Yes, you heard right.  There is another mantel in my life.  No, I’m not cheating on my first mantel.

I firmly believe you can never have too many mantels.  And you don’t need a fireplace to go with said mantel.  A really great mantel will add character and speak for itself.  Like this art deco one that I alluded to on Monday.  Check out the lines.  And the subtly distressed wood.  Love the imperfections.

As promised, beside the mantel sits my new favorite mid-century tweed swivel chair with brass tips.  And a box of driftwood for good measure.

This vintage/coastal vignette is the new focal point of our beach house living room.  As our home should, it feels like the perfect mix of both Ryan and me.

This room is large in scale and was in dire need of further updating to get to this point.

Here’s the back story and before shot.

I’ll be honest, I had a mini-bridezilla moment a few months ago when I realized Ryan would be getting ready here for our wedding which means photographers would be set up in THIS ROOM!  It wasn’t ready!  This is what the furnished space originally looked like when we moved in 3 years ago…

It is like a time warp of someone’s grandmother’s house in 1992.  I began tearing down the thick vinyl wallpaper about 2 days in.  I couldn’t take it.  We did however embrace all of the wood trim.  I know most people would have walked in and painted everything white and called it a beach cottage.  We are going for a “rustic boathouse” look in this bungalow hence natural woods, brass, blues & greens.

After removing the wallpaper, we painted (and discovered a hidden D!).  I believe the blue we chose is called January Frost by Valspar.

And from there, we just moved those hideous couches back in their places and went to the beach for the next couple of years I suppose.  Slowly the side tables and things got changed out but the couches stuck around for far too long.  Ryan tried to convince me that they were vintage but they weren’t what I had in mind and we both agreed that they were very uncomfortable.  Last fall we found a comfy sectional for the space and then things really started to evolve around it.

A lantern turned lamp with a modern shade got added to the mix.

Green shutters from Phantastic Phinds flank either side of the window.  There are lots of aqua touches throughout the room.  I will share the other half of the space in the near future.

I found this cage 2 summers ago and turned it into a coffee table with casters and a piece of glass.  It houses an anchor and other rotating coastal treasures.

Let’s get back to the mantel though.  The inaugural coastal mantelscape is a bit monochromatic.  I already have some plans to brighten it up for spring but let’s review…

I found that large picture at a consignment shop a few years back.  It is actually a woodburning of a lighthouse scene.

The vintage bookends are new to us.  We seem to be collecting ship captains around here like our Gorton’s Fisherman painting that now hangs across the room.  And the old man Ryan needlepoint.  I love them all!

But doesn’t it look like this captain is wearing lipstick?  Hey, whatever floats your boat! Ha, get it? Boat.  Captain.  Ok…

That wraps up where we are with this space at the moment.  More to come I’m sure!  I am already looking for an updated lamp shade for the ship wheel sconce on the left that I purchased from another vendor at West End Garage.

What’s currently on your mantel?

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