Farmhouse Fall Mantel Idea

How to create a farmhouse fall mantel on a budget

This fall I went for a little farmhouse style decorating in our living room. I love that farmhouse decor can be done on a small budget because it thrives on using vintage and household items in a country-style look.

I am known for decorating in neutrals, emphasizing white and grey, and using color sparingly.

Not this time, ladies and gents!

I went for colorful and cheerful and bold and beautiful.

Come see how I pulled off the farmhouse look in my fall decor this year on my autumn mantel. And if this fall mantel gets you in the mood for autumn decorating, then check out my How to Decorate you Bedroom for Fall post too! And if decorating your mantel through the seasons is your thing you will love this collection of fabulous fall and Halloween mantel ideas.

Let me show you my first fall decor of the year. I decided to start big so I tackled my mantel first. I am still loving my chippy blue door so much that I took my inspiration from there and created a farmhouse fall mantel. 

Not that I live in a farmhouse at all, but one can pretend and dream……..

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This farmhouse fall mantel decor features ordinary kitchen items like cutting boards and a coffee pot, a big handmade wreath with red berries, and a collection of natural elements like scattered pine cones and painted pumpkins.

The look of the farmhouse mantel is laid back and easy. The wreath in vibrant red provides a splash of color that is only slightly toned down by the blue of the coffee pot, pitcher, and leaning door. The browns in the pine cones, cutting boards, and vintage trinkets calm the look and provide a grounding effect.

The focal point of my fall mantel this year is a berry wreath I made. I bought three large branches of red berries and used old, rather ragged-looking, berry branches from my stash to fill her out. I cut all the branches into small bits and attached them evenly to a metal ring with florists wire.

An old coffee pot from the thrift store got a makeover with milk paint. I used the color French Enamel to get this look. Rather fitting color isn’t it for a metal pot?

How can you decorate Farmhouse Decor without going to far

I love the farmhouse look. It goes well with my other love: the beach cottage style. I often combine them in my own Coastal Farmhouse Style Decorating. But as popular as the farmhouse style has become I think it can easily get out of hand.

To avoid going overboard with the farmhouse decor look I have a few tips:

• Use signs and lettering sparingly. If all your walls are covered in inspirational signs and every item has a name on it, it looses its magic quickly.
• Farmhouse is all about the layered look. But remember to leave some white space and do not overclutter your mantel decor or your decorative vignettes
• Vintage, rustic and distressed are key ingredients of the Farmhouse style. Make sure it looks authentic and not too deliberate.
• Neutrals are the go-to colors for farmhouse decor. Don’t forget to add an unexpected pop of color, or a stark black accent from time to time to create some drama and avoid a bland look.

Farmhouse Fall Mantel Ideas

I love a layered look on any mantel but especially on a Farmhouse mantel. I created that this year by using vintage breadboards in rustic wood tones. They give a nice rustic touch to this mantel and form a perfect neutral backdrop for the more colorful items.

The red wreath is big, and shiny, and demands a lot of attention. I cooled the red down by using cool blue in a matte look. The Red and Blue pair wonderfully with the white wood mantel background, a very traditional color combination.

I didn’t want the mantel to get too cluttered. For every accessory to shine there needs to be enough white space in the decor. So I simply scattered some real pinecones on the mantel and added white pillar candles on small baking dishes that blend in while also adding a little more interest.

Where to Get the fall Farmhouse Look

This mantel is much more colorful than I am used to. My go-to style usually is white and neutral and with lots of white space. But this is nice for a change and really growing on me. Who knows I might get used to these bright colors yet…..

If you like this look too, then you’ll be happy that I found some great alternatives for the items I used. Go ahead and create your own red, white and blue fall mantel this year in Farmhouse Style.

I have already declared my love for the fall season, and this mantel decor really has gotten me in the mood for more fall in the house. So I guess there will be more fall-ish corners coming up…

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