My Disrupted Vision For A Simple Spring Mantel
This is one of those posts that started with a specific project or decorating goal in mind, and then slightly veers off course.
Last spring, I skipped the whole decorating of my rustic fireplace mantel project with pretty flowers and fresh decor and went straight to summer and the 4th of July late in the season. This year, I envisioned a simple Spring mantel with bursts of color in yellow around an old window frame accented with faux greenery.
A broken HVAC system has disrupted the plan.
I will explain more below.
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My mantel will always have a rustic appearance.
No matter what I place on my fireplace mantel, it will always look more rustic than modern and refined.
You get that when your modern home has a large stone fireplace with a salvaged barn wood mantel from the 1860s.
It is a unique feature I treasure about my custom home, so I try to embrace it for every season.
Live plants have become the unplanned accessories for a simple Spring mantel.
One of my HVAC systems has worked its last winter season and quit this Spring. Just because the first day of Spring is days away does not mean we don’t need the heat in Eastern Tennessee.
Thankfully, we have more than one unit, but the strain on the stand-alone unit in the metal-walled sunroom can’t be kept up without the assistance of the other units. We have had to close off the sunroom until our larger units, over 20 years old, are replaced. We decided to replace both at the same time for obvious reasons.
To help my plants survive the colder conditions while we wait for the new units to be installed, I moved them all to the front family room, where the fireplace is, and placed them on top of the mantel because there was not enough space elsewhere.
It is not the Spring decor I imagined for the new season, but I figured out how to work with it, not against it.
Pivoting to embrace the abundance of live plants, my vision now includes more pops of color, the old window frame, a Spring wreath, floral arrangements, faux greenery, and adorable flocked bunnies figurines.
The room looks like a jungle!
I guess you don’t realize how many plants you have until they are all together in one place.
Somehow, I have become that plant lady over the last few years.
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An overabundance of live potted plants
I followed the usual guidelines for decorating a mantel that I trust, like showcasing a variety of seasonal decor at different heights, using decorative elements that complement the floral display, mixing in some natural elements, and always adding a touch of greenery to pull it all together.
This year, the mantel is a bit heavier on the natural elements. Live plants are a great way to create a rustic Spring mantel, even though I wasn’t planning to use them.
Flocked bunny figurines are all the rage this Spring season, and I thought they were the most adorable addition this year to join the yellow Spring flowers.
At least I tried to ensure that the plants surrounding the fireplace were in pots with pastel Spring colors to blend well with the faux greenery and the flocked bunnies.
Just go with the flow…
Honestly, this post is not about the mantel at all.
It is about the pivot.
It is about being open to doing something different for a change.
Honestly, it didn’t really matter if my Spring decorating ideas had to change. I still found a way to make it work, and I decided to share it on the blog anyway.
Looking over the new look, I have decided it can also be about enjoying the challenge of blending your faux floral arrangements and faux greenery with your real greenery.
Either way, it still says ‘Welcome Spring’ in a fresh new way.
But…I still think this room looks like a jungle.
What Spring ideas are you working on?
Happy Spring and thanks for visiting,
Related Posts:
Inspiring Fall Mantel Decorations
White and Rustic Winter Mantel
