3 Principles for Decorating the (almost) Spring Mantle

I don't care there's two feet of snow on either side of my front walkway. I don't care that the temperatures are hovering between minus 20 and minus 30 (Celcius) this week. I don't care that there are snowflakes the size of my thumbs swirling down from the sky right this minute.

It matters not.

It's (almost) Spring!

The weather just hasn't got the memo, yet.

We must encourage her. She must be wooed with cheerful colours, pleasing proportions and simple shapes-- and a few principles of good design.

And so, I offer you, the (almost) Spring Mantle.

(I will spray paint the plate stand white, I think.)

1) Use an odd number of items.

Here we have seven. The lamps and their new lampshades, the candlesticks (and candles) and the plate, plant and cat. That's it. Simple. Clean. Fresh.



2) Group things into triangles.

A long time ago, Anne in Reno gave me sage advice: Use neutral furniture, colourful lampshades and pattern in my curtains. So, when I saw these green lampshades at Ikea last week, I knew that they would be perfect.

The plant pot is the exact same shade of green as the lampshades. Not surprising, as I found it, too, at Ikea.

I hadn't planned it but the three things taken together, all the same colour, create a happy triangle. An implied inverted triangle, but one nonetheless.

Without the candlesticks, the plate, pot and cat create yet another triangle. See that?



Triangles make me happy.

3) Create depth: layer items.

I used one of the darling bread and butter plates I got at Value Village. I could wish it was a dinner plate, (so the triangle would be more pronounced) but it's OK.



The plate on its stand takes up a fair bit of room, though, and the mantle is rather narrow at this spot, so all I had room for was this sweet cat.



He's been in my husband's family for generations. When the kids were little, they loved to pick him up-- but my husband didn't want the patina worn off-- and I didn't want to fight with the kids-- so we packed him away. Happily, the kids are older now so the cat can come back. I suppose having a barn yard animal on my mantle means I've decorated it "farmhouse" style, doesn't it?

And though I could wish for Spring to hurry, it will take it's own sweet time. That's why I chose a potted flowering plant.



Primroses.
Simple garden variety primroses.
Aren't they gorgeous?

And so, there we have it. This is the memo.



Now we wait.

Inspired? There are some more lovely Spring Mantels at: Women Who Do it All




Linking to parties at Someday Crafts and the Green Party at CSI.