In this post, you will learn:
- How to decorate your MagikFlame for fall
- Fall fireplace decor planning
- How to create a Pumpkin Panache display
- How to create a Harvest Home theme
- What to put in a back-to-school display
- Ideas for a Quilting Bee theme
- How to put together a fall sports theme
- How to make a Haunted Halloween mantel
- How to add ghostly glamor to your fireplace
- How to transition into Thanksgiving decor
When summer temperatures begin edging downward, it’s time to get creative with some cozy fall home decor. When it comes to cozy, there’s no better spot than near your fireplace. It makes a perfect focal point for your DIY seasonal decor. A MagikFlame electric fireplace partners perfectly with your groupings of gourds, pumpkins and corn husk scarecrows. Unlike a wood or gas fireplace, it is a safe backdrop because the exterior doesn’t get hot.
Planning Your Fall Fireplace Decor
When the first maple leaf begins to turn, you should already have some fall mantel decor ideas in mind. You have several factors to consider before you finalize your plans. These include:
- Theme
- Style
- Colors
- Materials
- Placement
Theme – It’s a good idea to begin by selecting a theme for your fall decor. Some popular ones are harvest, Halloween and changing leaves. You could also do something a bit different with a back-to-school or a fall sports theme.
Style – If your home exudes the essence of elegance, you might want to go with copper containers, silk fall foliage, greenery and groupings of candles. On the other hand, if your living room is more casual, you may prefer wicker baskets, pumpkins and multicolor corn cobs.
Colors – When considering colors for your autumn decor, rich golds, shades of orange and straw tones likely spring to mind. However, you have the entire spectrum to choose from. White pumpkins, garlands and candles make a striking display on a gleaming wood mantel. For a sports theme, the colors of your favorite team are natural.
Materials – The style and colors you decide upon will help direct you toward the types of materials that would be the most impactful in your fall season display. For example, natural elements like burlap, orange and yellow gourds, and garlands of autumn leaves convey a down-to-earth, harvest time look. Once you’ve chosen your style, colors and materials, the placement of your display is key to its success. If you choose an element that is already a focal point, such as your Churchill electric fireplace, your fall home display will get plenty of notice. Each time friends and family enter the room, their glances will go directly to your fall décor. You’ll need a bushel basket to collect all the compliments you’ll get.
Harvest Fall Mantel Decor Ideas – Pumpkin Panache
Update traditional harvest décor with designer pumpkins. They complement the gleaming white finish and elegant lines of MagikFlame models like the Trinity and Morpheus. You can use faux pumpkins or real white pumpkins such as Blanco to give your fall mantle a contemporary vibe.
It’s a good idea to lay down a protective layer like a table runner on your wood mantelpiece before you begin. That will protect the lovely finish from any moisture or abrasion.
Select a variety of sizes – a couple large, medium and small pumpkins should provide the right balance. You don’t need to crowd the mantel, but you should have enough pumpkins to fill the width with some overlapping. When you arrange your Blancos, use one of each size on each side of the fall mantel to achieve a pleasing balance.
Next, add some mini pumpkins, such as orange Jack Be Littles or orange and white Hooligans. Intersperse an odd number of these minis, three or five, among the Blancos for tiny pops of color.
Create a few small bundles of wheat and lavender. Pair three stalks of wheat with five stalks of lavender of similar lengths. Use a twist tie to secure each bundle about midway along the stalks. Place these aromatic bundles toward the back of your fall mantel arrangement, making sure the ties are hidden.
The final touch is a flag garland made from burlap triangles and twine. Cut out enough six- to eight-inch triangular flags from the burlap so you have one for each letter of your message. Here are some message suggestions for your fall décor:
- Welcome Harvest
- Happy Fall
- Down to Earth
- Autumn Colors
- Earth’s Bounty
Glue the flags along the twine at regular intervals. String your garland above the pumpkin display to complete your autumn tableau. Don’t worry if you already have a mirror mounted there because the garland will add a decorative touch to the glass.
Harvest Theme Ideas – Harvest Home
Create a cozy nest for autumn in your family room with your MagikFlame center stage. On the hearth to the side of the firebox, place a big wicker basket filled with a few rolled-up throws in fall colors. Weave a garland of fall fireplace decor fall leaves around the handle or the lip of the basket.
Arrange a few colorful gourds around the base of your basket to create a tumbled effect. Group a pair or a trio of larger pumpkins nearby.
On the opposite side of the firebox, place small to medium birch logs upright in a wicker or metal container. It should be taller and slenderer than the basket to create a visual contrast.
Add some mini pumpkins around the wood container to balance those around the basket. Be sure this arrangement is a bit different from those around the basket to keep your display interesting.
Twine another silk leaf garland around the base of the wood container. Weave it in and around the other items. Tuck a vintage conversation piece, such as an old lantern, a clock or a rusty garden trowel into your display.
