Spring Mantel Vignette and a talk about defining style.

Ninety percent of what I share on this blog is from our beach house. Occasionally, however, I do show some projects from our townhouse. The townhouse intentionally has a different style than the coastal decor of the beach house. I'm very much into decor having a sense of place. For example, a tile roofed adobe looks perfect in Santa Fe, but would seem odd in upstate New York. Our townhouse is in an urban neighborhood in the Washington DC area--so different from quiet coastal Rhode Island! Defining the style in the beach house is easy, but I have struggled to come up with a description for the style of the decor in our townhouse. The closest I've been able to come is "urban rustic"--a little bit formal, a little bit industrial, and a little bit vintage. That said, there are similarities in my two styles. Both houses have a grayed palette with lots of white and wood tones. I tend to choose neutral colors for big furniture pieces and add accents of color in terms of pillows, art, and smaller furniture pieces. Texture, whether in wood, fabrics, or building materials, plays a big role.

Anyway, today I'm going to show you my spring mantel in the townhouse. I was able to put this vignette together without buying anything new--I just shopped my house. White and silver are the predominant colors with accents of green and brown.

Starting on the left side, I used two clear glass candle holders that I got years ago at a Pottery Barn Outlet and added this sweet vintage print of a bird with a faux bamboo frame that I've had forever. 

In the middle are three little "topiaries" that I made from mercury glass votive folders (Pottery Barn--from several Christmases ago) and moss covered balls that I picked up at Home Goods a while back. 

On the right side I used a bird's nest with little eggs (possibly from Michael's), a cast iron bird figurine (from a vendor at the Boston Flower Show), and this lidded jar I picked up at a consignment shop about ten years ago.

 I really like how fresh and clean the colors look. Although we often associate mercury glass with Christmas, I think it adds just the right amount of light and sparkle when combined with white and green.

By the way, if you're wondering about any of the other pieces in the room, the leather chair and ottoman are from Macy's, the purple velvet throw pillow and the lamp are from Pottery Barn, and the side table is from World Market. The wall color is Silver Fox by Benjamin Moore. Have a lovely weekend!