28 Cozy Ways to Decorate a Mantel for Fall

Get inspired by our fall mantel decor ideas that will have you curling up next to your fireplace.

Sophie Flaxman is a home writer at Better Homes & Gardens.

Dane Tashima

There’s something inherently soothing about resting near a fireplace on a cold autumnal evening. It could be a fire’s soft crackle, the heat of its flame, or just the visual warmth of red, orange, and yellow hues dotting a space. But a fireplace without personality or decor can feel sterile and cold even with a real flame burning. And an overly decorated fall mantel can feel too busy and cluttered.

The key to making your fall fireplace a cozy focal point is to source the right pieces and fine-tune their arrangement. So whether you’re a burlap lover or a bold minimalist, you’ll find a compelling fall mantel decorating idea on our list that’s fun, affordable, and full of seasonal color.

The fiery colors of marigolds really pop against a mix-and-match collection of white ceramics. Fill pitchers, low bowls, even ramekins with water and use them as vessels to hold these fall beauties. Create a show-stopping garland by stringing together flower heads using waxed cording and an embroidery needle. Or attach them to a grapevine wreath by poking floral wire through the base of the flower head. French and African marigolds will last a few weeks in a wreath or a garland.

It's easy to adapt this tabletop display to your mantel. Gather glass cloches, which you can find at crafts stores, in two or three different sizes. To create a landscape of varied heights, elevate a couple of the cloches on clear glass cake pedestals. Fill them with mini pumpkins, dried bittersweet, seedpods, ears of ornamental corn, fall foliage, or whatever else you find on a fall nature walk. That's all it takes to have your very own autumnal cabinet of curiosities.

Gather an assortment of accessories in copper and gold—such as trays, baskets, and footed bowls, to create a colorful, layered display on your mantel. This arrangement includes mini pumpkins, gourds, branches with acorns, seasonal flowers, and taper candles in various colors. Varying the sizes and shapes of your fall mantel decor creates a more visually exciting effect.

If you have a mirror or artwork on your mantel, don't take it down, just add to it. A large rectangular mirror is a backdrop for a striking burgundy wreath made from sumac stems. Decorative gold orbs and glass vases filled with seasonal grasses dot the mantel below. Although this fall mantel decor is simple, the rich colors of red and gold make it stand out.

Let farmhouse style inspire your fall mantel decor. Here, faux white pumpkins nestled inside a wood box and positioned atop a salvaged column offer an elevated twist on rustic style. Sprigs of faux fall leaves are tucked between white pillar candles on the mantel. A couple spider decorations and ghoulish-themed art nod to Halloween but are easy to swap out after the holiday.

Create fall magic by combining rustic burlap and dried wheat stalks with gilded accents. Pumpkins and nuts partially coated with gold spray paint add sparkle to this fall mantel idea. While you're at it, spray paint a few faux leaves and some nuts to tuck into your display. Look for pumpkins and gourds that are about a third of the height of your tallest cylinder for the right balance of scale across the mantel.

Don't want to store a bunch of fall decor for the nine months when it isn't in use? Look into accessories that can be recycled or composted at the end of the fall season. Head to your local pumpkin patch or grocery store and pick up some small pumpkins and gourds. Line a few up on your mantel for a subtle touch of fall. Accentuate the display with a vase of fresh leaves and other greenery clipped from your yard.

A trio of vases serves as the focal point of this fall mantel. Try wrapping inexpensive glass vases or food storage containers with plaid fabric and old or inexpensive belts to create your own cozy fall mantel decor. Fill them with pumpkins, bittersweet branches, and dried hydrangeas, then surround the vases with additional gourds and faux leaves to round out the look. Arrange birch logs in a wicker basket below to hint at crackling fires to come.

Use every bit of space when decorating your fireplace for fall. Take advantage of a non-working firebox by filling it with a tumble of faux pumpkins in various sizes, shapes, and finishes such as metallic or glitter. Faux pumpkins look realistic and can be reused them year after year. Pumpkins are great for fall decor because they stretch from September to Thanksgiving.

When planning fall fireplace decor, it isn't necessary to change all the items that usually live there. Instead, add a pitcher filled with sunflowers, greenery, twigs, or colorful leaves. Swap the artwork with a fall print or your own photography of an autumn scene. Complete the vignette with a few miniature pumpkins and pillar candles.

Make a statement on your fall mantel with a single impactful accent. Hanging just a large fall wreath above your fireplace is an easy way to decorate your living room for the season. To add interest, vary the scale of your fall mantel decor by pairing mini pumpkins with a vase of tall branches.

If your mantel is typically monochromatic, add some fun color to the mix for fall. Pumpkins and gourds come in various colors, including orange, yellow, green, and white. For an even more colorful display, dunk part of the gourd into a bowl of acrylic paint to create a dip-dyed look. Let the paint drip down as it dries for a funkier finish.

