When decorating for the holidays, or any season for that matter, you need to determine what you want to achieve. Are you aiming for comfort, a space where you can simply kick back and relax? Or do you prefer to have a stylish place emanating with class?
Homeowners have often fallen in love with the idea of marrying comfort with style, thus giving casual elegance a very popular appeal. Designing a cozy space without sacrificing aesthetics allows us to have everything we want without making us anxious over every little thing.
This fall, lend your home the captivating essence of casual elegance with Balsam Hill’s autumn collection. Here’s a marvelous theme you can achieve in your living room’s focal point: the mantel.
Decorating with Balsam Hill’s Products
I put up Balsam Hill’s Autumn Mix Decorated Foliage to serve as the focal point of the room. This wreath is so breathtaking with its vibrant and natural fall colors. What makes it additionally special is its abundance of maple, oak and magnolia foliage, fall berries and grasses, all reminding us of a bountiful harvest.
It is also important to begin with something that you love. For my Balsam Hill fall mantel, I chose to display the Hot Skwash Pumpkins. Velvet spells elegance—that’s why I love these velvet pumpkin accents, as well as how they match the autumn hydrangea wreath on the wall. They have a real stem so they also have a hint of nature.
I placed some of these accents on the floor as well, opposite the Hammered Iron Wood Holder to tie in the color, and to add rich fall hues near the fireplace. Another reason why I did not confine the velvet pumpkins to the mantle is that I love the effect of balance that it produces. It keeps the total mantel in the line of visions yet real and natural culminating in the focal point of the wreath.
When you have your favorite pieces in place, it’s time to build the look of the mantle from there by filling in the gaps. Take a step back to appreciate your initial setup. Looking at it from a distance provides you with a fresh perspective. You might very well know what you should do to make the display better.
Completing the Look of your Mantel
1. I chose the burlap as a base to avoid the stark contrast of the earth colors against the white of the mantle. Having gaps in this design is unavoidable and the burlap does a wonderful job in filling in these spaces.
2. I placed the velvet Hot Skwash Pumpkins to the right so that it would balance those that are already on the floor on the opposite side. I wanted to put as many as I could proportionately because they simply exude elegance.
3. In this design, I wanted to place the elegant items along with natural elements to find a harmonious bridge between the indoors and outdoors. The elegant candles provide a sophisticated glow while exhibiting the beauty of nature. The distressed candle holders that support the candles add a rustic touch to the fireplace mantle.
4. With the interesting little bird nest in the middle, together with the blown glass bird ornament, there is a focal point in the mantle that underlines the theme of nature, which unifies the design.
Leaf picks in brown tones hint at the brevity of fall, while adding to the overall tremendous texture of your décor as the tone-on-tone of the leaves on the burlap. I added the acorns to the olive and amber pumpkins, and placed the garnet pumpkins near the candles to highlight the candleholders’ metallic hints. Notice how the mini pumpkins add sparkle with their small crystal stones.
Overall, the goal is to bring in the beauty of fall with items that evoke depth, richness of history and a vibrant life.
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Check out Dagmar’s design, and our Christmas trees and holiday decorations in person by visiting the Balsam Hill retail showroom in Burlingame, CA.
The showroom will be open for weekends in October from 10am-6pm and seven days a week starting on November 1, 2014. We are conveniently located near I-101 (Millbrae Ave. Exit), minutes from San Francisco International Airport. The store address and phone number are:
1561 Adrian Rd.
Burlingame, CA 94010
(650) 863-5466
