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Summer Farmhouse Mantle

I’m so excited to share my farmhouse-style summer mantle decor with you! Packed with fun farmhouse-style pieces from At Home, this summer mantle has everything from summer florals to pottery and a cute banner.

{I partnered with At Home stores and received products in exchange for this post.  All thoughts and opinions are 100% my own}

We are well into summer at this point, and my clan and I are enjoying every bit of sunshine and warmth that we can.

You guys, I LOVE summer.  One of my favorite aspects of summer is the abundance of bright colors.

The sky is bright blue, the grass is green (or brownish if you’re like us haha!), and there are flowers brightly blooming in pink, red, yellow, you name it!

Our living room mantle was just not reflecting that bright, cheery summer vibe.  You see, we have our TV mounted on the mantle.  I really, REALLY don’t like it being there.  Unfortunately, there is just no other place to put it.

So, I have been putting off decorating the mantle since I was pouting uncertain of how exactly to decorate around the TV above a mantle.  I see all of these gorgeously styled mantles on Pinterest with a great distressed old window or shudders or frames as the centerpiece for a perfect farmhouse mantle.

And, what’s in the middle of my mantle?  A TV.

Ok, I’m really done pouting about it now.

I partnered with At Home stores to bring that summery color and energy to my mantle.  And, I am in love with how it came out, even with the TV!!

Summer Mantle Decor with Farmhouse Style

A collage of images show the different pieces of summer mantle decor - faux florals in vases, farmhouse pottery, and a rustic floral banner. In the center, image text reads

There are 7 other fabulous bloggers who did summer makeovers, too!  Y’all have to check out their spaces.  

A collage of 8 images showing different summer crafts from other bloggers. Image text in the center reads

Now, I was pretty nervous to do this makeover.  As you know, I’m obsessed with farmhouse decor.  Whites, neutrals, greenery, etc.  Decorating with bright colors is not in my styling comfort zone!!

My goal for this makeover was to still stay true to my style (i.e., farmhouse) but to bring summer indoors and kind of marry the two styles together.

I knew I wanted to do a banner in front with some candles to balance out both sides.  I wanted a galvanized item of some sort, a picture frame, and a large vase.  And I was going to just go from there.

Finding Our Summer Mantle Decor at At Home

I started by taking a trip to my local At Home store.  I had never been to one before, but I was excited to check it out.  I was equally excited to go with JUST my husband since my amazing FIL volunteered to watch the kiddos after bedtime.

I was BLOWN away by how massive the store was!!  I was not expecting the store to be as big as a department store.  I mean, seriously, wear your walking shoes.

They have literally everything you need to style your home at this store.  From outdoor furniture and decor to kitchen supplies, art, faux floral, and everything in between, this store has a huge selection.

I was instantly drawn to the faux florals – after all, we are decorating for summer so flowers are a must.  Everything in the summer section was 50% off so I was able to grab hydrangea stems and a peony bush for less than $10 total.  I also spotted a rustic metal pitcher with some florals inside, also marked 50% off.  Steal!!

A cartful of farmhouse style home goods - florals, vases, picture frames and more - from At Home

They had a whole aisle, yes, a WHOLE AISLE, dedicated to birdhouses and lanterns.  I pretty much wanted to buy all of them.  I settled with the white birdcage (pictured above), which was only $14.99!  I mean, that’s crazy cheap for a high-quality and stylish piece.

But, since I didn’t measure the mantle like an amateur, the birdcage doesn’t actually fit.  But, I WILL find a place for it (hint hint farmhouse shelves 🙂 )

With a few smaller items, another 50% off on floral accents, and a fabulous distressed light blue frame, I was ready to go.  I really could have spent much longer browsing (and buying!!) but we had to get home to the kiddos.

The next day I unwrapped everything and took a visual inventory of what I had on hand.  It’s so hard to visualize a completed space while you’re at a store.  At Home had so many options for everything I was looking for, so it made the whole process crazy easy.

Our Living Room Mantle: Before Pictures

Here is what I started with:

A plain white mantle with a large flat screen TV hanging in the center.

Ignore the baby toy here…

A complete look at our white wood mantle, with wall-mounted TV and marble tiled fireplace hearth.
A look at the empty white marble fireplace mantle shelf, where our summer mantle decor will soon live.