Create a pretty fall mantel using classic autumn elements. To build your DIY fall wreath, start with a simple grapevine wreath and tuck in layers of wheat, faux fall flowers, leaves, and berries. Round out the mantel with a garland of paper cut-outs in classic fall motifs like leaves, pumpkins strung together with twine. You can also hang a simple garland of unfinished wood balls.

DAVID PRINCE

Combine a classic fall display with a few Halloween accents that honor your ghoulish side. We love these DIY arachnids that crawl up the mantel, which is decorated with mummy candle holders and white mini pumpkins. Despite this vignette’s spooky appeal, it still feels refined thanks to its sophisticated color palette of black and white.

ADAM ALBRIGHT

If a spine-chilling display intrigues you but you want to make a more subtle statement, use a monochromatic backdrop to highlight dark autumn reds. Add a headless sculpture and preserved florals for a spooky yet sophisticated look.

AUSTIN DAY

Layer pieces on your mantel that are personal to you, whether they’re sculptural objects or accessories you’ve collected from your travels. Start with a focal point, here that's abstract artwork in fall colors, then add decor on each side until you create a visually balanced design. The key to getting your fall mantel display just right is to mix in a range of textural touches, item heights, and materials.

Brie Williams

This fall fireplace nods to nature in several ways. First, the framed art displays paper-cut branching leaves and butterflies. On each corner, fresh greenery adds an organic element. Glossy faux pumpkins and a black crow form the finishing touch.

Kelsey Hansen

Pair pumpkins, squat and tall, with Spanish moss and a golden-tinged cascade of jacaranda (a native South American tree) seedpods hot-glued in place. Gold leaf on the edges of the pods enhances their dark orange centers. A vase filled with stems of dried eucalyptus fruit adds height.

DAVID PRINCE

For a farmhouse-inspired mantel, stick with the basics—white shiplap, clusters of white birch logs, a chunky blanket, and rustic wooden elements. A few antique signs never hurt, either. We love this tiny pendant that says “Antiques Open” and the large pumpkin sign, too.

Jay Wilde

Faux garlands, pumpkins, and leaves are the easiest fall display you can keep up all season long. Unlike real foliage or pumpkins that can spoil, faux elements last forever.

Adam Albright

Owls, tigers, bats—no matter what your favorite animal, you can incorporate it into your fall mantel design. But don’t stop there! Mix in neutral seasonal decor, like pumpkins, dried grasses, or lanterns to ground the look.

Blaine Moats

Metallic accents like bowls, vases, or candles add a bit of sparkle to a fall mantel. This simple arrangement uses a variety of gourds and natural elements. But what really makes it stand out is its strict black color scheme, lending a bold, upscale feel.

Dane Tashima

Gather your favorite fall-looking artwork and layer one frame in front of the other, displaying your larger pieces in the back and smaller ones up front. Then, add in a couple small sculptures and a dried bittersweet garland for a striking fall fireplace mantel that will carry you through to Thanksgiving. This fall mantel decorating idea is ideal for someone who doesn’t want to over-decorate but still wants to bring in a dash of the season.

Old cable-knit sweaters and leftover yarn can be used to wrap cylinder vases and create a garland of yarn balls. Cut the sleeves off old sweaters and stretch them over vases. Finally, add a pop of color by filling the containers with branches of fall foliage.To make a yarn ball garland, wrap foam balls of various sizes in neutral yarns, securing them with pins as needed. Push a sharp pencil through the center of each wrapped ball to create a hole. String balls on a cotton clothesline rope, pushing the rope through the holes with a wooden skewer.

Thanksgiving is all about giving thanks for the harvest and other blessings of the past year. Appreciate the beauty of nature's offerings with a rich display of gourds, cabbages, and kale in vivid orange, green, and purple hues.

Kim Cornelison

Pay tribute to autumn with a vase of golden branches and petite pumpkins. Place them among other traditional mantel accessories such as a mirror, vase, and books. For a cohesive look, spread the autumnal palette around the room with accessories that can easily swap out, such as earthy green and orange pillows or a mustard-yellow throw.

Looking for festive fall decor without sacrificing the sophisticated charm of your neutral farmhouse interior? Opt for white pumpkins over classic orange. Here, they're perched like candles on whitewashed holders as a playful mantel accent.

Prepare for a Halloween horror movie marathon with fireplace decorations in orange and black. Orange pumpkins, skulls, and spiders are Halloween decor staples and look wicked against a black fireplace. Place the pumpkins and skulls on piles of old books across the mantle, and drape cobwebs over the display for a haunted look. Finally, scatter spiders across the fireplace; they’re sure to make your guests’ skin crawl.