Interior Stylist 101 - How to Stage a Mantle

Whether you’re dressing your home to sell, or making a stylish statement, here are some tips and techniques on how to stage your mantle.

1.) Please use the principles of Scale and Proportion.

Take a look at your mantle space - Consider the overall size of the entire unit; wall space on either side, height of ledge to the average eye, the space above the ledge to ceiling, depth of the ledge and most importantly the height and size of your room.

These cues will give you an idea of the type and size of décor you’ll need to use (Remember in design, size does matter.)

Would you change anything?

2.) Gather a collection of décor and accessories for mantle placement. Shop your home 1st (an Interior Stylist must,) before running out for retail. Collect the products, keeping in mind how the items relate to each other, have a common thread or play into the season, a whim or holiday.

Lay them out on the floor to create a practice vignette - It will be less stressful for you do major tweaking once the things are up on the mantle.

3.) Tips on shopping:

a. Be careful of mirrors!  Although mirrors can make a space look larger, brighter and come in fireplace scale appropriate sizes - Mirrors should reflect something lovely, not your ceiling fan, upper staircase rails or angled ceilings (especially the view is dangerous when leaning – You do not want your guests feeling like they have vertigo...

 Please do use mirrors over fireplaces when they’re architecturally decorative, are reflecting some thing lovely, less reflective (with an aged patina,) or are the back drop to a spectacular accessory mantle-scape.

How's this working for you?

b. When shopping your home for your centerpiece picture, make sure it is in large scale detail, and can be viewed and appreciated from a far (example. A landscape is a great choice.)



Lovely Landscape Painting.

 c. Look for mantle accessories that are different heights, are in-tune to the overall scale of the mantle, a combination of shapes, and even better - are in odd numbers.


4.) Arrangement: If selling a home, simplicity is best - The accessories are not there to reflect your personal taste, but instead to market the luxury of the fireplace.  But do be creative, boring doesn't sell a home...

Besides being forgetfully boring, the accessories are not to scale.

b. A good rule for staging is the Center Focal formula. Center Formula is using a center piece (i.e. Painting,) flagged on either side (symmetry) or one side (asymmetry) by scale appropriate objects (i.e. topiaries, candle sticks, etc…)

Center Focal formula arrangement

Using what's to the left of the mantle to help you make accessory choices.

c. Whether selling or decorating, if you have an angled ceiling line, use that line as your cue of painting placement, as well as accessory height placement.

Using the ceiling angle as your guide.

d. When wanting to make a stylish statement, try to jump outside the box a bit. Why not use the Center Focal formula for the largest piece (i.e. Painting,) but for the mantle ledge accessorizing, use the Golden Section formula. * This is achieved (see below diagram) by offsetting the center point (B) and arranging the accessories using this offset center point.

*The golden section formula has been used extensively in architecture, painting, and sculpture (see above landscape painting.)

Golden Section Formula

5.) Lifts and Levels – When creating a mantle-scape, make sure that all the objects are not at the same height and visual weight. Try using books, low and long pieces, different shapes pieces and layering pieces.






A fireplaced layered with accessories showcases and creates visual interest.

By using these tips and techniques, building your mantle-scape step by step and layer after layer, you too can dress and style your mantle perfectly.