If there's one thing I envy during the holidays, it's folks who have a fab fireplace at home. And it's not necessarily because I want to curl up beside a roaring fire; rather, it's because I miss having a mantel to dress with fresh evergreen garland, glittering mercury glass candlesticks and a few merry mementoes of Christmases past. To showcase the full potential of the mantel in a festive decorating scheme, interior stylist Lisa Canning and the folks at modern fireplace mecca, Paloform, took one Paloform mantel and dressed it for the holidays in three totally different ways. Which of these looks reflects your seasonal decorating style?   TAKE ONE: "LUSH" 

* Tired of traditional holiday palettes of red, green and white? Teal takes this mantel in a refreshingly unexpected direction.

* Bring balance to an asymmetrical fireplace surround by hanging two stockings to one side of the firebox.

* Introduce an au courant pattern into your vignette. "Stockings are a great way to add graphic, modern pattern to a mantel," says Canning. Love that Greek key motif!

* Use ribbon in lieu of conventional garland. Wound loosely across the mantel, it brings an element of softness to the fireplace's linear design.

* Repurpose old art frames as displays for those one-of-a-kind ornaments that don't work on your tree.

Photography courtesy of Paloform.

      TAKE TWO: "WARM" 

* Think beyond the holidays. This predominantly gold scheme is fireplace-friendly through to the beginning of 2014.

* "Use what you have," says Canning. "Shop your house during the holidays and use items that are not necessarily considered 'holiday'." Here, ordinary glass vases are filled with ornaments.

Photography courtesy of Paloform.

    TAKE THREE: "SCANDINAVIAN TRADITIONAL"

* Never underestimate the potential of a feather boa. Here, it's a fantastically festive stand-in for conventional evergreen garland.

* "Vary your heights," says Canning. "Like with any surface decorating, the rule of variety prevails on a mantel. Vary the heights of your decor pieces to keep the eye moving from one end to the other in an engaging manner."

Photography courtesy of Paloform.

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