Expanding the Mantel

When it came to the living room decor of our apartment, the one thing that I was ecstatic about getting my hands on was the mantel. The mantel is the centerpiece of the living room; I suggest completing that piece before diving into other areas of the room, as I found it was so simple to find other pieces to tie in with it.
I, myself, already knew the colors and items I wanted to bring into our white walled, tan carpeted living room. I chose a sea glass green, white, turquoise and a mustard yellow to bring a bright feel into a once dull room. I'm still working on it - but it's close to complete.
A rule that I tried following was to create different heights with the objects I was using. We have our TV in the center, so I was given limited room to work with.

For those who have a mantel and are not quite sure what to do with it, I researched some tips and ideas:

1) Focal point for self expression: you can display books, artwork, favorite things - anything that expresses your personality.

2) Bring in the outdoors: tree branches in vases, flowers and decorative short tree trunks- for the nature lovers.

3) Seasonality: change the mantel as the season changes! this calls for dedication and having various pieces that can work for multiple seasons - having those staple pieces can cut future costs of buying season specific decor.

4) Picture Display: layer and mix different heights of framed pictures. simple but classic.