As you can see, the ledge isn’t very deep, so my little birdcage couldn’t fit. *tears*

Decorating the Mantle with Our Summer Mantle Decor

My first priority was to cover up the speaker wire hole things under the tv.

I picked up 3 small terra cotta trays and painted them a tan color using Martha Stewart Vintage Decor Paint in linen.  They were the perfect size for 3 inch white pillar candles I picked up for $4.99 from At Home.

Three small terra cotta trays, painted with a tan linen colored paint, sit on the white mantle.
Three terra cotta saucers painted with a rustic tan-linen colored paint hold three white pillar candles.

Voila!  Speaker hole things are gone!

I picked the linen paint color because I knew I wanted to do a burlap + lace + floral banner and I figured that color would tie in well with the burlap.

I chose to do a banner because I was worried about tying in the style on either side of the TV.  Since the TV is in the center, instead of a distressed frame or some other farmhouse decor, it creates a barrier both in actuality and figuratively when you’re looking at the mantle.  A farmhouse banner would bring both sides of the TV together.

I shared my whole DIY process to make the spring mantel garland here.  But, I used a combination of different burlap and lace and, the most important part, a beautiful peach blossom garland that I snagged on clearance from At Home for $3.99!  Crazy!

A close up look at the peach blossom garland with faux florals, lace, and burlap fabric hangs across a white mantle.
A closer look at the springs of faux peach blossom flowers on a lace garland.

So, at this point, the mantle is looking very farmhouse-y but not summer-y.  You’re saying, “Sarah, where’s all the summer color, girl??”

Ok, ok.  On to the good stuff 🙂

Struggling with Styling Your Summer Mantle? Me Too!

You guys, it’s SO HARD to style a mantle.  I mean, I had stuff all over the floor, all over the couches and the shelves.  I pretty much pulled out every single decor item I owned.

It’s so hard to look at all these little objects and envision them as a styled and final result.

If you feel lost styling a mantle, believe me, you’re not alone.

So, don’t look at the final pictures and think I just threw all this stuff up there in 5 minutes because, girl, this took TWO DAYS.  I changed the style so many times I think my husband’s eyes rolled into the back of his head permanently.

I had picked up an amazing blue vase that I knew had to be a focal point.  It’s summery because it’s a blue sea glass color but also farmhouse because of the twine.  You can find something similar here! Love!

A blue seaglass bottle vase with jute string wrapped around the top. The glass vase has an ombre color effect from top to bottom, with air bubbles in the blown glass.

I paired the vase with a wooden candlestick that I painted white using Rustoleum Chalk Paint in Linen White and a small pitcher.

Some summer mantle decor pieces: a blue ombre seaglass vase wrapped with jute string, a rustic white candle holder, and black and white ceramic jug.

On the other side, I wanted to create a vignette that was about half as high as the vase on the first side.

Two empty, mismatched farmhouse style frame. The front frame is a small teal blue oval frame; the background frame is white with a floral pattern around the edges.

I started with a plaque thingy I had and layered that with a distressed aqua frame (with the glass and backing removed).

To tie into the first side, I painted another candle holder, except this one was shorter and more round.

Lastly, I picked up my second favorite item from At Home (after that birdcage that I’m still upset doesn’t fit): this beautiful galvanized pail with a lilac arrangement.

Before you ask, “Where are the lilacs??”, I took them out for this project, but have stashed them away for future use.

A galvanized metal pail stands next to two empty picture frames and a rustic white painted candle holder on a white fireplace mantle.

I loved how it was looking at this point.  It’s perfectly farmhouse, and with a few neutral green accents would be completely farmhouse.  But I wanted to bring summer indoors.  Those summer colors I love so much needed to be in my living room.

Adding Florals to the Summer Mantle Decor

What better way to add summer color than through flowers?

When I think of summer flowers, I’m instantly reminded of the bright blooms of peonies and the large bunches of blooms of gorgeous hydrangeas.  I was able to find both of these flowers from At Home.  I picked up a few rose stems, because, why not?! 🙂

The hydrangeas looked perfect in the blue vase.  I cut them down about 6″, but they still added height to that side.

I cut 4 of the peonies from the bush and placed them in the galvanized pail.

Lastly, I pulled 2 rose flowers off and put one on each of the candle holders, and added some whimsical greenery to the small pitcher.

