How to decorate for the holidays like a designer
My favourite part about the holidays is the time spent with friends and family, and something I look forward to every year is decorating our home for all to enjoy! I’m sharing some simple tips for holiday decorating, plus the five areas of your home I always focus my styling efforts.
Tip #1: Plan ahead
“If you fail to plan, you plan to fail,” is my mantra. While it’s not always possible to plan everything in advance, when I do spend some time strategizing our household tasks, I’m always grateful I did! I usually start decking our halls towards the end of November, and my goal is to be done around December 1st. I will often shop for any decorative items that we need (or that catch my eye) near the beginning of November so that I have everything on hand when it’s time to start decorating.
Tip #2: Stick to a colour scheme
The biggest thing to keep in mind when planning your holiday decorating strategy is to think about a colour scheme. My best advice is to select an accent colour or two and repeat them in several areas throughout your home. You can embrace the traditional red and green, but holiday décor shines in many different color palettes so feel free to choose something non-traditional! Warm, earthy organic and colours are great choices that work beautifully during the holiday season. Once you’ve chosen your accent colors, I like to select one metallic finish as well to repeat throughout my festive décor. This helps to tie your spaces together and provide flow throughout your home. I love the warmth of vintage brass year-round, but I tend to add more of it throughout the holidays to make my home feel a little extra special.
Tip #3: Break it into manageable steps
Rome wasn’t built in a day, and your Christmas decorating doesn’t need to be done in a day either! I used to put pressure on myself to haul all the decorations out of storage and try and magically transform our home inside and out all in one day. I would end up exhausted and stressed instead of feeling creative and joyful. I finally realized my approach was not working and I discovered the beauty in taking my time. It feels so much less overwhelming to break your holiday decorating down into smaller bite sized pieces!
Not sure where to start? Here are the top five areas of my home that I like to focus on when decorating for the holidays.
The front door
The most essential part of our outdoor décor is a wreath on the front door! Hanging up a wreath is the first thing I do to get our home ready for the holiday season. I love the pop of colour on this festive Paloma Cedar Berry Wreath.
The fireplace mantel
I follow my simple styling recipe which I shared here - but I substitute in some festive décor and add some greenery and stockings! Starting with a round mirror as the focal point, I love to display some Christmas tree sculptures on one side, and candles on the other. I finish the look with Christmas tree garland on the top of the mantel and pretty decorative stockings. These cute stocking holders caught my eye on a recent visit to Urban Barn, and I think I might be adding them to my vignette this year. I also fell in love with this set of vintage bells, and love how they looked hanging from the mantel in the store!
The Christmas tree
The Christmas Tree is the main event when it comes to holiday decorating, and there are a few trends that have been dominating the scene. Up first, flocked Christmas trees! These snow-covered trees are becoming increasingly popular and I am here for it. This one is both flocked and pre-lit, which means the decorating is halfway complete! With the addition of some Christmas tree ornaments, you can tick “decorate the tree” off your list in no time. The other trend that I have completely embraced is the Christmas tree collar. In recent years, I have replaced our Christmas tree skirts with tree collars because I love the clean and streamlined look of them.
The sofa
Our family logs a great deal of time on the sofa watching Christmas movies this time of year, so this is another area that I like to focus my holiday decorating. A few festive pillows that coordinate with my colour scheme and a cozy blanket are all it takes! I have my eye on this green velvet pillow and a soft checked throw blanket.
The dining table
Since the dining table is where you’ll be gathering for holiday meals with loved ones, I think it deserves a little love. A tabletop display is a great way to style this area of your home, and it doesn’t have to be complicated. These Small Christmas Trees make a simple and festive centerpiece that you can dress up with a string of battery operated lights for a little extra sparkle. Plus, they come in two different sizes to accommodate large and small dining tables. Another easy decorating idea is to display a bowl of Christmas ball ornaments, like a collection of these ones in a bowl like this one. Finish the look with some pretty candle holders for a cozy and festive dining room table!