Photo By Ashton Woods

Transitional Living Room with Dark Walls, Built-in Bookshelf and Decorated Wood Mantel

Instead of a fancy piece of art, enlarge a photo you've taken outside or in a favorite spot and frame it, says Leigh Spicher, Ashton Woods' national director of design studios. You can add color to the mantle, like in this Dallas home, without using accessories. Also, arrange shells or other natural elements that you saved because of their beauty (and free price tag) in a frame or shadowbox, as another layer of art for your mantel.