Decorating your home for the holidays can be a daunting task.

Related Story: Some tips to help you spruce up

Take your fireplace mantel, for instance. Mantels usually are the focal point of a room, demanding a little extra holiday care.

Most people do their own decorating. But if you want a professional look, you can still line up a decorator to do it for you. Most designers use artificial or dried elements because live material doesn't hold up through the long season. An added benefit is that it can be saved and reused another time.

Prices for labor start at $65 per hour. Figure a minimum of two hours for the average mantel with a simple design. If you ask, designers will incorporate your accessories into the design and will try to use other items you have on hand.

Still want to do it yourself? We asked one floral designer and one interior designer to give us a peek at their work this season. They shared their design secrets for re-creating the look at home. So get inspired, and get decorating!

---

Hartwood Acres
Victorian great room, Hampton

Tony Tye, Post-Gazette photos

Designer: Jim Tomasits, Jim Ludwig's Blumengarten, Strip District

Design inspiration: The mantle. "It's 12 feet tall and 9 feet wide. Carved out of mahogany wood from the Black Forest. Strangely, the mantel ledge is only 4 inches deep in some places."

Owner provided: Artificial deer, real grapevines and holly from the property, lights and historic silver.

Key design elements: Grapevines, large-scale items in the firebox area (can use grapevine deer), artificial flowers and greenery. Accents include lots of drippy, bohemian beads, lights, pots of artificial flowers and silver pieces. "The key to this design is scale. A mantel this large demands big pieces or it will just look ridiculous."

Price: Eight hours of labor at $65 per hour. $800 for the materials.

Maintenance: None, real grapevine and ivy hold their shape as they dry. Store off-season in plastic container.

Hartwood Acres is open for holiday tours; call 412-767-9200 for information.

Home of Irene Walker
Arts and Crafts living room, Dormont

Designer: Irene Walker, principal, Fine Interior Design, Dormont, 412-561-7063.

Design inspiration: Strong Arts and Crafts styling of the mantel and built-ins. Design is seasonal, focused on elements of nature, the sun, the Earth and the sea.

Owner provided: Mirror, lamps, fish, candles.

Key design elements: One large focal point. In this case, the silk hydrangea wreath (measures 4¹/₂ feet wide by 2¹/₂ feet tall), mirror, use of primary colors. Accents include ceramic fish, iridescent fabric, glass bowls and ribbon frames with delicate crystal wreaths on the windows to catch more sunlight. "Bright colors will raise your spirits and make you happy in the winter months. This design will take you well into the New Year."

Price: $75 per hour in labor, $35 per linear foot of high-quality silk flowers.

Maintenance: None. Store off-season in a plastic container.

Hartwood Acres
Victorian dining room, Hampton

Designer: Jim Tomasits, Jim Ludwig's Blumengarten, Strip District

Design inspiration: The room's paint color -- "a very unique shade of apple green with a heavy blue-base undertone."

Owner provided: Historic silver pieces from the collection of Mary Flinn Lawrence.

Key design elements: Large painting (a large wreath can be substituted), slim, tapered candlesticks, beaded, iridescent fruit. Accents include the silver netting ribbon in the swag. "This simple design uses the color in the fruit to play off of the walls."

Price: $65 per hour for labor. $250 for the supplies.

Maintenance: Off-season, swag can be stored in one piece, with the fruit in a plastic container.

Home of Joe and Karen Trainer
traditional family room, Marshall

Designer: Jim Tomasits, senior floral designer, Jim Ludwig's Blumengarten, Strip District, 412-281-3322.

Design inspiration: The homeowner. "Karen wanted a very simple design to flow with the elements in the room. It's very clean, elegant and suits the traditional lines of the house."

Owners provided: Two candlesticks and candles.

Key design elements: Lush, full garland, Amaryllis (real or silk) and two candlesticks. Accents include ornaments, ribbon and beaded sprays. "This mantel takes its lead from the design of the room."

Price: $65 per hour for labor plus materials. High quality floral silks and ribbons for this design cost $240.

Maintenance: None. The entire display is silk and wired together. Store off-season in a heavy-duty plastic container.