Rustic Spring Mantel Idea: Wildflower Garden Theme
If you love decorating your mantel and fireplace for spring and need a fresh idea, keep reading! This year, I went with a little rogue from my typical neutral farmhouse style and went with a wildflower garden theme for my mantel! Rustic, charming, bursting with spring life! Keep reading to check it out!
Wild and Free Farmhouse Spring Mantel
I’m typically a neutral type of gal when it comes to decor – I like the whites, tans, blacks, greys, with some wood tones and greens thrown in. This spring, I went for a solid neutral theme in my spring decor, but when it came to my mantel, I strayed from the formula.
I have something of a busy mantel background. It used to be historic-looking brick, in the multi-colored red tones. I honestly and truly loved it, but it was just hard to coordinate my typical neutral colors. Not only that, the room has one window that opens to a carport, so there is very little natural light. It just felt a little oppressive and heavy having that dark brick in the room.
The outside of our home has the same brick, I felt zero guilt by changing up the inside while leaving the outside to all the historic charm.
I greywashed it first to get rid of the red (I was nervous about whitewashing it first and then ending up with pink!😬). Then, I whitewashed over the grey and truly loved the outcome; it was exactly what I had envisioned in my mind.
However.
Always a “however,” right? To me, it makes styling a little difficult because it looks like such a busy background. I truly struggle making it look calming and classy without it being overpowered by the brick.
I’ve done all kinds of versions of this rustic style mantel (you can see them all here – I update this post regularly!) but for some reason, I was feeling like I just needed more color to combat the dominance of the brick.
My original plan was to go with this LM Montgomery yellow flower quote print for the main statement piece (any other Anne of Green Gables fans out there???) to tie in with the yellow forsythias.
And to be honest, there’s a teeny tiny part of me that wished I did? 🤷♀️ Indecisive is my middle name, y’all.
But I felt like it needed more colors than just a dominant yellow, and wildflowers sort of took over in my brain this year.
It’s possible that wildflowers would add to the confusion – but until I figure out some kind of permanent solution to this, I felt like a wildflower theme works. It’s somewhat erratic, bold, untamed… maybe even disorderly? And I’m willing to just roll with it.
Wildflower Garden Spring Mantel Idea
Let me walk you through some of the Wildflower Garden elements, and maybe you can find some things you can use, too.
I basically followed the ‘rules’ of mantel decorating: started with my statement piece anchor. added heights at the ends, and layered pieces in the middle.
I went through a few versions of this mantel.
The wildflower print I ended up going with is from my Etsy shop, and I designed it specifically to go with a this theme. I wanted bursts of color for this year’s mantel, and this sign is what I came up with (you can grab the printable in my Etsy shop! Available in 6 different sizes!)
I found a great frame with matting at the thrift store. Originally, it had a green matte; the first go-around, I kept the frame and painted the matte a dark charcoal grey.
But when I put it up on the mantel, the whole thing was just too dark, too lifeless. None of it was clicking for me – the picture, the vases… I just wasn’t feeling it. This is my first version.
I decided to paint the frame and matting first, to lighten things up and go from there.
Much more spring-like. Below is a sneak peak.
Then, I swapped out the glass for terra cotta. The glass got lost in the brick and just felt a little cold for spring.
Terra cotta is always a favorite for me when it comes to spring and summer decor. It instantly adds earthy warmth and that garden feel.
The mini pots are from Dollar Tree, with some chalkpaint dry-brushed on.
For the wildflower garden feel, I went with forsythias for the statement flower.
To me, growing up on Long Island, the blooming of forsythias was always the first harbinger of spring. They are the quintessential spring bloom right after (or maybe even before) daffodils.
These stems are from Dollar Tree, and I love them. I bought some from Hobby Lobby to supplement, but I returned those because I like the Dollar Tree ones even better.
I also used a terra cotta vase instead of a glass vase to give it a more earthy feel. This was another thrift bargain.
On the other side, I switched out the other oversized glass jar with a cream pitcher with a terra cotta pitcher to tie it all in. The cream-colored votive candle holder continued with the rustic garden theme.
Additionally, I added in a white butterfly candle with the natural wood top to coordinate with the beads and brighten things up a little as well.
It was still looking a little bare to me, so I added in some wildish looking garland from Hobby Lobby, and I think the free-spirited arrangement of the garland fits perfectly with a wildflower theme.
Unfortunately, I have no inspirational pictures of the hearth for you… short version of a long story: right now, there’s a big TV down there because we had to vacate our basement initially due to a flood. It should soon make its way downstairs again, and I’ll get my hearth back.
But there you have it. Nothing fancy, a little crazy, pretty in its own right – which is just the way a wildflower garden mantel should feel. Here is the finished product:
Below is the “before and after” comparison between the two. It’s just so much brighter and cheerier!
This is also another print I made after I created the one in my mantel, and this would also work perfectly for a wildflower themed decor. I have very minimalist version of this print for winter, but decided to update it for spring, since it works amazingly well for both seasons. Any other The Sound of Music fans out there? Can’t go wrong with “My Favorite Things,” right?
More Spring Decor Inspiration
If you need more ideas for spring decorating, I’ve got plenty! Take a look below!
Neutral Spring Color Palettes and Decor Ideas
30 Breathtaking Spring Tablescapes and Centerpiece Ideas
30 Best Spring Farmhouse Mantel Ideas You Need to See
30+ Farmhouse Spring Porches You’ll Fall in Love With
25 Rustic Farmhouse Spring Decor Ideas that are So Simple to Recreate!
25 Farmhouse DIY Projects You Need in Your Home This Spring!
25 DIY Spring Wreaths in Rustic Farmhouse Style (The Prettiest Ones Out There!)
If you use any inspiration from the wildflower garden theme spring mantel or any other post, I’d love to see it! Please tag me on Instagram @100affections or leave a comment on Pinterest!
Other thoughts? I’d love to hear them! Leave a comment below!
