30 Mantel and Bookshelf Decorating Tips

Be your own decorator. Following our tips, you can transform that barren, style-less mantel or bookshelf into your living room's showstopping focal point.

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October 04, 2021

By: H. Camille Smith

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Finesse Your Room's Focal Point

Does your living room boast a fireplace — or a bank of bookshelves? Lucky you! Turn those architectural accents into a true focal point by filling the shelves and mantel with items you love looking at — for a room you'll love living in. Get more tips for styling your built-ins like a pro, below.

See More Photos: 45 Must-Know Tips for Styling Your Built-In Bookshelves

From: Bria Hammel Interiors

Show Off Your Favorite Finds

Is thrifting your hobby? Whether you do your antique hunting online or in person at estate sales, thrift stores or antique auctions, your mantel is the perfect place to put those carefully collected pretties on display. For a designer look, group similar collectibles together, as we have here with this charming collection of chinoiserie. Get more tips for styling out your mantel any time of the year, below.

See More Photos: 40 Tips for Decorating Your Fireplace Mantel Year 'Round

From: H. Camille Smith

Or, Showcase Your Favorite Reads

A-hem, it is a bookcase, after all. If reading real-deal books is your jam — show it off and put your bookcase to its intended use: housing your well-loved library. Says designer Hannah Crowell of this bookcase in her own home, "Our family is huge on reading, and we don’t use e-readers," so her husband converted a niche next to the living room fireplace into a mini library. The shelves, crafted from simple clear pine, hold the family of book lovers’ ever-expanding collection. Take a tour of their Nashville home, below.

See More Photos: A Cleverly Updated Nashville Family Home

From: HGTV Magazine

Bring In Backyard Branches

Wanna dress up your mantel in a hurry? Just head outdoors with some clippers to give your backyard bushes or trees a quick trim, then place the cuttings in heavy, water-filled vases. Some greenery, like magnolia, seen here, looks almost as good dried as it does fresh from the garden.

From: James Farmer

Or, Bring In Backyard Blooms

Backyard beauties as pretty as these macrophylla hydrangeas deserve to be displayed indoors. For most blooms, cut them early in the day when stems are full of moisture and the plant is least stressed, then bring indoors and display in a leakproof pot, vase or pitcher.

From: H. Camille Smith

Above the Mantel: Showcase Local Art

So, what to hang above the mantel? Start with art. "I love to incorporate contrast with art," says designer James Farmer. "It’s the contrast of color on a stone fireplace, of high and low, and of new and old. It is a great way to mix in a contemporary and updated feel into a traditional aesthetic." See more artful and collected spaces by taking a tour of this stunning mountain home, below.

See More Photos: Tour a Classic Vacation Home in the North Carolina Mountains

From: James Farmer

Above the Mantel: Add a Massive Mirror

There's a reason that you see so many mantels topped by mirrors. Mirrors bounce the available sunlight around, helping a room feel much brighter and larger — and they also reflect a pretty view of your living room itself or adjacent spaces. Wondering how to hang a heavy mirror like a pro? Get our tips, below.

learn more: The Easiest Way to Hang a Heavy Mirror

From: HGTV Magazine

On the Bookshelf: Don't Forget Bookends

Antique bookends, like these gilt corbel-style finds are a handy way to keep your books organized while adding a vintage vibe. To score 'em on the cheap, hit estate sales, flea markets and secondhand shops. And, to protect their timeworn patina, be careful not to over-clean or over-polish antique finds. Get our tips for properly cleaning these oldies but goodies, below.

See More Photos: Tips for Cleaning and Restoring Antique and Vintage Finds

From: H. Camille Smith

And, Mix Books Into the Mantel

Stacks of books, especially leather-wrapped vintage tomes, create pretty risers for showing off treasured collectibles. For a cohesive look, select books that are narrower than your mantel's depth and that complement your mantel's color palette.

From: H. Camille Smith

Paint Your Built-Ins

This coastal living room draws your eye to the built-ins by coating the bookcase's interior with a watery blue paint. The designers at Digs Design Company then keep with the home's waterfront location by filling the shelves with beachy touches like handcarved fish sculptures and rope-wrapped urns. Take a virtual vacay by touring the seaside home, below.

See More Photos: Transitional Coastal Home With Classic East Coast Style

From: Digs Design Company

Or, Paint the Fireplace's Brick

Wanna really give your fireplace and mantel a look-at-me makeover? Just rely on the power of paint — and give the brick a few coats of whatever color makes you happy. Here, designer Jenika Kurtz Cuadra painted the fireplace in her own home with Behr's 'She Loves Pink,' then styled out the mantel with a floral print that sports the same cheery shade. Need more painted brick inspo? Check out a few of our favorites, below.

See More Photos: 30 Painted Brick Fireplaces That Radiate Coziness

From: HGTV Magazine

Small Space? Let the Sun Shine In

This small living room proves that you don't have to forgo lots of light in favor of working in extra storage. The space-savvy designers at WINN Design + Build kept this historic home's original windows on either side of the brick fireplace and worked in an adjacent wall of built-ins for stylish storage. Take a tour of this charming cottage that was totally transformed, below.

See More Photos: Cozy Cottage Gets a Total Makeover Inside and Out

From: WINN Design + Build

Or, Get Reflective With Mirrors

Make the most of your space's natural light and reflect a pretty view of adjacent rooms by hanging mirrors on the face of bookshelves. Here, the lozenge shapes take advantage of this historic home's high ceilings while providing a bit of hidden storage (tuck items you don't want displayed behind) and bouncing around additional light from the adjacent bank of windows. Take a tour of this old-meets-new home, below.

