Warm and Neutral Fall Mantel

6:00:00 AM

I’ve been thinking a lot recently about my fall décor. I love decorating for fall – it’s so hot here in the Carolinas that I think we all get kind of giddy when the humidity and heat finally break and we get relief. Not that the temperatures have really broken yet. But I do love decorating my home for autumn. However, this year I find myself with a 3rd grader and 2 kindergarteners. The first child started back to school Thursday, and the others just yesterday. I’m feeling overwhelmed about dealing with 3 times the school! So that’s why, although I’m still going to decorate for fall, I’m going to ease into it.

I’ve found some warm and neutral colors and make my mantel a little more cozy.


…Yes, I know that we (still) haven’t finished the fireplace wall. I’m okay with that.

Now here’s an easy tip on quick art for your mantel. Go to an antique shop and spend a couple of dollars on some maps. You don’t have get something super large or fancy. My husband and I found a shop that was selling maps out of a 1944 atlas. The world was certainly different back then. That’s a map of New Orleans and Europe.



 The piece of architectural molding is also from Haven – I painted it at the Amy Howard at Home booth. And have you ever heard of Miss Mustard Seed Milk Paint? The little chalkboard is actually just a custom color mix of that milk paint on a piece of scrap wood!



The little succulents on the ends are actually fake – I painted the planters in a decoart class at Haven. The brass vase came from my grandma’s house. Some things are warm and cozy because of the material, but even something in metal can make you feel warm when it comes from a place you love. We’re in the process of clearing out her home after 66 years of her living there. I’m glad to have this little piece of her on this mantel.






And I think I’ve mentioned before that there are few places that we can have house plants because of our crazy cat. So that’s where the air plant and aloe plant live right now. I love having the air plant in my lantern.




Just layering all these things onto my mantel make me feel cozy even if it's still sweltering outside.


I hope you've enjoyed a glimpse into how I'm easing into fall. How are you easing into fall?

Architecture of a Mom Signature

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