Making the Most of Your Holiday Décor

Does the thought of decorating your home for the holidays make your palms sweat? Especially, when you page through any December issue of a home décor magazine? Loaded with pictures of beautifully decorated fireplace mantels, dining room tables and staircases, it’s enough to make a person’s eyes cross with envy. “How did they do that?” You ask, setting the magazine back on the rack while you attempt to keep jealousy at bay. Fortunately, anyone, even the domestically challenged, can make their home look fantastic for the holidays. It’s a simple matter of knowing some of the best kept secrets of interior designers. Here are some tips and tricks for making the most of your holiday décor. One of the best tricks is to take advantage of your existing décor. If your dining room has a color scheme with glue, gold or silver, avoid imposing bright red or holly green colors. This will only be a distraction. By adding touches of blue instead, you’ll have a much more elegant room that reflects the cool colors of the winter season. Another trick of the trade when it comes to making the most of your holiday décor is creating vignettes. A common mistake many homeowners make is to randomly scatter their holiday decorations on every surface in a room. Opt instead for grouping some decorations together with greenery or candles. You can think of this grouping the same way cinematographers compose a visually pleasant scene. What makes a room more attractive at the holidays is one great vignette rather than several smaller items scattered across the room. One way to use what you already have in a room is to take old books and create levels of variety by tucking greenery in between your books. If you’ve recently updated the décor in a room, it’s a good idea to assess the appeal of your holiday décor as you unpack it. Some holiday decorations may not reflect the new color scheme and you may want to donate, discard and replace them. But don’t worry, decking the halls with new décor doesn’t have to break the bank. Simple items like pine cones from the backyard, greenery and ribbon can enhance what you choose to keep. It’s just the sprucing up your holiday décor needs to keep it fresh. Another best keep secret for making the most of holiday décor is filling your mantel with Christmas cards. Or, line up a grouping of small items. By thinking of your mantel as a whole, choosing greenery, lights and ribbons in the same color scheme, you’ll decorate it with elegance and cohesion. And don’t forget the lights. It’s the best way to make your mantel sparkle.   Part of what makes the holidays such a special time of year are the memories of holidays past. Problem is some of those childhood ornaments often lack aesthetic appeal. This is why many interior designers opt for displaying children’s ornaments that their clients just can’t part with on a small children’s tree. Located in a child’s bedroom or playroom, this magical tree holds all the unbreakable ornaments while giving memories their own special place. Finally, to really create a festive atmosphere nothing beats infusing a room with scents of the season. Choose one of your favorite fragrances – cinnamon, pumpkin spice, peppermint or apples – to get you in the holiday spirit. But don’t overwhelm your family and guests by having more than one floating around in the air. A scented candle, scented oil or potpourri adds to the holiday ambiance and is the perfect finishing touch.