Traditional Southern Christmas Mantel
I’m excited to share my first Christmas post for the season. I started this year’s Christmas decorating with my mantel. I’m calling it a Traditional Southern Christmas Mantel since I used traditional colors of red, green and gold combined with fresh greenery and pinecones.
I’m sharing my mantel as part of a week-long Christmas Ideas Tour hosted by Angie from Postcards from the Ridge. I adore Angie’s decorating style and if you’ve never visited her blog, I promise that you’ll enjoy it. Today on the tour we are sharing our Christmas mantels. You’ll find links to all of the mantels shared today and for the other projects that will be shared the rest of the week at the end of this post.
Traditional Southern Christmas Mantel
My decor style is traditional and I love to incorporate antiques and vintage into my seasonal decor. Red candles in brass holders look festive combined with greenery and snow-kissed pinecones. A boxwood wreath on the mirror and greenery and firewood on the hearth completes the Christmas mantel.
Every year since we’ve been married, my husband gives me a Swarovski snowflake ornament. I display them on a tree that we made that sits on a music stand that belonged to a relative. As the light moves from one side of the room to the other as the day passes, the snowflakes create refracted light patterns on the walls and ceiling.
This is our formal living room and the family member who uses it the most is our dog. He naps on the sofa or on the rug most of the day. I’m sure he appreciates having “his” room decorated for Christmas.
Christmas Mantel Details
The boxwood wreath was made using clippings from my yard. The pinecones and greenery are also from my yard.
The antique mirror over the mantel is from the Shenandoah Valley. The candle holders that flank it are a thrifting find.
I gave the pinecones a spritz of faux snow to make them look snow-kissed.
Arborvitae is nice to use on a mantel since its greenery is flat.
Cones on the tips of Japanese Cryptomeria branches are so pretty.
The Hearth
A vintage box filled with greenery along with a wood barrel filled with wood grace the hearth. The fireplace tools are from Virginia Metalcrafters which sadly has been closed for many years. If you have brass in your home, if it is marked with VM, it’s from Virginia metalcrafters.
Can you see George Washington behind the glass? George Washington andirons were a popular Virginia Metalcrafter product. We found this set in an antique shop in Charlottesville.
My mom and grandmothers are the source for most of the vintage items that I use in my decor. Mama gave me this box years ago and the red lettering along with greens from my yard looks festive for Christmas.
My mom gave me this barrel and I love how it looks embellished with a faux boxwood wreath for Christmas. I made this wreath with faux boxwood garland from Target’s dollar spot.
Christmas Ideas Tour
Monday – Christmas Mantel Ideas
Tuesday – Christmas Tablescape Ideas
Wednesday – Christmas DIY/Craft Project Ideas
Thursday – Christmas Tree Ideas
Friday – Christmas Recipes
Domestically Speaking // Inspiration for Moms // Foodie Chicks Rule // Nourish and Nestle // Jenna Kate at Home (not pictured)
Your fireplace and mantel are just gorgeous, Paula! It’s the perfect mix of traditional Christmas and I’m super envious of the magnolia!
Hi Paula – we love your festive mantel…especially the vintage box and barrel. Love the pop of red color too! Hope you have a wonderful Christmas season.
Paula, this is SO beautiful! The perfect amount of red and just so festive and classic. Love it!
Cheers!
Shelley
I truly like your mantel. It elegantly says “lush wintertime”
Paula, I’m loving the red and gold with the rustic crate!! And those icy blue curtains really make the red pop!! Just beautiful, friend!
I love the little wreath hanging on the barrel, Paula! And I’d love to see the prisms all over the room when the sun shines through those snowflakes; what a special tradition! So fun to see your dog’s favorite room all decorated so nicely;)
Love, love, love your beautiful mantel, but must admit I get distracted by your beautiful furniture pieces. You have such a lovely home. It’s always a treat to visit. ~~ Susie from The Chelsea Project
Paula, your Southern traditional mantel is beautiful! The combo of the red and green with those blue drapes is just stunning! We planted one of those cryptomeria trees in our yard and it was growing so well. But we needed to move it and it didn’t survive the transplanting. I love the snowflake crystal ornaments that you have displayed on the wooden tree and the story behind them.
I’d love to see some close-ups of your snowflake ornaments. What a special tradition.
Your mantel is beautiful. I love the simplicity of it – greenery, candles and pine cones. Very elegant and festive. I always enjoy your stories about the history of the decorations you share from your homes. It makes all the decorating you do that much more interesting and beautiful.
I love all the little touches of your fireplace decorating, Paula! The barrel is so great and I love that your mom gave it to you (I’m mushy like that!).
Im sure your dog is loving “his” room all decorated!
I love the brass and red combo… so fun!
Gorgeous! I love the traditional feeling and I am just enamored by the two brass sconces. How incredible are those?!
Paula your traditional mantel is so pretty. I love all the natural elements from your yard and the way you have paired them with beautiful wood vintage pieces. Perfect for Christmas.
Oh! I love the simple elegance of the red and brass candlesticks! So strikingly beautiful!!
I just love the pops of red Paula! (and those blue curtains!!) xo
Paula– Your use of traditional pieces always looks FANTASTIC and totally captures the seasons so beautifully. When you pulled back and showed the red throw pillows, too, my heart went pitter patter…they’re perfection in this space. Merry Christmas to you and yours.
This is so pretty! I love the vintage elements, especially the barrel holding your firewood! What a fun idea!
Paula,
Your lovely mantle is straight out of Williamsburg! It is so classically and simply beautiful.
And so funny…my husband has gifted me a Waterford ornament every year we’ve been together as well and I ‘ve been trying to figure out a way to display them separately from the tree…your idea is brilliant.
Thanks for the inspiration.
So happy to join you on this fantastic blog tour!
Hugs, Lynn
Thank you, Lynn! Telling me that my mantel looks like Williamsburg is a huge compliment. I love visiting Williamsburg at Christmas and looking at the decor. It was fun to tour with you this week!
Paula