A French Inspired Spring Mantel

I only recently took down our winter mantel. Doesn’t that sound crazy?!? I guess my excuse is life with a puppy is busy and the weather here in New England still felt like winter. Brrr. But I’m manifesting spring and hoping for spring-like weather. I’m very excited to share our French Inspired Spring Mantel with you.

It’s been so chilly here that we’ve been enjoying lots of time reading in here. We actually moved Beau’s bigger crate in by the fire so he’s been enjoying some fireside time with us too.

You may be asking yourself why this mantel is French inspired. Read on to discover why.

French Inspired

The reason is the oil paintings. I used these paintings as the jumping off point for the entire mantel. John painted these whilst on a trip abroad with RISD to Provence. The trip, named Perceptions en Provence, lead 19 students on a whirlwind trip across and around Provence painting en Plein Air, visiting museums, cultural sites, and the studio of Degas. The students also did a whole day exploring the history and paintings of Van Gogh. The course material focused on Neuroscience (why our brain perceives things in a certain way) and Art (why artist who painted in the region created the way they did). John spent 3 weeks and enjoyed a few markets during some time off. He painted these two gorgeous oil paintings while he was there en Plein Air.

Original Oil Paintings

Here’s a closer look at John’s paintings.

I decided to keep them unframed as I wanted that painterly affect for the mantel – like they were just finished and we couldn’t wait to display them. He painted the one above of a dwelling. I used a table top easel I had in the basement to display.

The other scene is a mountain landscape:

I love the soft clouds and muted colors. This one I propped against the wall with some books and other decorative elements in front of it.

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Favorite Styling Tips

Really there are no rules when it comes to styling but here are a few tips I find helpful when I look to creating a mantel, decorating shelves, or a tablescape:

• Have a mix of textures and materials.
• Odd numbers are interesting to the eye – so I try and group odd numbers – 3s, 5s etc.
• Antiques and vintage items help tell a story. They add so much character to any space.
• Create varying heights – use books, pedestals, or easels to create different heights along a mantel or shelf.
• Brass immediately warms up a space – you can see it in the gilded books and candlesticks.
• Original art is timeless.

Mixing Real and Faux

Since we live so close to the ocean I love to mix some shells into my decor (no matter what season). I also enjoy mixing in real and faux flowers. With the fire going it can get very hot and I’ve found real flowers and plants don’t really like the extreme heat. So I’ve mixed faux flowers in with real pussy willows from Trader Joe’s.

The lily of the valley bunches are realistic looking! They are my favorite. I got them from Pottery Barn a few years ago but I don’t think they have them any more. You can read more about them here. These are similar.

Vintage Books

You will see I use old books a lot in my decor. I just love them so much!

These books were a free roadside find. I filled my trunk with these, some red gilded ones, and the little brown ones the ironstone pitcher is on (photograph a bit higher in the post).

Books add so much charm and patina.

Period Details

Our 1927 home features such beautiful details. I always want my decor choices to highlight these rather than clash with them.

Next to the mantel is the prettiest wood door with a crystal handle. I think it may have been to store wood or kindling but let me know if anyone knows it’s original purpose. I store picture albums and photos in there.

The tulips are faux, originally from Balsam Hill, which they no longer make. They are so realistic looking. This is similar.

You’ll notice the period details out in our front hall as well. That wooden grid covers a radiator set inside our front hall closet.

Pretty Mantel

Here’s a view of the entire mantel. I can’t wait to hear what you think of it! I’ll link some of the sources below, but know that many of the items in our home are antique or vintage.

Sources

• Wall Color – Benjamin Moore Mascarpone, full list of our wall colors
• Fireplace – Makeover and DIY
• Screen – vintage
• Table Top Easel – Similar
• Female Statue Cement Planter
• Books – Antique
• Ironstone – Antique
• Rugs – Antique
• Mirror – Home Depot (Discontinued)
• Bar Cart – Home Depot

I hope you enjoyed this post!

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