Five Tips for Easy, Glorious Holiday Décor

Surrounding yourself and loved ones with the “merry and bright” this time of year may seem a bit overwhelming, so we’ve come up with a few tips to brighten the season and welcome your guests with warmth and good cheer.

1. Color

Don’t forget that we’re not limited to red and green for holiday decorating. Surprise your guests with a unique and memorable color palette. Some of our favorites are: aqua/copper, fuchsia/mossy green, purple/cream, olive green/terracotta, and for a vintage touch we’re loving minty green with pale coral.

Embrace the accent colors you already have in your home and repeat them in tree and tabletop decor. By repeating colors throughout your décor, it makes for a more cohesive look out of what may otherwise be a random assortment of holiday treasures.

And don’t forget the metals! Silver, gold, brass, and copper will add an element of luxury that we associate with the holidays.

2. Nature

Faux evergreens and florals are a wonderful base for arrangements, garlands, and wreaths. They can be brought out year after year and will not dry out like live plants and create less mess. But…and this is a big one… there is no substitute for the scent of fresh cedar, fir or pine. Mixing natural elements of evergreen branches, twigs and dried florals with the faux can take an arrangement to the next level. We love adding pine boughs to bowls of sparkly ornaments or draping a cedar garland down the middle of a dining table to anchor our holiday display.

One of our favorite decorating secrets is to “stuff the tree” with natural elements. The possibilities are endless… peacock feathers, curly willow, cotton picks, antler sheds, stems of naturals, dried seed pods, faux ferns, or mossy branches.

3. Family Traditions

Use family china, crockery, and keepsakes in unusual ways… fill the teapot with an arrangement of fresh greens and glass icicles or plant crocus in the soup tureen. Gather the bottlebrush Christmas trees on a serving tray or display your favorite cherubs on treasured boxes. Trade out the tabletop family photos for a collection of family photos taken in winter or during the holidays.

4. Scale

If your holiday decor items are small, gather them together, then elevate them on a pedestal and add a sprig of holly or pine. Place them as a focal point on a console or bookcase. This will have much more impact than spreading them throughout the house.

Go BIG! We love the wow factor of large scale items, especially in foyers. Place tall branches in a container and layer with seasonal trim. And, over-sized items tucked into the tree can make quite the statement. Items we’ve used in the past include: musical instruments, vintage sports equipment, and statuary.

 

5. Lighting

Take advantage of the shorter days by adding candlelight to your home. Programmable and remote control LED candles create a wonderful ambiance, especially if they are reflected in mirrors and windows and nestled in greens on reflective surfaces. Place votives in mercury glass vessels for added sparkle. Create pools of warm lamp light for an inviting, cozy atmosphere.

Wishing you all the best for a memorable holiday season. May it be filled with much love, laughter, family, and friends.

Written by:

Angie Morse, The Room Stylers, Portland, Oregon

Anne Runde, Anne Runde Interiors, Portland, Oregon