Continue your harvest home theme above on the mantel too. Tack up a fall leaf garland on the wall just above, and then arrange three small groupings of gourds, small pumpkins and mini multicolor corn cobs along the mantel.
Fill in gaps with such items as pinecones, acorns and wheat stalks. Place a statement piece just off-center amid the gourd groupings. This could be a copper vase full of dried sunflowers with aromatic eucalyptus fronds or a wicker basket of cones.
Harvest Theme Ideas – Quilting Bee
The centerpiece of this theme is a pieced quilt. It will be the backdrop of the display and will determine your color scheme. For autumn, select a quilt with warm colors like gold, deep red, orange, brown and ecru.
If you have a floor quilting frame or quilt rack, insert the quilt and set it to one side of your MagikFlame fireplace. You can place a coordinating quilt in a wicker basket on the mantelpiece, or you could drape it across the mantel itself.
Place some spools of thread on the mantel near the quilt and stick a large, threaded needle through the fabric. Fan an array of multicolor corn cobs around the basket. You can add apples and pumpkins in and around the basket too, to convey a sense of plenty.
A small, vintage sewing machine such as a portable Singer Featherweight would make an ideal accent to one side of the quilt. To the other side, set up a couple of miniature straw bales with corn cobs and pumpkins.
Add a couple of scarecrows from the arts and crafts store if you like. Place tea light LEDs in vintage mason jars to provide accent lighting here and there. Work to achieve a full look plus a pleasing balance of accessories.
Across the front of the mantel, spell out “Harvest Quilting Bee” in wooden blocks.
Back to School Theme Fall Fireplace Décor
Celebrate the time of the year with a home design that reflects the bittersweet excitement of summer’s end and the beginning of school days. Some elements of harvest as well as the cozy touches of home coordinate well with this theme.
Your Churchill corner fireplace mantel makes a roomy space to showcase your creativity. Your local arts and crafts supply store is a great supply resource for DIY projects.
Some mantel decoration ideas for a back-to-school theme include:
- Apples
- Mini pumpkins
- Corn husks
- Dried sunflowers
- Leaf garlands
- Books
- Pencils
- Globe
- Chalkboard
- Hand bell
- Clock
- Flashcards
- Galvanized lunch bucket
At 40 inches deep, the MagikFlame Churchill corner fireplace is an ideal platform for all your back-to-school supplies. A checked tablecloth coordinated with your color scheme will both protect the smooth wood surface of the mantel and set the tone for an old-fashioned schoolhouse theme.
Fill a medium-sized galvanized bucket with light filler such as packing peanuts. Use a matching checkered napkin to cover the top, and then arrange one or more apples in and around the bucket.
To make this you the focal point of the display, place the bucket toward the back corner of the shelf. To one side, stack a few colorful books. Place a mini globe on top. Add your handbell near the base of the books and place a pair of pencils beside it.
On the other side of the display, put your classroom-style clock. Add a few apples and mini pumpkins on a nest of corn husks. Fill in the spaces with sunflower heads and leaf garlands in fall colors.
Next, string some flashcards on a length of thick string. Attach it like a swag to the walls on either side of the fireplace, letting it curve across the very top of the firebox. Weave in a leaf garland if you like.
On the floor to one side of the fireplace, place a large chalkboard – two by three feet or so – on a wooden chair or easel. Write a message in colored chalk, such as:
- School Daze
- Back to School
- Imagine Greatness
- Here’s to a Wonderful School Year
- Oh, the Places You’ll Go! (Dr. Seuss)
- ABCs and 123s
Add a few pumpkins or a tall vase of sunflowers, and you’ve created a fabulous sendoff for the school year!
Sports-Themed Fall Fireplace Décor
Sports-themed mantel decor ideas include soccer and football. The colors of your favorite team can determine your color scheme, or you can use warm fall colors instead.
Cover the mantel of your fireplace with some plastic turf cut to size and spray painted with some white yard lines. Place a football on a tall rustic wood pillar near the center of the shelf.
Secure a flag garland along the edge of the mantel with a non-marking adhesive such as picture hanging putty. The flags should be alternating colors. Using one flag per letter, write your football message, like:
- Go Spartans!
- Yay, Team!
- Rah, Rah, Siss Boom Bah!
- Touch Down!
Set up two miniature goal posts at either end of the fireplace shelf. Place a football helmet on each end, right side up or upside down if you want to fill them with dried fall flowers that match your color scheme.
Add a few framed sports prints of varied sizes. These can be recent shots of your own football player in uniform or vintage, memorabilia-type photos.
Other additions to your mantel decorations may be:
- A mini dry erase board with a game play diagram
- A shadow box with a collector jersey
- Team memorabilia
- Pom poms
- LED pumpkin garland
Once you have filled in your fall fireplace decor to your satisfaction, sprinkle some confetti around the items. Add a few admission tickets too.
