Hey there my lovely friends! Did you have a nice Labor Day? Sadly we labored but it was nice to pay tribute to the contributions and achievements of our American workers throughout the day. I spent some time on the mantel in Navasota. I’m still mulling over whether or not to leave it alone, paint it or strip it and keep it natural. One day I’ll either get tired of it or get a wild hair and you’ll see what I did. For now though, I styled the mantel with an everyday look not worrying about the color. Want to see how to style a delightful farmhouse mantel? Yay, let me show you how!
How To Style a Delightful Farmhouse Mantel
I think it’s delightful because I like how it turned out. It has some definite Farmhouse staples but a couple of unique things too that bring a smile to my face. And who doesn’t want to smile everyday?!
Styling Step One:
Figure out if you want the decor to be asymmetrical, symmetrical or symmetrical in an asymmetrical way. Confused? I’ll explain. Look at the mantel in the above photo. It’s symmetrical because the amount of items on either side of that piece in the middle are the same. Four things on each side. Same basic colors, same basic sizes but the items themselves aren’t the same – Asymmetrical. That’s what I like the most.
Styling Step Two:
Here I’d usually say choose your theme but since we are doing a Farmhouse Style, it’s obviously going to have that look. Now select your tallest item first or the one piece that can stand on it’s own. I’m using a vintage dresser mirror frame. I am always encouraging friends NOT to use a mirror above the fireplace. You should want the mirror to reflect something pretty. Around here we have ceiling fans and that’s definitely nothing to write home about so the mirror was removed.
If you absolutely want or need to use a mirror and its reflection is boring, hang something on top of the mirror. Use a sturdy Command Hook and hang a wreath or beautiful painting. Then no one will notice the ceiling fan. 😉
Styling Step Three:
Here is where you can identify the symmetrical styling with asymmetrical sides. Individuals that lean toward symmetrical styling want to use the triangle method for this next step; same things on both sides forming a triangle to keep things even. I on the other hand like being a little different so I want my items to be wavy. I like having the same amount of items on each side but instead of the eye going straight out and down (like a triangle), I want the eye do go up and down like a wave.
Can you see symmetry between the sides? The width of the two candles are balanced out with the vintage spindles because they are gathered together with fun little fencing. The white deconstructed books are balanced with the chippy white architectural piece because they are about the same size. 
Styling Step Four:
Whether real or faker than fake, I like to add greenery to all my spaces. I think it adds life and nice “filler”. Imagine what the mantel would look like without the greenery pieces. Bleh. With the leafy stems on the right being so full, it looked strange not having almost the same fullness on the opposite side. Your eye doesn’t notice that each side isn’t exactly balanced with greenery because visually they carry the same weight. The eye just sees flow. Lovely wavy flow.
The Faux Fireplace Bottom:
The most difficult part I think for anyone with a faux fireplace is what to put underneath. This one is so large and wide it’s hard deciding what to add that won’t take away from what’s above on the mantel. I’ve tried shutters, iron grates, wreaths and even leaving it bare but didn’t like anything until now. The old farmhouse window and piece of vintage ceiling tin hanging inside suits me just fine. It’s just enough to fill in the large space below so your eye is drawn straight up to the empty mirror frame.
I think you either fill in the space completely or have only one piece. I like the rustiness, texture and drips of gunk on my chosen piece. The Mister says it’s dirty and not very attractive. But he also says all his taste is in his mouth except for choosing me. I smirked and said way to get out of a serious eye roll and a smack on the head. I stuck my tongue out and went back to finishing up. That showed him! 😉
Now you know how to style a delightful Farmhouse mantel and a little more about symmetrical styling with asymmetrical sides! 🙂 Earlier this summer when we added the mantel to the wall, I looked around for styling ideas. If you’d like to see that post, click here.
You are so creative! Love this mantle!
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Thanks bunches Tammy. Hope you have a great week!
I love it! It is perfect
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Thank you Melinda. I know Farmhouse isn’t for everyone but you know I love it! James said yesterday that every time he touches one of my “treasures” it gets a little more chippy. And that’s okay with me! 🙂
Great tips Cindy, pretty mantel too.
Cindy
Author
Thank you Cindy. I wonder how many people out there like symmetrical vs. asymmetrical decorating? It says a lot about ones personality.
Love your wonderful farmhouse mantel, Cindy. You did a great job explaining the differences in aesthetics. I’m a symmetrical person, but like using different elements to balance out the look and feel, especially on a mantel. That gorgeous wood surround is amazing, it looks perfect on that wall!
Author
Thanks so much Debra. When we first put it up there I thought it was waaaaay to big but it’s grown on me. I have salvaged 3 fireplace mantels over the years and still want more! Does that sound like Veruca Salt?!
The mantel looks great, Cindy. I might try a piece of bead board paneling cut to fit behind the mantle to give it some texture, or a piece of the wide planked paneling turned sideways to favor ship lap. You could always layer on top of those too. Just a suggestion. Thank you for the wonderful posts.
Author
Those are great ideas Miche, thank you! I’ll give it some thought. Because I like changing things around so often, I tend to go with things that are less permanent. Hope you have a grand ol’ day!
I think your mantle is beautiful as is, and the decor is really nice! I think symmetrical with assymetry is my preference as well, not too formal and not too casual. Maybe we can call it semi-symmetrical? Or would it be semi-assymetrical? Awesometrical!
Author
I like awesometrical since that’s my fave too! Thank you Vicki. You made my day. 🙂
I love your mantel and the way you decorated it,men,I’m certainly glad he didn’t help,lol! Hope you had a great holiday.
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You and me both Marlene! He can stick to his shed. I would say he could stick to the outside but neither of us have green thumbs like you! Have a great week.
Your mantle is gorgeous Cindy! Love the spindles! Thanks so much for the inspiration!
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Thanks so much Denise! I love all kinds and sizes of spindles. 🙂
You always find the best farmhouse goodies, Cindy! I love the way you styled this mantel and how you shared a step by step too. It’s so helpful. Shopping with you one day is on my bucket list. We could get into all kinds of fun trouble 🙂 Big hugs, CoCo
Author
Shopping together would be so much fun! We’d need a trailer but I’m up for it! Maybe one day if you ever make a trip to Texas we could go to the Round Top Antique Fair. It’s miles and miles and many towns worth of fabulous fun and excitement! Thanks for your sweet comment CoCo. Hope you have a happy day!
This is simply beautiful! Explaining the thought process of styling your mantle was very helpful, too!
Author
Yay, I’m glad you found it helpful and beautiful. I tend to wonder if people can understand what comes out of my brain sometimes. It’s clear to me but I’ve been told it’s muddy to others. 😉
Your mantel IS delightful, my friend… and I love your farmhouse style! Pinned!
Author
Awe, thank you Julie. That means a lot! Made my day.