50 Christmas Mantel Ideas That Bring the Cheer

There’s no better place to look for decorating ideas than the forest. Magnolia leaves are a quintessentially Southern greenery that deviates from the standard evergreen script while still feeling festive. This look, created by Rejuvenation, features billowing sprigs of bright green magnolia leaves, alongside a string of dried orange slices.

What does a maximalist Christmas look like? Anthropologie’s 2024 Holiday House proves that a tasteful abundance of greenery, a smattering of additional dried flowers, and a grove of mini Christmas trees is all that is required for a more-is-more look that will leave everyone wanting, well, more.

No mantel, no problem. In this chic Serena & Lily-styled house, a console table creates a stocking placement opportunity when there was none. Decorating it with garland evergreens and candlesticks further adds to the fireplace feel.

In this cozy stone-walled living room styled by Coral & Tusk, dreams will be filled with visions of orange slices, rather than sugar plums. We especially love that the orange theme is echoed throughout the room, in the form of tree ornaments as well as strung across the mantel.

We’re so here for the bow trend—and so is Anthropologie. In the brand’s 2024 Holiday House, a mantel flaunting oversized satin bows was the star of the show. When in doubt, put a bow on it!

This intentional color moment, brought to you by Joss & Main, features a string of berry red orbs that satisfyingly echo the candlestick hues. Top it off with a few glass cones and this vignette just might make the Christmas tree jealous.

Vertical lines draw the eye upward, which creates the illusion of height. In this chic apartment styled by CB2, your standard garland is given a new look, hanging from the top of the circular mirror.

Ready to add a twist to your classic garland mantel topper? Add a generous amount of red faux leaf sprigs for a look that’s as festive as it is chic. Arhaus brought just such a thing into this cozy room, creating a look that feels traditional, yet fresh.

We love when designers forego the standard way of doing things in favor of something just a little bit different. Take, for example, this chic fireplace hearth styled by Coral & Tusk, which casts the fire glow one might expect—but emanates from a handful of candlesticks placed at its base.

Sometimes a classy Christmas display is one that goes back to the basics. We’re loving this billowing wreath from Pottery Barn, paired with a faux lit garland. Très chic!

This sumptuous mantel scene is proof that elegance needn’t always be restrained. If you, too, have no fear of committing to showstopping furniture pieces, take notes from the pages of CB2’s seasonal look book: A pair of decadent red velvet armchairs is complemented by red-velvet-lined stockings and a minimal bordering garland. When enjoyed with a big glass of your best red wine, you’ve got the best seat in the house.

You don’t need a cozy ski house in the Montana mountains to complete this look, which designer Ken Fulk has masterfully done. The secret to this snug, evergreen-laden mantel is more. A heaping spray of evergreen leaves, doubled by even more evergreen leaves, then topped with white blooms, makes for a snug hearthside. The knowing deer overseeing the room is the cherry on top for one looking to enjoy enchanted visions of snowy wonderlands just beyond. Who needs Hawaiian beaches? This, right here, is the good life.

Anthropologie’s holiday collection is a feast for the eyes: Voluminous boughs of evergreen snake across this chic mantel, bordering the scene with the glow of warm twinkle lights. Our favorite detail? The faux snow along the edges of the room, demonstrating how a commitment to seasonal decor doesn’t have to be manifest in the form of cheap blow-up cartoon figures.

Leave it to New York City–based designer Phillip Thomas to turn traditional holiday decor on its head. In this cozy room, a pair of blue Ming vases house a billowing spray of seasonal greens. A tasteful assortment of pomegranates finish the look without detracting from the existing decor.

Whoever said cherry red was the only color to incorporate into seasonal decor? This cozy mantel vignette features a charming miscellany of saved mementos, found antiques, and dried foliage—a nod to Christmases long past. That cocooning leather chair is practically begging you to lean into it, with Dickens’s A Christmas Carol in hand.

Houston-based Chandos Collective gave this chic living room a clean, modern aesthetic. The floor-to-mantel garland, then, really stands out above the cackling fireplace. Composed of colorful foliage and various greens, it just might steal the spotlight from its gloriously tall neighboring Christmas tree. But of course, nobody’s competing here.

’Tis the season for hunkering down and curling up—and an assemblage of chopped wood is just one way to lean into the hygge lifestyle. While this fireplace is electric, a variety of lit lanterns and a chic berry wreath bring a rustic vibe. Here, with the right book or friend—FOMO is nonexistent.

A room always feels more majestic when the eye’s attention is brought upward. In that same vein, think outside of the mantel overhang. Here, an out-of-the-box thinker strung a bough of garland along the ceiling trim. A few strings of vertical-running lights complete the look, drawing the eye upward and giving the room a sense of overall grandeur.

We love a coordinated color moment—and this cozy living room mantel is proof that two traditional holiday hues can coexist peaceably. Here, jars filled with blue and red candies amplify the stockings in similar hues. All proof that a cackling fire isn’t always required to give a room added warmth.

When your mantel regalia is as voluminous as your Christmas tree, you know you’ve achieved peak festivity. This larger-than-life garland is sure to bring joy (and likely an appealing evergreen aroma) to any mantel moment.