Are you decorating for the holiday? Bringing out from storage everything from the stuffed big belly Santa to the Christmas snow globes you have been collecting since you were ten? When decorating for the holidays, people tend to excessively fill their home with everything holiday, making it look like a Christmas store rather than a chic home. This year keep in mind two things when you go to decorate your home, “less is more” and “simplicity is a virtue.”
Below are five simple tips from the Q design team to decorate your home for the holidays in style:
1) Create a color palate: A consistent color scheme is key to any design, whether you are decorating your home for the holidays, for everyday use, or for a party. Once you pick your color palate, whether you want to be traditional with red and green, classic with white and gold, or modern with white and silver, keep consistent and carry it throughout your home. For example, if your colors are gold and white, put an extra amount of gold ornaments on the tree to capture the eye’s attention, then carry the gold to the dinning room table arrangement with gold and white candles, and to the mantel with only white Christmas lights. This does not mean you can’t use red anywhere. It just means the most prevalent colors should be gold and white and use the red as more of an accent.
2) Wrap with Style: If you put a little extra money into your wrapping paper, the presents themselves can serve as décor pieces. It does not cost a lot to wrap nicely. You can get regular Christmas paper or solid colored designs and just get nice wired ribbon to create fun bows. Make the ribbon consistent with your color palate and it will really dress up your tree and your home, whether it is sparkling silver, glitzy gold, or radiant red.
3) Create groupings: When adding accents to your house, designers like to display the holiday accents in grouping or vignettes. The small groupings become accents that work together. For example, if you like candles, put them in groupings of three or five on your coffee table or dining room table. Putting them in groups rather than letting them run solo makes a stronger impact, and when you continue the groups throughout your home it makes for consistent and chic design. Or, if you collect Santas, display them in small groups of three on the entertainment center. Or, if you collect gold ornaments, put some in a beautiful dish as an accent on your coffee table, in clear vases on your mantel and on your tree. People’s eyes will be drawn to the consistency throughout.
4) Personalize: A great way to bring Christmas to your home is with photos. Print photographs of past Christmases and put them in a nice photo album (bound in your color scheme) and place it on your coffee table, open for all to share in the memories. Or, print black and white photographs of past Christmases or family members (or friends) and place them in frames of your accent color on your mantel! Personalizing the items makes it very unique, and allows you the liberty to create custom holiday accent pieces that are not only consistent with your color scheme, but also are conversation starters and reminders of wonderful family (or friend) memories.
5) Think dual purpose: Some of the best designs are rooted in functionality. If you are not much for knick-knacks but still want to spruce up your home for the holidays, there are plenty of options. You can get nice throws and pillows in solid colors consistent with your holiday color scheme that will accent your home, such as a nice cranberry red throw or pillows which add some holiday color but also provide a purpose of warmth and comfort. Also, you can get nice glass containers with lids filled with festive colored munchies, like red and white candy canes or red licorice. This creates visually beautiful pieces with holiday flair while also providing a snack and yummy delight for guests or family members. An abundance of candles is also a great way to bring the holidays into your home. You can get cinnamon or pine scented candles that not only make your home pretty but also delight your sense of smell with fragrances of the holidays. If red and green are your color scheme, you can even keep bowls of red and green apples everywhere, which are not only pretty in design but also great to eat.
The above 5 are essentials for transforming your house into an inviting home for the holidays. If you need specific advice for your holiday décor or have questions for our Q team design experts, post a question or a comment and our Q team would be glad to help.
Let Q, help you create a holiday design that makes your guests say, “What a clever idea?”
