Sunday, January 31, 2010

Mantel in Black and White

My newest re-do of the mantel decor, going from late Christmas, to the black and white of winter.
I left only my great-grandmother's watercolor painting hanging on the wall; all the other elements I pulled from cupboards and closets throughout the house. The two large glass apothecary jars on each end are fairly new. I especially like the bubble glass jar below, sitting on an old Bible and Homer's Illiad. Behind it, I have a thrifted white mirror. I would prefer having a black piece here instead of white, but I don't have anything else in black.

In the center are silhouettes of my children cut in the Kristkindlmarkt in Munich in 2001. I was fascinated watching the artist cut them in just a few moments, using only his eyes and scissors. Also from Europe are the lace-edge linen napkins from Bruge, Belgium, draped over the mantel edge. The little Eiffel tower tealight holders are not from France; they are from Target. The pierced white plate from Williamsburg is one of my favorites in my plate collection.
I usually struggle to build successful table and mantel arrangements, but I'm quite happy with this one, and I think I can live with it for a while.

1 comment:

joyce said...

Changing out the mantel space is a great way to 'redo' a room! I never thought of doing this-mine was always the same except for Christmas! I will look forward to trying it in my next home!