Hi friends! Happy Wednesday! Anyone else starting to get a little spring fever? After going on week four of my kids being sick, I’m so ready for warmer weather. I will be so thrilled to kiss this winter season goodbye. I currently have my windows open, and I’m loving this little tease of spring weather that we are getting today. The feeling of spring always gets me in the mood to freshen things up and add lighter colors in my home. I added a few fun pieces to my mantel today and thought it might be the perfect time to share with you guys how we decided on creating this Pottery Barn mantel and also share with you a fun secret about it.
I shared with you my fireplace makeover a few months back, but I never really went into detail about our mantel. After we decided to paint the brick, we were searching for a beautiful wood mantel to give it a rustic feel. We decided on a real wood mantel, but after doing a little research, we saw that had a few drawbacks. We would have to wait until the wood dried out before we could hang it and being the impatient person that I am, I wasn’t really pumped about waiting for that process to take place. Another negative was the weight of the wood. I wanted a pretty large mantel and it was going to be super heavy. My husband wasn’t exactly excited about trying to hang it because of all the anchors we would have to drill into our fireplace. All of those were going to be obstacles that we were just going to have to deal with if I wanted a pretty mantel…until I stumbled across the perfect solution.
The Mantel “Hack”
Currently, Pottery Barn doesn’t sell mantels. However, I had a “lightbulb” moment one day when I was on Pottery Barn’s website and spotted their Benchwright shelf. I knew what I wanted to do. This piece was a technically a shelf but the size and look of it were perfect for a mantel. The best part is that it had the real wood mantel look that I had wanted, but it didn’t have the weight of real wood. It also came with a hanging kit. I was so excited and couldn’t get it ordered fast enough. I was still a little nervous about getting my hopes up since I hadn’t seen it in person. After it finally got here, I could instantly see it was the perfect solution. It was so beautiful! It just looked so real!
I especially loved the color and texture of it. It added so much character to my fireplace and really my whole living room!!!
Another bonus is that it is super sturdy and safely holds all of my mantel decor. The depth of this shelf leaves plenty of room for large vases and windows and books and plants and pretty much all of my favorite things to decorate with.
So, what do you guys think? Even though its faux wood, it looks pretty darn real to me. I’m so thrilled that I came across this Pottery Barn mantel/shelf 😉. It really has been the perfect addition over my fireplace. Below I am listing the sources of my post, and I would love for you to check it out and let me know if you have any questions about anything. You guys are the sweetest for stopping by! Thank you so much! Have a lovely day!!
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Hello my name is Maria I love your mantel idea and I like to buy it but I’m have trouble with the size ?? What are the measurements of your chimney? And did you get the 5.5’ ?? Please send please respnce ? My chimney is about 67 each long do you think I would work?
Hi Maria!! My chimney going across is 62″ and the 5.5 one worked perfect for my space. I personally think it would work on a 67″ chimney. It really depends on if you don’t mind that the mantel won’t hang off the side. I’ve seen mantels longer and shorter than the chimney so I believe it will look great. That’s just my opinion though. Hopefully that helps a little. Thank you so much for reading my post! It really is a great option!!
Love how you’ve decorated your mantel. My mantel is very similar and I’ve been looking for ways to soften it a bit. Can you tell me where you found the tall canisters? I need height and can’t find anything like these. Thanks.
LISA
I’m so glad you like the mantel! I found the white vases at Kirklands. They are so pretty and super sturdy. They were a good change for my mantel. Thank you so much for stopping by the blog!
Where did you get the wooden piece that looks like a cathedral glassless window.? Not the window frame over the fireplace. The piece that is hanging over the couch. Love how decorated this whole room!
Hi Paula!! Thank you so much for your sweet comment! I actually got that at the flea market. Thanks so much for stopping by the blog. It means so much!!
Sorry I typed the wrong email by mistake. Below is the correct email.
I love the way you styled your shelf!!! Do you mind sharing your paint color for your wall and fireplace? I have been looking for a nice beige. Thanks so much!
Thank you! I’m so glad you like it! The wall color is called Lenox Tan by SW and the fireplace color is Annie Sloan Chalk paint in Old White. Thanks for stopping by!
Hi, may I ask where you got the two pieces on each side of the the fireplace, the metal decor?
Hey Kim! I actually picked them up at our local flea market.
I would also like to ask where you got the picture on the mantel?
Thank you! It is from Hobby Lobby.
