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

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

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!!

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:

Ignore the baby toy here…

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.

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!

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!

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

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

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.

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.

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.

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!

• 15 Beautiful Farmhouse Fall Table Decor Ideas
• Simple 5 Bottle Wooden Farmhouse Style DIY Wood Centerpiece
• Simple Farmhouse Spring Garland for Mantle
• Simple Farmhouse Decor: Fabric Washi Tape Pumpkin Place Setting

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.

• Restyle It Wright: Summer Foyer Refresh
• Craftivity Designs: Summer Decorating Ideas for the Dining Room
• North Country Nest: Summer Dining Room Ideas
• Intelligent Domestications: Summer Mantle Decorations

Wishing you a joyful day!