My Holiday Mantel

Family-friendly design does not mean giving up your beautiful treasures or always having informal spaces. My living room mantel is formal and to decorate it for the holidays I like to add some of the beautiful gold ornaments we have collected over the years.

By displaying them on top of the mantel I keep them out of reach of small children and small dogs who like to dart past the tree! Sometimes having a YES Space means just displaying your objects in a thoughtful way so you are not constantly saying “No, don’t touch that!”

I pile the ornaments into the base of this antique candle holder and add items like the simple white topiary trees. I like to take the mirror and the painting and candlesticks on the left that are always there and just add sparkle for the holidays.

Remember the rule when you are getting dressed to go out? Look at yourself in the mirror and remove one item…I took this mantel one step too far!
While the butterflies seemingly flying with the ribbon were a cute idea in my head, and the butterflies are nice close up…

The netted ribbon just looked messy. So off came the ugly scarf and we are ready for Santa!

What do you think? Did I make the right decision? Do you sometimes go just that one step too far in decorating only to regret it later?

Decorating is sometimes just a matter of trial and error, finding the balance and finding your style.

Find your Joy!