Christmas Decorating Tips for a Fun and Festive Home
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This week’s guest blog is from Nanci Gillett of Burnham Interiors
Among everything there is to do in December, decorating your home for the holidays is sometimes the most difficult task to accomplish as everything else takes priority. Even if you have the time, all the Christmas shopping can make budgeting for seasonal decorating tough on the wallet. Fortunately, there are a myriad of ways to inject some holiday spirit into your home, even when you’re short on time and money! Here are some Christmas decorating tips to help make your holidays less stressful and more enjoyable.
Hang some holiday sparkle
An easy, yet splashy holiday decorating tip is to hang baubles at various lengths from a pendant light for extra bling. I like to use iridescent ribbon cut in varying lengths and inexpensive Christmas balls in an assortment of colours and finishes to give my home some extra holiday sparkle.
Simplify the season
Offset the hustle and bustle of this year’s parties with a pared back approach to holiday home decorating. Soft lighting and sparkling mercury accents offer just the right note of seasonal charm and will look just as stunning in the new year. Achieve the look effortlessly with a simple grouping of candles and flowers set in glistening votive holders and vases.
Instant holiday style
Decorating the house for the holidays is always fun and doesn’t have to break the bank. Adding ornaments, pinecones or winter florals to everyday bowls and vessels instantly creates holiday style. I especially love white pinecones in polished silver bowls or an ornament-filled tall vessel. I also love incorporating fresh winter florals like white amaryllis or hydrangeas with magnolia leaves throughout the house.
Serve up sparkle and shine
Repurposing everyday objects is one of my favourite decorating tricks. Create a simple but stylish look for the holidays using a tiered serving tray. I like to pile it high with shiny ornaments in tones of gold, bronze and white mixed with rustic pinecones for a look that is textured and unexpected.
Keep it green
Decorating with fresh greenery is the easiest way to bring a festive mood into your home. I love the simplicity of an unadorned, square boxwood wreath especially when layered in front of a mirror. Add a ribbon in a vibrant colour (such as pink, tangerine or turquoise) and you have holiday decorating that is unexpected and elegant.
A vintage display
I love to group a few treasured vintage pieces together in something unexpected like an old apple crate to create an impromptu tableau. Simple things like using old canning jars to display cherished ornaments or small items is a quick way to add a holiday touch.
Fun, festive and affordable
One of my favourite holiday decorating tips is to use common objects from around the house. The challenge of finding suitable items and using them creatively is what makes it fun. This year, I’m loving the simplicity of red and white and decided to decorate the dining room sideboard in this colour palette.
Colourful Christmas cheer
I love getting down the big boxes marked “Christmas stuff” and pulling out all the wreaths and ornaments like, well, a kid at Christmas! My decorations are a real mixed bag of sentimental things I had growing up, new items I seem to pick up every year, and handmade ornaments from my children.
I love a true berry red and I try to tie all the various bits together by using a consistent red throughout my holiday decorating. I find it such a bright and cheery colour in the dreary winter, and having punches of it everywhere always puts me in the festive mood. Year after year I never tire of it, and it also helps keep me in line when tempted by all the pretty decorations out there.
Have a Very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!
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18th December 2013