Key ingredients: An unexpected wreath, native plants and thrift store finds. Putting it together: Illustrator and designer Susie’s motivations for this mantel were color, texture and using what she had. “I always look for colorful items at thrift shops that I can group together and add a little punch to our home. The turned wood candlesticks in egg-yolk yellow were perfect for the raw beauty of the scrap-wood wreath my husband, Will, surprised me with. The refined shape balanced and picked up the yellow undertones in the wood pieces. Next, I added the yellow desk lamp from our office and the plants from our patio for a Los Angeles version of holiday greenery.
See more of Susie Bauer’s projects by visiting her website, rockscissorpaper.com.