While our dining tables are likely to get all the decorating attention over the next couple of weeks (yesterday’s post being a prime example!), I would argue you can also make a major moment out of your mantel for Thanksgiving. But instead of piling it high with stuff that collects dust, this year might I suggest using your fireplace as a spot for displaying showstopper florals. The best part of this idea? You don’t have to move anything off your table to make way for the turkey at meal time.
I partnered with Marigold, one of my favorite San Francisco florists (with one of the cutest shops you’ve ever seen in the Mission!), to share three inspirational floral arrangements atop my fireplace to inspire you to make the most of your mantel this Thanksgiving. Let the pumpkin tchotchkes stay in tucked in the closet this year.
I’m calling our first arrangement Refined Wabi-Sabi. It’s a light, bright and slightly off-kilter creation. It reminds me of the current season – things bursting forth in their final glory, but also starting to wither before winter arrives. The look is a little bit wild but still refined. I love how this arrangement has an architectural feel, arching both up and reaching down, drawing your eye across the entire fireplace. The color palette is both seasonal and fresh. You don’t tend to see a lot of white for Thanksgiving but I for one am really feeling it. The pops of orange and the seasonal branches place give it the fall season vibe.
The arrangement contains dendrobium orchids, bittersweet, honeysuckle vine, narcissus and flannel flower. The wild piece trailing to the right is dried viburnum greens and its branches are balanced by persimmons still on the stem.
But the true star of this show is the white lotus flowers. They come in tight little balls and you have to peel back the petals to create their star-like shape. Aren’t they stunning?!
Replicating an arrangement like at home does require a few florist tricks of the trade. To create a similar arrangement, start with a low bowl and use a flower frog and floral putty to anchor your stems. Begin by using your wild-reaching pieces to create a high and low shape. Then fill in the middle with your larger bulbs. To keep flowers alive longer, check water levels each day, and top off the vase when it gets low.
I’ve curated a tabletop look to go with each floral arrangement. A minimal, timeless and clean style pairs perfectly with this arrangement. You can shop the look below.
Our second arrangement is a lush, earthy, slightly rugged yet also feminine beauty. I’ve deemed her Forest Fairy. This is the harvest season embodied, but without a cliched vegetable in sight. I’m in love. Set lower and built to spread horizontally, this is a perfect arrangement for smaller rooms or spaces with lower ceilings.
I love the terra cotta, burnt sienna and warm brownish tones in this arrangement. It looks like you scooped up bits and bobs you found in the forest but also happened to pick a garden rose or two on the way home. The arrangement sits in a stone planter adding an additional grounded, earthy feel.
This arrangement contains euonymus pink variegated, rainpod tree, plumosa fern and is punctuated with peach garden roses, french marigolds and chrysanthemums.
To recreate this look, use a long low vase filling it with chicken wire and taped off with bull tape to create the structure you need for your arrangement’s shape. Choose foliage with natural arching shapes and use seasonal fall flowers like chrysanthemums and marigolds which are also long-lasting. Add in dried elements like the rainpod tree or bunny tail to create texture.
I am feeling this warm and woodsy tabel inspiration. Are you?
Our final look is for all you minimalists out there. It is simple, timeless and classic. I’ve deemed her the Modern Fall Classic. Towering branches wonderfully highlight high ceilings if you’re blessed with such things – as This Old Victorian is.
But the best part about this arrangement? There are literally no floral skills required to recreate this yourself. You don’t have to have a flower market nearby. You don’t even need to go to a store. Simply head out into your backyard, take a stroll through your neighborhood or maybe walk through local wild area with your clippers in hand! You can forage whatever catches your eye.
With my well-documented love for wine country, it seemed only fitting to create this minimalist look with grapevine, accented by the orange berries of bittersweet. They offer a classic Thanksgiving color palette and lovely autumnal feel.
To replicate this kind of simple yet impactful fireplace display, use glass cylinder vases and fill with fall foliage or reaching branches. Change the water daily so your vases stay looking fresh and your branches live longer.
A table that mixes modern and rustic elements will accompany your branches perfectly!
I so hope you have found a little inspiration for your own holiday decorating with these ideas. It can be so easy to stress out about making everything picture perfect for Thanksgiving, but I like to flip the stress on its head and instead embrace the opportunity to get creative and simply have fun.
Because that’s what this time of year should truly be about.
For all our Thanksgiving inspiration, CLICK HERE.
floral design & creation by marigold sf / photography by spottedsf
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