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5 tips on how to decorate your home this Christmas
Well, would you look at that? The holiday season is already almost upon us! And for many of us, nothing helps us to get into the seasonal spirit more than decorating their home in a festive manner. When we turn on the television at this time of year, we often see films from It’s a Wonderful Life to Home Alone depicting huge luxurious homes all dressed up for Christmas with acres of tinsel, imposingly massive Christmas trees and stockings hanging over a roaring fire. But if your home is a little more diminutive, or if you rent your home rather than own it, that doesn’t mean that you can’t inject your living space with a healthy dose of seasonal good cheer.
Minimalism and mistletoe:
It’s easy to get carried away at Christmas, giving every surface a coating of fake snow, dangling candy canes wherever they can be accommodated and wrapping tinsel and lights over every railing, banister and picture frame. However, it’s important to remember that less is more. Rather than beat your home with the Christmas stick, pick a few items that have a strong presence and let them do the talking. Try to stick to one color scheme and add variety by using different shades of those colors. Too many conflicting colors can give the home a chaotic look, especially in small spaces like apartments.
Oh Christmas tree, Oh Christmas tree:
Your Christmas tree is undoubtedly the focal point of your decor and should set the tone for your overall design aesthetic. If you’re normally the kind of person who decorates the tree until you can’t see a square inch of green for all the lights and baubles, try dialing it back and letting that green show. There’s really no substitute for the look, feel and smell of a real tree. However, if you prefer an artificial one, decorate it with just enough to pull focus from the elements that make it look artificial. If you’d like to use lights on your tree, try using plain white lights or lights that are all of the same color. It has a surprisingly calming effect compared to multicolored chaos.
Keep it natural:
Speaking of real trees, the more natural materials you can bring into your festive decor the better. Natural materials make us feel more relaxed and happy and bring the outdoors indoors. As such, they can help combat feelings of Seasonal Affective Disorder when the cold and dark prevent us from making the most of the world outside the window. Try using pine cones, fruits and vegetables as well as herbs like cloves and cinnamon sticks as part of your festive decor. A big bowl of pine cones or some oranges pierced with cloves can make for festive, fragrant and cost effective decor. Likewise a wreath made from festive greenery can make a fantastic centrepiece for your dining table or focal point for your mantlepiece.
Keep it simple, keep it affordable:
You certainly don’t have to spend a fortune on overpriced seasonal decorations this Christmas. If you’d rather save your money to buy fabulous gifts, that doesn’t mean that you can’t lay on fabulous Christmas decorations. Try cutting colored paper into festive forms like snowmen or snowflakes. These can be placed on mantlepieces or stuck to windows for a wonderfully festive feel. Ribbon is also an incredibly versatile tool to create wonderful festive look. Hang bows of ribbon around door handles or on your tree and marvel as the festive feelings start to flow. Ribbons can be used as decoration on their own. You can tie them to any bottle or cutlery to give everything in your home a Christmas feel.
Bake it till you make it:
As well as making your own decorations, you can also bake your own decorations which look, smell and taste amazing and create an incredibly cosy atmosphere (especially if you bake them with cinnamon, ginger or another seasonal spice). Use a Christmas themed cookie cutter and bake cookie dough into fabulous edible decorations. Pierce the dough with a hole prior to baking, thread some ribbon through the hole and voila! A fabulous edible Christmas tree decoration. With a little imagination, you can transform any home into a seasonal wonderland.
Posted on November 19th 2019
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