Valentines Mantle Decor Ideas

As far as holidays go, we celebrate Valentine's Day fairly simply. We'll go out for a nice meal, exchange cards and give little gifts and chocolate (always chocolate). I'm not a big fan of red and pink (though my pastel-hued living room, inherited from the previous owner, might make you think otherwise) so shades of crimson don't usually find their way into my decor.

But I did want to give the mantel a Valentine's Day twist and create a display that was softly sweet and fitting for this time of year. I was happy to put away the Christmas decor but I'm still craving a cozy look.

Use What You Have

Valentines mantel decor doesn't have to be all pink hearts and cupid's arrows. I wanted my holiday decor to be subtle and less obvious and budget friendly, so I gathered items from around the house to create a look that is romantic and imperfect.

The soft hues of the Minted art set the tone. Creamy white candles, a white berry garland, and ceramics mixed with pinks in tones of pale blush to bright fuchsia. The leaves in the unpolished urn are from winter arrangements and are dry to the touch, yet they have a beautiful sculptural quality and their aubergine stalks give a hint of red so I'll keep using them until they crumble apart.

Valentine's Day Countdown

I've used our Christmas Advent bags to create a Valentine's Day countdown for my daughter Chloe. With our move mid-December, Chloe wasn't able to enjoy our Advent tradition as we normally do, so this is a fun way to make up for that. Starting on February 1st, she gets to open one bag a day. I've put a heart-shaped note in each, outlining a reason I love her, along with a few small tokens of affection.

Touches of Pink

One simple Valentines mantel idea? Add pink! Pink rain boots and pink beads in a lidded bowl are simple ways to add rosy colour. I find that I'm much more relaxed with my decorating in this house. There's no pressure to "get it right" the first time. I know that these rooms will evolve over time and I can just enjoy how they are today.


The rest of the living room is far from done. The furniture that worked in our old house doesn't quite work in this larger space, and I'm fine with that. We have grand plans for this room (as with all of our rooms). Built-in bookshelves, moulding, a new sofa and other furniture... it'll all come in time. For now, I'm moved furniture around and played with 3802 different layouts for this room.


We had brought the armchair from the cottage to help fill up this end of the room. The tufted bench used to be in our old dining room. The room still feels like a mish-mash of furniture but there's bound to be settling pains as you get comfortable in a new home.