Create a Summer Mantel with Favorite Things

Summer temps are reaching into the 90’s here in the Chicagoland area this week. When it gets hot like this I’m motivated to keep my decor light and cool. Taryn at Designing, Dining and Diapers asked me to be part of a summer mantel roundup and I decided to create a summer mantel with favorite things. Make sure you check out Ashley’s pretty mantel at Cherished Bliss – she’s the blogger on this tour just before me. (This post contains affiliate links.)

Some of my favorite things that made it to my summer mantel are vintage bottles, a white floral wreath, and faux flower stems.

The white baby’s breath wreath was last seen on my spring front porch. It now replaces my magnolia leaf wreath that you saw here during my spring home tour. This white wreath is lighter and more appropriate for the summer look I’m going for.

Blush-colored ranunculus add just a hint of pastel color. I chose to go with faux flowers because there aren’t any fresh ranunculus that I could find and I sorta had my heart set on them for a bit of romance.

I mixed brown vintage bottles with the aqua bottles for a bit of contrast on the summer mantel.

To further soften the look, I snipped a few leaves from the faux flowers and laid them atop the mantel.

There’s a vendor at our local flea market who has literally hundreds of old bottles and can tell you a story about each and every kind. I have to stay away from his booth if I don’t want to spend a lot of money.

My mantel will likely stay much like this through August, although I’ll swap out the faux flowers for real zinnias once I have enough of them blooming in my cutting garden.

Shop the Look

Next up on the summer mantel tour is April at House by Hoff. Her home is beautiful and I know you’re going to enjoy her mantel creation!

How do you decorate your mantel for summer?