Mantel Styling: Big Branches + Mini Lamps

My favorite way to style our mantel (for Fall or any other time) is to work with a few basic accessories and just shift things around every now and then. It doesn’t have to be overly tricky. Besides art, I’ve used big branches and a mini lamp. Keep reading for the easy breakdown of two similar looks.

• Art is centered, leaned and layered. I found the bigger print at a consignment store but for the abstract, I pulled out the paint brush and gave it my best Kayce Hughes effort on one of my kid’s leftover presentation boards for school. Anything looks better when you put it in an antique frame (estate sale find).
• I added the mini lamp last winter because I felt like our room needed more warm light and the furniture arrangement makes it tricky. Yes, the cord runs down the side of the fireplace and plugs in behind the chair. It’s clear so it kind of fades into the painted brick. (I’ve had this one for years but I’ve linked to more options at the bottom of this post.)
• Everybody needs a clear glass cylinder. Great for candles or branches. If you’re able, cut something from your yard–or a neighbors’s (although faux is always an option!). This is picky, but I like to do one shorter branch for volume and a taller, more abstract one to create an unruly shape.

No outlet? Or maybe too many lamps in your room already? No problem. Here’s a different look, just trading out the lamp for a pair of candle sticks and rearranging a little.

• For this look, I slightly off-centered the artwork but still layered it.
• I wanted the branches to look like they were flying off of the mantel so I turned them them outward. Sometimes, it’s the tiniest details. . .
• When I think I’m finished with a spot, I like to add one random item like this small iron finial. The little random pieces are the most fun to look for when you’re out treasure hunting.