A TV above the fireplace breaks every mantel styling rule. No big art, no tall branches, no leaning mirrors. Most people give up and leave the mantel bare.
It doesn't have to be. The trick is to think horizontally. Everything stays below the bottom edge of the screen, spread along the length of the mantel rather than stacked up. Here's how to make it look good in fall.
The one rule
Nothing on the mantel should rise past the bottom edge of the TV. Anything taller overlaps the screen, blocks the picture and looks cluttered. Measure the gap between the shelf and the screen, and keep every object a couple of inches under that.
If the gap is small, say 6 inches, your decor stays very low. If it's larger, you have more room to play.
A low garland
A garland is the main piece. Lay it flat along the full length of the mantel, letting it hang over the ends by 6 to 12 inches. Magnolia, eucalyptus or dried oak leaves all work. It frames the fireplace and the screen together.
Avoid garlands that fluff up high. Choose one that lies flat.
Small pumpkins in groups
Group small pumpkins in twos and threes along the garland, never in a single even row. Cream, sage green and pale orange look good against dark screens. Place the biggest group off center to one side and a smaller group on the other.
Short candles
Short pillar candles and votives in amber glass add glow without height. Group them with the pumpkins. Candles also draw the eye down and away from the black rectangle of the TV when it's off.
Keep flames away from the garland and well below the screen; heat rising from candles can damage a TV over time. Battery candles are the safer choice right under the screen.
Make the TV part of the wall
When the TV is off, a black screen dominates the room. A few ways to soften it:
- Frame TV mode or art mode if your TV has one. Pick a fall landscape.
- Paint the wall behind it a darker color so the screen blends in.
- Add a pair of sconces on either side at screen height.
Use the sides
If you want height, put it on the floor beside the fireplace, not on the mantel. A tall stoneware urn of dried branches or pampas grass on one side of the hearth adds the vertical line the mantel can't have.
The hearth
A few larger pumpkins stacked on the hearth, a basket of logs, or a lantern with a candle all extend the fall look downward. The hearth is where you can go bigger.
Cable clutter
Nothing ruins a styled mantel faster than a black cable dropping from the TV down the wall. If the cables aren't run inside the wall, use a paintable cord cover in the wall color, and route it down one side, not the middle. Tuck the power strip and any boxes behind a basket on the hearth rather than on the mantel.
Choosing colors against a dark screen
A switched-off TV is a big black rectangle, so pale decor right below it looks brightest. Cream pumpkins, sage green leaves and amber glass read clearly against it. Dark burgundy or black decor disappears. If you want a moodier look, save the darker colors for the hearth where they sit against stone or brick instead of the screen.
Mistakes to avoid
- Anything taller than the gap. It blocks the screen.
- An even row of identical objects. Group in odd numbers.
- Candles directly under the TV. Heat and soot rise.
- Fluffy garlands. They creep up into the screen.
What it costs
A flat faux magnolia garland runs $30 to $60 and lasts years. Small pumpkins cost $2 to $5 each, and amber votives about $3 each. A tall urn for the hearth is $30 to $80.
Fall mantel with TV FAQ
How do you decorate a mantel with a TV above it?
Keep everything below the bottom edge of the screen and arrange decor horizontally along the mantel.
Can you put candles under a TV?
Short battery candles are safest. Real flames directly below a TV can damage it with heat and soot.
How do I make a TV above the fireplace look better?
Use art mode, paint the wall a darker color, and add height with tall pieces on the hearth instead of the mantel.
