How to Decorate a Corner Fireplace Mantel for the Holidays

Corner fireplaces are notoriously hard to decorate – they tend to look awkward or empty and it can be so difficult to find symmetry with that deep angle at the back. I can’t wait to show you how simple it can be to create a beautifully styled corner fireplace mantel that looks full and put together for the holidays!

 
 

Though I pulled out our Christmas decorations weeks ago, our fireplace mantel sat empty for most of that time, simply because I just had no idea what to do with it. You see, not only do we have an awkward corner fireplace to contend with, but the mantel on top is a deep corner that feels like a giant black hole – completely impossible to decorate. Even after after cruising through Pinterest, I found myself at a total loss (why are there no photos about decorating these darn corner mantels?!).

So, I did what any gal without Pinterest inspiration would do …

I styled and restyled my fireplace at least a hundred times, pillaging around each and every room in my home, until I finally, finally figured out what pieces looked best. And so, with the hopes that it saves you all that time and effort to figure it all out the hard way yourselves, I’m teaming up with one of my favourite online decor shops to show you how I decked out our impossible corner fireplace mantel for the holidays!

 

One of my least favourite things about our corner fireplace mantel is the sheer depth of it -that deep and awkward corner is so darn tricky to fill.

 

My first instinct was to place something large diagonally across the back, cutting off the angle and making the mantel shape mimic the fireplace. Though there’s no doubt that this would have worked, I started to wonder if, by loosing that space at the back, I’d be giving up a really great chance to add a bit of depth to my mantel decor. Most mantels are so straight and narrow that it’s hard to pile more than one or two layers along it, but with ours, we’ve got a great opportunity to add layer, upon layer!

 

So, instead of cutting off that awkward corner at the back, I decided to make that extra space work for me. I knew I’d need to start with something fairly large in the back, something with a bit of presence so as not to get lost all the way at the back there – I finally settled on our pallet Christmas card tree down one wall and then stacked a few chippy old windows along the other side. If you’re not up for pallet tree building, a mirror (or two) would look really pretty here too.

 

For my next “layer” of decor, after a lot of trial and error, I decided that a few tall and skinny pieces worked best, allowing me to really fit things right into that awkward angle, so I layered in a couple of lanterns and a table top sized tree (similar here) to create a sweet little holiday trio. I love that nothing feels too matchy-matchy, but with the wood tones and muted colours, it all still feels cohesive.

 

Obviously, we needed somewhere to hang our stockings (what’s a Christmas mantel without some stockings for Santa!), so I picked up a super cute stocking holder set to sit all the way at the front of my mantel. I think my DIY farmhouse style stockings look super sweet hanging in front of it all!

 

And finally, I added in a few sprigs of snowy greenery to make everything look nice and full.

 

These corner fireplace mantels can be SO tricky to decorate and it may have taken a ton of trial and error to really get this one right, but I couldn’t be happier with how it turned out!

 

It’s been so wonderful to see our new farmhouse style family room space all decked out for Christmas … I cannot wait to share it with y’all!!! I just couldn’t resist leaving you with this little sneak peek, but you’ll have to pop back tomorrow to see the full reveal!

 

Wishing you SUCH a lovely day!
 
 

PS. This post was sponsored by Wayfair.ca. For more information please see my privacy and disclosure policies.