From House To Home

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Mantels command attention as part of the fireplace focal point within a room, but that doesn't ensure perfect holiday decorating. Focusing on the corners may help.

"One corner impacts the other--and everything in between. So whatever the overall look, it's important to keep a few things in mind," says Deb Kirchner, home furnishings director at Mulhall's, a nursery and home furnishings store in Omaha, Nebraska.

Since color choice is key, designers have expanded holiday palettes to include more than red and green. With a full array of colors, organization, proportion, and symmetry become critical considerations.

Organization, or theme, combined with the room's daily décor provides the framework for the design. Is it formal or informal? A whimsical winter theme of snowmen, Santas, and reindeer would work better for an informal hearth or family room than a formal living room, explains Kirchner.

A mantel's proportions--height, width, and depth--become the stage. Choosing and placing items are directly related to available ledge space and the distance between the mantel and ceiling. For example, a contemporary home's tall mantel may not display tall items well, says Kirchner.

"Lower is better--like garlands hanging off and coming down. This gives you a place to hang ornaments, sprigs and berries, floral picks, and stockings," she says. Garlands could be evergreens, jeweled strands, large ropes with tassels, tulle, or berry sprays, she adds.

Placement of any of these leads to the question of symmetry. Corners can be symmetrical, mirror images, or asymmetrical by varying shapes, sizes, and quantities.

"You can create interest by taking any collection, varying their heights, grouping them in odd numbers, and arranging them in something other than straight lines," says Kirchner.

A variety of decorated or fabric-draped boxes can serve to change the height of similarly sized figurines, candlesticks, festive items, or collectibles, she adds.

Still, items of different textures, varying sizes, and even those from seemingly unrelated themes can ultimately be tied together. Kirchner referenced fairies, fruits, Santas, sprigs, and flowers.

"All those items together will give you an overall design theme, creating something that, in the end, has its own personality," she says.

TIPS

What to consider when choosing items for mantel corners:

• Choose holiday colors that work with the home's normal décor.
• Vary size and shape for added interest.
• Keep in mind the length, width, and depth of the mantel.
• Remember to use a theme like a guide--it gives you a place to start and loose perimeters within which to build.

The Basic Rules of Composition

Decorating for the holidays may be more fun than any other time of year, but the same simple arrangement "rules" apply:

First, use odd numbers of pieces--three, five, seven, and so on. Even numbers of items tend to feel too static to us; odd numbers create interest. So, for instance, group three angels on a corner mantel, or five stars.

Next, consider differing heights. Try to stagger items into low, medium, and high levels. Think of how a grouping of three different heights of candles looks, and mimic that arrangement with other items from your holiday cache.

Finally, group like items together. Metals go well with other metals as glass objects go with other glassy things. They all shine equally on those special holiday evenings.