What do you get when you mix chunky wood beads, rattan, jute, vintage glass buoys, coral and live plants? An eclectic coastal summer mantel. Today, I thought it would be fun to share the thought process behind why I chose each piece for this mantel and how I pulled it all together.
You know how it goes. You walk into HomeGoods and spot something amazing. You sprint towards it and throw it into your cart while doing a little victory dance. You wander aimlessly up and down the aisles wondering what you’ll do with it. You buy it anyway. You get it home and mutter to yourself, “why did I buy this thing?” You wander aimlessly around every room in your house searching for a spot for it. You finally find that perfect spot and pat yourself on the back for not having to deal with the hassle of returning it!
That perfect find is this chunky wood garland that reminds me of Tinker Toys. It also reminds me of driftwood and it was the starting point of my coastal summer mantel. You can find lots of beautiful wood bead garland here.
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This big, bold photograph of an Italian coastal town is the colorful backdrop. I could have went more neutral by using an old window or black and white art instead but I was craving color.
To complement the garland, I wanted to add bits of brown to the mantel so I put a jute wrapped buoy on one side and an old leather bound book (that belonged to my dad) on the other.
I brought the brown down to the hearth with a big rattan basket. I love covering the big black hole of a fireplace during warm months and this huge plant is the perfect disguise. The lemon cypress topiary on the mantel balances out the green below.
Vintage glass buoys complete the coastal feel and complement the green plants.
I’ve given you the why’s behind why I chose each piece to complete my summer mantel just so you can see the thought process I go through. The bottom line is you need to love your home. So if you’re happy with it, that’s all that matters! Have fun mixing and matching and trying and retrying until you love what you’ve created.
Happy Summer!
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looks beautiful! love those big wooden beads!
I like big beads and I cannot lie!
I love the summery feel of your mantel, it’s so pretty and you are so right, we need to be content with what we have but i want your beads!! lol!
LOL – the beads are super sized!
Looks great and so inviting, just like always Kelly. I would love to sit in that chair with my book. I like that you put your Dad’s book in with everything. Very special
I have lots of my dad’s stuff … he was a collector too!
That’s so great.
I love those big wooden beads beautiful