See More Photos: Tour a Bright San Francisco Condo Filled With Sunny Accessories

From: HGTV Magazine

Sum Up the Room's Style

Designer Bria Hammel decorates these built-ins to match the surrounding room's style. Soft shades of blues and pinks pair to create a pretty and cohesive design. Repeating the same colors throughout any space is the easy-to-remember designer trick for pulling any room together.

From: Bria Hammel Interiors

Honor Your Home's Location

In case guests of designer Sarah Richardson's summer house weren't feeling the home's waterfront vibe, the massive ship model on the mantel should set them straight. Although this is a trick that designers use most often for vacation homes, it's worth trying out in any home. Just select an item that reflects your area's history, topography (mountainous, desert or coastal) or major industry (for instance, textiles, agriculture or steel) and proudly put it on display. Take a tour of Sarah's lakefront home, below.

See More Photos: Tour Sarah's Summer House

And, Honor Your Home's Surroundings

In a country home, be inspired by Mother Nature's scenery and colors to deck out your mantel in cozy farmhouse style. Just pair thrifted finds, like a vintage spatterware platter with an equally aged spongeware pitcher, blue glass salt shaker and ceramic salt cellar — all filled with backyard blooms. Add in a favorite book on country style and a weathered winnowing basket for a mantel that's farmhouse fresh. Get more of our best mantel decorating tips, below.

See More Photos: 40 Tips for Decorating Your Fireplace Mantel Year 'Round

From: H. Camille Smith

Keep Scale In Mind

Designer Sarah Richardson makes a statement with a massive antique crest hung above the mantel in her vaulted living room. Originally the logo for and part of Scotiabank’s architecture, the crest reads "Strength, Integrity, Service." The antique's chipped paint suits the room's color palette perfectly while its size is just right to visually fill the soaring space.

Add a Mirror ... or Seven

Hanging a mirror above the mantel is a go-to look that always works. Here, several layered mirrors create a unique look. Designer Erinn Valencich suggests: "Any fabulous frame can be turned into a mirror by your local glass shop or framer. For a softer look, ask if they can give the mirror an antiqued or mercury-glass finish."

Work In Extra Lighting With a Lamp

For an easy lighting option that can be swapped out or even removed at any time, just plug in a petite tabletop lamp. Most built-ins include outlets for electronics, like stereos, but if yours is woefully electricity-free, you can tackle the DIY upgrade yourself or hire a pro.

From: H. Camille Smith

Create a Gallery Wall

This living room's low mantel and high ceiling create a wide expanse of empty wall space perfect for displaying designer Emily Henderson's eclectic mix of favorite objects. Her informal approach to grouping the frames (no pesky measuring needed) makes it easy to rearrange on a whim.

Make a Bookcase Pop With Paper

The sunny morning room in this D.C. design house gets high marks for designer Marika Meyer's use of subtle texture in the draperies, rug, furniture and bookcase, where a chocolate and cream trellis wallpaper draws your attention to the objects on display.

From: Marika Meyer

Celebrate the Seasons

In designer Layla Palmer's home, the living room mantel is the first thing guests see upon entering. So, she puts it to good use by swapping out elements to reflect the time of year. Layla fills the stoneware pitchers with seasonal greenery or fresh flowers and updates the chalkboard with favorite messages and quotes.

Think Outside the Box

When styling a bookshelf, don't limit your collection to the shelves. Here, objects are hung so they overlap to add sculptural interest and allow you to display large items

Be Slightly Off Center

Take a cue from designer Sarah Richardson and give a traditional living room updated style with frames hung asymmetrically above the fireplace. Tall branches in a chinoiserie-style vase to the left of the frames fill the void and create balance.

Coordinate With Paint

Painting a bookcase's interior to coordinate with the room's decor adds just the right pop of color. For a cohesive look, pull a color from nearby upholstery, pillows, rug or fireplace.

Create a Layered Effect

A salvaged iron gate creates a textural backdrop for this rustic vignette. Stacks of vintage books, black-and-white photos and a tall glass vase filled with branches complete the look. Overlapping frames always look great on a mantel, especially when they have different orientations — horizontal and vertical. Pairs of items are a sure bet, too, like the small vases of roses and lanterns used here.

Vary Scale and Height

Rather than simply line up items on a bookshelf (boring!), create small groupings that combine similar items in different sizes, colors and textures. Use stacks of books, as designer Emily Henderson did here, to elevate your favorite collectibles and add color.

From: Emily Henderson

Keep It Classic

Designer Emily Henderson gives these bookshelves a timeless English-library feel by grouping similarly bound books and mixing in a few old cigar boxes and vintage finds, like a rotary dial telephone, brass eagle bookends and a bronze horse. An antique library ladder, leaned against the bookcase, isn't functional but adds to the look.

From: Emily Henderson

Put Your Passions on Display

In essence, the bookcase is simply a shelf — and, most often, the most visible spot in your living room, making it prime real estate for displaying your interests. These built-ins display the owner's love of national parks and expansive book collection.

From: Beth Bourque

Keep It Monochromatic

Show low bookshelves some design love by using a repetitive color scheme — note how nicely the vintage zinc crates pair with the brushed steel table lamp — and varying the scale of items on display. Hang shelves above to make a small bookcase appear taller. Design by Anisa Darnell.

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