Halloween Theme Ideas – Haunted Halloween Mantel
Give your Artemus or Athena MagikFlame a devilish makeover for Halloween. Crafty bloggers like The Frugal Homemaker are one great resource for holiday dec ideas. A decorating tutuorial offers more decorating ideas plus step-by-step instructions. Below is a combination curated from some of the best online creatives.
Start by laying down a protective layer that fits the mantel space. A piece of waterproof tablecloth or cotton batting will prevent scratching and stains.
Next, choose a black mantel scarf with these characteristics:
- Reverse scalloped edge or long fringe
- Gauzy or lacy see-through fabric
- Large enough to drape over the edge of the fireplace with mantel
You can put two scarves together if necessary. If you use a material that won’t ravel, you can cut a reverse-scallop spiderweb-type edge yourself. Use a permanent white or silver marker to sketch out some spiderweb lines.
Outline your backdrop with little skull light strings or orange LED light strings. Add several pillar LED candles that will flicker in the dark. Lean a faux tombstone against the wall behind the mantle and tack a few paper bats around it.
Melt the wax from a black candle over a pair of old candelabras, and allow the wax drippings to dry. Fill the candle holders with black, white, or orange tapers, and place one at each end of your fall mantel arrangement.
When the shelf looks full, drape faux spiderwebs over everything to get a spooky effect. Place a few plastic spiders in strategic spots. Spray paint a few small, bare branches black and use them to fill in any gaps.
For the base of your fall fireplace decor, use several LED pillar candles in three different heights. Working at least 18 inches in front of the MagikFlame firebox, group the tallest pillars in a circle on the floor. Arrange the medium-height pillars in a ring around the tallest and then the shortest pillars in an outer ring.
On one side of the fireplace, put a spooky statement Halloween piece. Some ideas to choose from include:
- A grouping of faux headstones
- A plastic skeleton
- A stack of skulls
- A straw witch’s broom and cauldron
- A section of picket fence, painted black, with a “Keep Out” sign
On the other side of the fireplace, set up a chalkboard on an old wooden chair or easel. Write a Halloween message in fancy script on the chalkboard, such as “Boo!,” “Happy Howl-o-ween,” or “Beware!”
Dim the lights and switch on your LED candles. Set the MagikFlame HoloFlame fire to the selection of your choice. Happy haunting!
Halloween Theme Ideas – Ghostly Glamor
One of the fun things about fall fireplace decor is that you can build upon the theme of your front porch decor as you decorate indoors too. Get ghostly this Halloween with glamorous decorations that float throughout your home as effortlessly as airy spirits.
Glam up your fall mantel decorating with metallic sparkle and glitzy elan. Spray some of your white pumpkins with glitter and drizzle others with gold or silver paint. Top some of these with silver-tone plastic tiaras. Some of these you will want to arrange on your front porch, but be sure to reserve several for your indoor décor.
The decorative Athena MagikFlame fireplace is a natural setting for an elegant Halloween display. Start by hanging a large vintage mirror with an ornate gold or silver frame above the fireplace.
Cut a length of white cheesecloth twice the length of the mantel. Scrunch it up to fit, using straight pins to hold it in place. Take care not to scratch the fireplace surround. Let some of the cloth float beyond the edges of the shelf.
For the centerpiece of the tableau, fill a tall metallic or crystal vase with white silk lilies. Place it just off center of the mirror behind the shelf. Surround the base with faux strings of pearls and crystals.
Position some of your glammed-up white pumpkins along the shelf, arranging shapes and sizes for an eye-catching effect. Add some ghost figurines in different sizes from the craft store or create your own.
Simply dunk pieces of cheesecloth in liquid starch, and them lay them over ghost-shaped forms. For example, you could use a plastic popsicle tray or inverted drinking glass. Sprinkle them with a coating of glitter. Once they have dried, carefully remove them and add eyes and mouths with a felt-tipped marker.
Place your ghosts among the pumpkins. Add some shimmery LED candlesticks along the back of the display. Place some silk lily stems, pearls or crystals in any bare spaces.
Tie it all together with a filmy white spider web. Secure it at the upper corner of the mirror and the corners of the fireplace shelf.
Back to School Through Thanksgiving
Keep in mind that you can easily transition any fall fireplace decor theme to a Thanksgiving display. Simply switch out a few items and add some Thanksgiving touches.
For example, remove cobwebs, ghosts, skulls and headstones. Replace them with turkeys, apples, baskets and cornucopias. If you have a flag garland, turn it over and write a Thanksgiving message, like:
- Gather to Give Thanks
- Gratitude
- Bountiful Blessings
- Happy Turkey Day!
The same holds true for chalkboards. Simply replace the autumn sentiment with a Thanksgiving message.
With some help from bloggers and online tutorials, creating fabulous fall decorations is easy and lots of fun. The most important decorative element? Your MagikFlame electric fireplace. If you haven’t yet purchased yours, find out how to choose the right model with the MagikFlame Electric Fireplace Buying Guide on our website. As the focal point of your living room, family room and dining room alike, it will add elegance and depth to your gorgeous fall display.
