The holidays are coming up fast, which means that it’s time to start thinking about decorating your home! Whether you are buying Christmas decorations for your first home or simply thinking about a holiday decoration refresh, we’ve rounded up our top tips to help you decorate for the holidays with style. Here are seven steps for a foolproof Christmas decorating strategy:
1. Think about your house as a whole.
If you want your holiday decorations to present a cohesive appearance, then try thinking about your house as a whole and not just in terms of individual rooms. Before you start putting up decorations, survey all your materials and think strategically about what room each item will look best in and how the trimmings can flow from one room to another. If you have a bunch of different styles of fixtures that you want to put up, then we recommend sticking with a more cohesive style in the common areas — including the living room, dining room and kitchen — and then getting a little more experimental in other rooms, such as the home office or guest bedrooms.
2. Take your decoration cues from your home.
If you are in the market for new holiday decorations this year, there are many styles to choose from to fit your home. If you’re unsure about which style of decorations will look best, we recommend taking your cues from the style of your home. More traditional decorations will complement the existing style of older homes, while more experimental fixtures go great in a contemporary home. While you can definitely choose decorations that contrast with the innate style of your home, choosing specific trimmings that match your home help create a harmonious holiday feel.
3. Go beyond the entryway and common areas.
Most homeowners understandably focus their efforts on the entryway and common areas, since those are the rooms that get the most use for entertaining guests. However, if you’ve got the extra decorations and the time to decorate, we absolutely love to see an entire house decked out for the holidays, down to the guest bathrooms, home office shelves and even kitchen accessories. Even if you and your family are the only ones who see these decorations on a regular basis, it will make your entire home so much more festive and really get you in the holiday spirit.
4. Decide where you will put your tree(s).
If you are fans of a large Christmas tree — which we definitely are — then you want to be deliberate about the placement so that you don’t have to move it after you get it. We recommend putting the Christmas tree in the most central room with the tallest ceiling, which for most homes will be the living room. However, this is not to say that the living room is the only room that you should put a tree in. In fact, we really enjoy placing smaller Christmas trees around the home. A mini tree on top of a dresser or on a bathroom counter will automatically make the entire room more festive.
5. Get creative with your color scheme.
We love a classic red and green color scheme as much as the next person, but if you are looking to branch out this year, then don’t hold back from exploring less traditional hues. Holiday decorations are now available in a plethora of colors, from minimalist white to millennial pink and every shade in between. You can even get artificial trees in a variety of bold colors, including blue, orange and more. To keep your decorations from becoming too maximalist, we recommend choosing two to three main colors and sticking with various shades of those to give your entire home a cohesive look.
6. Put up lights inside.
If you typically hang your holiday lights either outdoors or on your Christmas tree, then there is so much more you could be doing with them! We really enjoy putting up holiday lights inside, whether that is wrapping them around the banister or hanging them from the ceiling. Another great decorating idea is wrapping the string lights around wire frames to create wreaths, trees and more shapes. You can weave some boughs in between the lights, or leave the metal frame bare for more of a minimalist, contemporary look.
7. Switch out throw pillows and bedding.
If you are looking for a quick way to update your bedrooms for the holidays, switching out throw pillows and flannel bedding sets is one of the fastest ways to do that. Add some red and green pillows and a throw blanket at the foot of the bed, and the room will instantly be ready to welcome your holiday guests. While you’re at it, consider switching out the linens in your bathroom for some holiday-themed towels as well. If you really want to get in the holiday spirit, consider swapping out your rugs and the shower curtain as well to turn it into a winter wonderland.
We hope this list helped inspire you to get started on your holiday decorating! What are your other expert tips for successfully decorating your home for Christmas? Are you trying anything new with your holiday decorations this year?
