Decorating a Mantel for Hanukkah - Hanukkah Mantel Ideas

hanukkah decoration ideas hanukkah mantel decor

Disclaimer: This post is part of a larger paid sponsorship with Crate and Barrel. Opinions and creative direction are my own.

I never thought I’d be a person who owns a mantel. But here I am. Owning a mantel. And it’s a wonderful, wonderful thing.

Truth be told, this lovely fireplace didn’t actually come with our new apartment—we bought and assembled it on our own last month. I just loved the idea of having something more special than a generic media stand under our living room TV, and this model was on sale, and it seemed to strike that perfect balance between modern and old-school-ish. I initially debated whether or not an electric fireplace would feel out of place in a high-rise New York apartment, but then I stopped debating and just got it because life is short, peeps. Life is short.

Anyway, I’m so glad I did get my hands on it, because it COMPLETELY fits the space and everyone who’s visited so far thinks it’s the real thing. At least until they get up close to it. Success!

Of course, even a newbie mantel owner like me is aware that with great power (aka mantel ownership) comes great responsibility (aka thoughtful mantel decorating). I didn’t work in lifestyle magazines for nearly a decade to not have that knowledge permanently seared onto my brain. (I assure you, the irony of this double negative is not lost on me.)

So I was positively thrilled when Crate and Barrel gave me an excuse to dress it up a little. Yep, 5.3 seconds after I bought the mantel, Crate and Barrel asked me to work with them on a mantel decoration story. WHAAAAT?!? Kinda cray. (You might have seen the olive oil tasting tablescape we worked on for Hanukkah this year—well, this project accompanied that!)

Essentially, Crate and Barrel asked me to create a mantel scene that felt authentic to my own Hanukkah celebrations. Not only was I elated to have the opportunity to join forces with a brand I truly love, and create something really meaningful and personal, and so on and so forth…but I was also just thrilled to have said mantel. You should have seen me on our first call. I was like, “A MANTEL SCENE? YES, IT JUST SO HAPPENS THAT I DO OWN A MANTEL!!!” And they were like,

Luckily it was too late for them to rescind the whole sponsorship thing because I’d already signed contracts. And that, my friends, is how we ended up here.

In all seriousness, I had the best, best time throwing this vignette together and am so thankful to Crate and Barrel for allowing me to share my vision over on their site. I’m linking all of the featured products down below so you can shop whatever items catch your eye, but just note that a few things were already in my home and not really purchase-able: the pom-poms, the menorah candles, and the photo of me and Andre. (Listen, I don’t know, maybe you want it.) You’ll probably also recognize the stack of blue-spined books from last year’s Hanukkah table—I always love “shopping” my own home for on-theme decorations before adding in new store-bought items. So I just had to include those again.

I absolutely cannot get over the menorah here, by the way—it’s new from Crate and Barrel and it is fabulous. It’s heavy, too, which is a slightly peculiar thing to mention, but I love that aspect of it because it really feels like an heirloom piece. Kind of reminds me of the DIY menorah I made last year with scrap marble and sewing thimbles, but without the part where you accidentally Gorilla Glue your fingers together and curse the day you were born. You know.

Also, how great is that hammered iron tray? It’s not intended to be used together with the menorah, but I can’t get over how well they fit together. Growing up, we’d always use aluminum foil underneath the menorah to catch the wax drippings, and this just feels like a much more elegant way to approach the whole mess.

Oh! We should talk about the vase here, too. It’s got this great, super dramatic height that draws your eye upwards and generally makes the entire mantel feel more grand and festive. I originally had it over on my tablescape but grabbed it to place over here just before taking the first photo. A very good decision.

That’s it for today, I think! I’m so excited to share a few more of my Crate and Barrel posts with you over the next week or so—I think they’ll inspire you as you work to Hanukkah-ify your own homes this month. 🙂