The holiday season is a favourite for many. There’s a certain buzz in the air as friends and family meet, presents get wrapped and the fridge starts to stock up. So it’s no wonder that with all the extra hosting and excitement we want to decorate our homes. But how can you do it so it looks more stylish and less cliché and cluttered?
It can be difficult, especially if you’re one for collecting Christmas decorations and baubles throughout the years. It’s easy to hang them off every door handle for a bit of Christmas cheer. But that’s hardly going to give you a cohesive and stylish look to your festive home.
The good news is that you can still use your favourite decorations. Pair them with these top design tips to transform your home into a cosy, happy, and chic place this Christmas.
How to Decorate Your Home for Christmas
1. Choose Your Colour Theme
Colour is one of the most important things to think about when it comes to Christmas decorating. Of course, green and red are classics and they can work amazingly, but you don’t have to stick to them if they don’t match the rest of your decor. Let it be an excuse to get creative. You can use brighter greens, blues, gold, silver, pale pinks, white or just about any other colour! Patterns also work really well, especially tartan which, again, doesn’t have to be just red and green.
You can use your colour pallet throughout your house once you’ve decided on it. For example, if you’ve decided on using navy blue as one of your main colours, you can decorate your tree with some baubles in this colour and use it as the main runner colour on your Christmas lunch table. Having these little hints of the main colour throughout the home helps to make it feel organised and cohesive.
2. Use a Wreath
There was a time when wreaths were all a bit samey – lots of dried fruit and a few pine cones attached to some greenery. While traditional wreaths are beautiful and fit into many interior design aesthetics you really can think outside the box. Wreaths can be made from just about anything! You can go foraging in the garden or woods to create a nature-inspired wreath or create one totally of gold spraypainted pine cones.
Or why not try different materials such as metal? Rather than making a whole wreath, you could also get one that’s just half decorated for a bit of intrigue and asymmetry. They’re a great way to express your design style and personality and, as we know from Feng Shui, the front door is very important and sets the scene for the rest of the house.
3. Remember That Less is More
It’s really tempting to go all out at Christmas, especially when you see the box of tinsel. But, as with many things in interior design, less is more. For example, when decorating the mantel, concentrate on making things feel balanced and not attaching every stocking or bauble to it. Garlands can be a beautiful way to draw attention and, like the wreath, they don’t always have to be traditional. They can be made out of all kinds of materials and be different colours.
The same goes for your tablescape. You might want to make it fussy, but actually, well-chosen decorations can look great. Think ornate candlesticks, a minimalist garland or patterned napkins.
4. Add Extra Atmosphere
Interior design is about all the senses and what could be more atmospheric at Christmas than a rich-scented candle? Candles are perfect for creating a cosy and welcoming space all year round, but especially in the winter months. Group a scented candle with non-scented ones of different heights to create a vignette or display them on the mantle or coffee table.
5. Style Your Cushions Correctly
Cushions are a great way to change up a decor and make it feel more festive. There’s something about different textures on a sofa that makes it feel extra inviting and cosy. They can be simple and in Christmassy colours or patterned. In fact, cushions are one of the best ways to create a maximalist yet classy Christmassy feel as you can layer them together and combine textures and colours.
6. Bring the Outside In
The outdoors may not be as exciting at Christmas as it is in Spring, but there are still so many beautiful flowers, cuttings and plants you can bring in. You’ll be surprised by how impactful a vase of greenery can look, especially one of fir, holly or eucalyptus. They also smell incredible, which helps to create that all-important atmosphere!
Interesting twigs, such as curly hazel, can also look amazing in a vase, especially when lightly sprayed golden. You can hang mini baubles off them for an extra festive touch!
7. Think About Lighting
Christmas styling is all about creating a welcoming, homely and cosy atmosphere and lighting is one of the best ways to do it. Apart from candles, warm-coloured fairy lights as well as side lamps help to create a magical, Christmassy feel. It’s all about light layering rather than having one large central light. Be sure to spread the lights around the room including on windowsills, bookshelves, coffee tables and on the floor to create the perfect atmosphere. A great tip is to place fairy lights in jars around the room, it’s unique and creates a subtle yet beautiful glow.
8. It’s Not Just About the Living Room and Staircase
Remembering that less is still more, it’s possible to subtly make small changes to your entire home to create that wonderful Christmas feel. For example, adding rich-coloured and deeply textured bed covers and throws to your bedroom can instantly create a snug Christmas look. Crimson, pine, navy and sandy brown tones allude to traditional colours without being too over the top.
Furthermore, kitchen countertops are the perfect place to display small Christmas decorations such as sculptures, potted plants (like poinsettia) and even one of those beautiful vases of greenery.
9. Use Bows
Bows can be the perfect accessory to your Christmas interior decor. Not only can bows look great on a Christmas tree, but oversized bows can look amazing on the front door instead of a wreath. You have endless materials and ribbons to choose from so a sophisticated, festive bow goes with almost any colour pallet and theme!
10. Stage Gifts
Gifts are an instant way to create an elegant yet fun Christmas decor. Although we’re a fan of recycling wrapping paper and ribbon, it’s often best to leave those for the gifts you’re giving. For those staying in your home (you can even wrap empty boxes for the sake of the decor), find a wrapping paper and ribbon that matches your Christmas tree colours and stage them at different heights under the tree. You can also put gifts in baskets in the hallway or around the bottom of the stairs depending on space.
Decorating Your Home for Christmas – Final Thoughts
It’s so much fun decorating your home at Christmas. The most important thing to remember is that whatever time of the year, your home should reflect you and your style. For a cohesive and chic Christmas decor, always have less is more in mind. Come up with a colour palette that you like and mimic aspects of this throughout the house, whether that’s in a bauble, cushion cover or cosy throw. It’s a great time of year to experiment with creativity and play around with what works best for you!