A blue seaglass vase filled with two faux stems of bright pink hydrangea flowers sits on a white mantle.
A galvanized metal vase filled with bright pink and red faux stems of flowers sits on a white mantle, next to a candle holder and empty painted picture frames.
A look at the completed summer mantle with vases of faux summery flowers and other farmhouse decor pieces. A large flatscreen TV is mounted in the center of the white mantle.

That’s the final result!!  I’m completely swooning over how it turned out.  It’s perfectly farmhouse but adds summer bright and cheery colors.

A close up look at one of the empty picture frames, painted a distressed tiffany blue color, with ornate carving around the frame.
A close up look at the peach blossom garland that hangs across the mantle. Stems of faux peach blossoms hang between  pieces of burlap and lace fabric.
A close up look at one of the ceramic pottery vases, painted white and black, and filled with faux sprigs of greenery.
The completed summer mantle decorated with vases of faux flowers, a small peach blossom garland, decorated around a mounted flat screen tv.
A close up look at the bright pink hydrangea blooms on our summer living room mantle.
A galvanized metal vase filled with pink and red faux flower stems sits on the white mantle, next to two empty picture frames painted white and blue.
Stems of faux florals in varying shades of pink in a galvanized metal vase.
Another angle of our summer mantle decor, decorated with vases of faux flowers, a farmhouse peach blossom garland, pottery, and candle holders.
A close up look at a ceramic jar painted black and white, filled with sprigs of faux greenery with tiny white flower buds on the end.
A rustic white painted candle stand holds a single light peach colored faux floral bloom.
Our finished summer mantle decor on our living room mantle. The mantle stands between two built-in bookshelves filled with farmhouse decor. A large flatscreen TV is mounted on the mantle wall.
A close up look at the faux pink hydrangea blooms in a galvanized metal vase.
Two stems of bright pink hydrangea blooms in a blue seaglass vase. The vase sits on a mantle next to a small white ceramic jar and rustic candle holder.
Our completed summer mantle decor - vases of faux flowers, pottery, candle holders, and a peach blossom garland surround our wall-mounted TV.
Another angle of our summer mantle decor - vases of bright pink faux flowers, pottery, and candles surround a wall-mounted flat screen TV above a white wood and marble mantle.

I’m so happy to FINALLY have a styled mantle.

If you don’t know where to start on your own mantle, just START.  Grab what you have and play around with different styles and vignettes.  You WILL find the perfect look for you!!

Thank you SO much for stopping by today.  I hope you enjoyed my summer farmhouse mantle makeover and are inspired to design your own.

And, a HUGE thank you to At Home stores for sponsoring the post and introducing me to their crazy large selection home decor.  Can’t wait to go back!

Find more farmhouse-style home decor inspiration below!

I am so excited to have partnered with At Home and a few bloggers for this project.  Y’all have to check out what these ladies came up with.  We all have different styles so there’s bound to be something for everyone.

Wishing you a joyful day!

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16 Comments

  1. Your Farmhouse Style Mantle just screams ‘summer!’ I love your choice of flowers. Hydrangea are my personal favorite summer flower but it’s so hard to pick, isn’t it! Your banner is adorable and I love that you used peach blossom in it! I’m ready to go shop the At Home store again!

  2. You chose some lovely colors, and it still feels farmhouse and true to your style! I spent A LOT of time in the flower aisle, too 🙂 But I am super impressed with your idea to use the garland.

  3. Sarah your mantle turned out so sweet! I love your ‘keepin it real’ attitude about your home and decor. You seriously make me laugh. The flowers add such a great summery touch and the punch of color against the white mantle and molding is perfect. Great job! So glad you have a space that makes your heart happy!

  4. Wow! You did such an amazing job on the mantle Sarah! I have to agree that so many isle with so many sales, makes it really hard not to want to buy everything. I love your selection and everything seemed to work so perfectly. Yes, mantle styling is not easy as it looks. So glad this challenge helped you figure out a way to decorate that mantle around the TV. It really is beautiful with just that touch of farm!

  5. First, I love the banner. I cannot wait to see your DIY and try it our myself. You did a great job of staying true to your style and also bringing a little summery-brightness to the decor. Love it!
    All my best,
    Kelly