. Here are a few fun fall mantel decor ideas to try:

1. Go a Little Batty

Lean into the spooky season by scattering some bat cutouts on your mantel. Or, use some bat decals on a mirror or climb up the wall. Pair with a fun garland and candles to complete the look. Creating a display on the mantel is one of the classic ideas for fireplace decor.

2. Create a Glow

Bring a bit of warmth to your mantel by setting tea lights on your mantel amongst traditional fall decor. Try pumpkins, fake leaves, greenery, and other candles. Keep the look fairly rustic if you’re looking for some fall farmhouse decor ideas.

To prevent fire, use battery-powered tea lights and candles. This will create a nice glow that reflects the orange and yellow of pumpkins and leaves.

3. Incorporate Brass

For something bright but a little vintage, use brass accents. Brass complements orange and yellow and gives some shine to your mantel. Plus it’s one of the popular interior design trends right now. You can find brass candlesticks, brass pumpkins, or even brass photo frames to display. Add a fall leaves garland to add some texture and depth.

4. Choose One Big Focal Piece

Making a big statement is a popular fall decor trend. You don’t need to use multiple items to decorate a mantel. Simply placing a large fall-related art piece or sign on the mantel can be enough of a statement. To bring more attention to your mantel, illuminate the area with a strand of lights.

If you want more decor, consider creating a gallery wall. You can add a fall greenery garland and fill vases with matching or similar leaves. Place these on the mantel or other areas of the room to tie everything together.

5. Get Theatrical

To bring a theatrical flair to your mantel, display fall foliage under glass cloches. Using a variety of fall leaves in cloches of different sizes is an easy fall display. For more dimension, place some cloches on bases of different heights.

6. Bring the Library to Your Mantel

Books make great decor and the mantel is no exception. Plus, it’s one of the ways to store books. However, if your fireplace mantel is used as a heat source, this isn’t for you. But if your mantel is purely decorative, try stacking some books on your mantel.

You can choose books based on a theme or color scheme. Some thriller or mystery novels can be fun for the Halloween season or photography books on fall nature scapes. Add one or two fall decor pieces to finish the autumn theme.

7. Celebrate the Harvest

Fall is harvest time. Highlight this time of year by displaying various types of dried wheat. Place a few vases of dried wheat stalks on your mantel. Try hanging a wheat wreath or framed photo or painting of wheat harvest. These neutral wheats will complement any room’s decor, making it a simple decoration to try. Plus, changing up the mantel for the seasons is one of the tips for decorating fireplaces.

8. Lean into Kitsch

Have some fun with your mantel decor! Lean into the Halloween or fall spirit with cutesy artwork, like a ghost or skeleton illustration or Halloween comic. Add some ghost, pumpkin, or skeleton figurines for a bit more fun.

9. Add a Touch of Elegance

For a sophisticated fall mantel, try adding an elegant mirror as a backdrop. Add a colorful wreath in a dark evergreen or burgundy and incorporate touches of gold. You can also add a few glass vases of seasonal flowers or greenery to the mantel as well. These are all fall mantel decor ideas that add a touch of elegance to your decor.

Mirrors are a great item to use in decor. Mirrors add some dimension to your decor and make your room feel bigger and lighter. However, make sure your mirror is reflecting a light source. This helps your room feel bigger and is a helpful home decor tip for using mirrors.

10. Add Pops of Metallics

Metallic accents add some fall magic to your mantel. Mixing metallics and fabrics is a popular Art Deco bedroom design idea and, with a few tweaks, it can work with fall mantel decor. First, pick some rustic elements like burlap or linen.

Then, try adding metallic decor like pumpkins painted in gold or silver or a wreath with metallic accents. You could also take some dried wheat stalks and put them in a metallic vase. If you prefer smaller metallic accents, try wrapping a ribbon in a metallic fabric around a vase or jar.

11. Work In Some Plaid Accents

Plaid seems to almost be synonymous with fall. To decorate with plaid on your mantel, use a plaid runner. You could also raid your closets or look at thrift stores for plaid shirts. Then, you can either wrap them around glass or plastic vases or nestle vases or bowls full of pumpkins in the fabric.

If you enjoy being crafty, you can decoupage glass bowls or vases with plaid paper to incorporate this pattern. Fill the vases with dried fall grasses or flowers in an autumn color palette.

12. Channel The Farmhouse Aesthetic

For whatever reason, farmhouses seem to always carry a little bit of a fall vibe. Maybe it’s the rustic element of this popular architectural design, but even if you don’t live in a farmhouse, you can still achieve a farmhouse-inspired mantel.

To bring the farmhouse decor style to your mantel, look for something soft that adds texture and warms up the other elements. Try black or cream pumpkins arranged on soft fabric. Placing pumpkins in antique bowls and wooden signs with words like “fall” or “autumn” is a way to add some of those wooden elements to the decor.

13. Incorporate Dark, Moody Colors

Fall brings darker evenings, so lean into that by embracing moody colors like midnight blue, forest green, and eggplant. You can incorporate these colors with a mantel runner, vases, or even artwork. Using these rich tones is great for fall mantel decor, and is a popular Art Deco bathroom design idea, too.

14. Utilize Artwork

Artwork is one of the classic fall mantel decor ideas. If you want a lowkey nod to fall or want something other than a harvest garland, consider using artwork that represents fall. Try a landscape scene of trees changing colors or, for a bold choice, photography prints of pumpkins or squash. Follow the rule of three in decorating and place a vase of dried grasses or pumpkins on either side of the artwork the mantel to tie everything together.

These are just a few fun fall mantel decor ideas to try. Hopefully, these decor ideas can add a fun flair and bring some new life into your home. However, if no amount of decorating makes your home feel quite right, consider investing in a custom home. A custom home can be designed and built to suit your style and needs. If you’re ready to start bringing your dream home to life, contact Custom Home Group at 717-284-4090!