This looks EXACTLY like my mantle, colors and all. Fortunately it was done this way by the builder so we didn’t have to do anything. What can I say? The builder was a woman. I’ve had so much fun decorating it over the years. I even use a window like yours year round. I change my wreaths to fit the seasons.
Hey Dayle! So neat we have the same mantel! I love mine! It is so much better than the one that came with the house. I am like you, I love changing out the decor with the seasons. Thanks so much for stopping by the blog!
This is gorgeous!! Where did you find the window pane and the potted greenery?
Hi Ashley! The window is a yard sale find and the greenery is from a booth at a local antique mall. So happy you liked it! Thanks so much!
I would love to know where you got the dandelion picture and potted plants.
The dandelion picture came from Hobby Lobby and the plants were found at a local antique booth.
Thank you so much for the brilliant idea! I have been wanting to change my mantle forever. Checking to see if it will work on our stone fireplace. This is exactly what I’ve been looking for. I love your styling.
Yay! So happy you like this idea! I am still loving mine and it’s been up about 4 years. Thanks so much!
Love the look! Was the mantel pretty easy to install? Did you anchor into the mortar?
Hey Denise! It was really easy to install. I believe we put it in the mortar but it was a few years back so I am not for sure. It really is a great mantel!!
Hi,
Love your Pottery Barn mantel. Where did you get the framed green flowers art/picture and the potted trees?
Thank you so much! I truly appreciate your kind comment! The picture is from Hobby Lobby and the potted trees are from a booth at a local antique store.
Hi there! My husband and I are in the process of building a fireplace, and we came across this post on Pinterest – we LOVE the color of your mantle!! I am curious, the color you purchased is the Rustic Mahogany stain? When I look at the shelf on Pottery Barn’s website, the picture doesn’t look like the dark, rich chocolate/walnut color of yours! Thanks so much for clarifying! 🙂
Hey Tina! I am so happy you came across my mantel. You are right, it doesn’t look as dark as mine on the website, but I did purchase the Rustic Mahogany. Mine is much darker. I am not sure why it looks different. I hope that helped clear it up a little. I hope it works out for you guys. It really is a great choice for a mantel.
Love everything!! So what about the coffee table? Where did that come from? Love.
Hello. Thank you sharing your fireplace and mantle photo. It’s styled perfectly.
Recently, I purchased the Pottery Barn Benchweight Shelf and plan to use as a mantle. I agree with one of the above comments that the color appears to be different than yours. The color of the shelf offered now has much more of a red undertone. Wish PB would have keep it the way yours is.
Anyway, I know you referenced installing the shelf a few years ago, but do you recall what kind of mounting kit it came with? We have tried to install the shelf several times and can’t seem to get it to hang on the bar that was provided. There was no instructions or ‘kit’ that came with it. I’ve talked with PB on serveral occasions and I am having a hard time getting help. Wondering if something was missing in our box.
Thanks for any help you can provide.
Hi Tricia! I am so sorry the color is different. I hate that they changed it because mine doesn’t have any red undertones. Thats so frustrating for sure. We just used the bracket that came with the shelf and it worked great. The only hard part was mounting it to the brick. We had to attach it to the mortar. I’m so sorry you are having a hard time with the bracket. I wish I could be more helpful but the one that came has worked fine. Keep trying Pottery Barn. Hopefully the will finally help you. I truly appreciate you letting me know. Thank you so much for visiting my blog. It means so much to me!!
Beautiful! Thanks for sharing. That living room is very inviting too.👍.
Hi there Dee! That is so nice of you to say. I appreciate your kindness more than you know! Thank you so much!
Hi, I Love the Entire Mantel but I’m really in LOVE with the color of your living room walls. What color did you use that goes with the Gray’s so well?
Hi Amy! I am so happy you love my mantel! The wall color is called Lenox Tan by BM. Thank you so much for visiting the blog!
Love the wood bowl on your table. Where did u get it ?
Thank you so much, Carmen! It was actually a flea market find. It is one of my favorite flea market finds ever. Thanks for stopping by!!
Where did you get the striped pillow and blanket in the crate?
Love the dandelion picture on mantel and the wire pieces on side of fireplace. Where are they from
Thank you! The picture is from Hobby Lobby and the wire cover is something I found at an antique booth.
Love the decor! where did you get the wood tray/bowl on the coffee table?
Hi there! Thank you so much! I actually found it at my local flea market.