Creating a Holiday Home Glow Up
Make any home shine with expert decorating tips: choose a theme, highlight key spaces, start with lights and keep arrangements simple for staging and curb appeal.
NEW YORK — The sights and sounds of the holiday season help to make this a special time of year that people look forward to.
With magical moments and opportunities to gather with family and friends, the holiday season is a period to celebrate and, of course, decorate. According to an informal poll from the decorating, culture and travel experts at Veranda, 65% of respondents said that the time to decorate for Christmas is right after Thanksgiving or the first week of December.
Many stores now display holiday decorations and other wares concurrently with Halloween and fall items, so people can plan their decorating early if they expect to be adding to their holiday collections. These tips can help with decorating and make anyone deck the halls like a professional:
Choose your theme and color palette
Consider a specific style of decorating, whether it’s traditional, minimalist, country, or even winter wonderland. Then select a few coordinating colors to complement the theme and existing items in your home. Pick up these items as they become available in stores, as holiday merchandise often goes quickly.
Focus on a few key areas
While it’s tempting to decorate an entire home, pros know to focus on key areas like tables, doorways and mantles to create the most visual interest. This also makes decorating more manageable.
Rely on the rule of thirds
Create balanced and visually pleasing arrangements by dividing the space visually into nine equal parts, symbolically drawing two equally spaced horizontal and two equally spaced vertical lines.
Designers often place important elements along these lines or at their intersections to create a more visually balanced and appealing composition. When grouping decorative items together on shelves and tables, threes often look best.
Remove clutter
It’s important to declutter a space prior to introducing holiday elements in order to create a clean and organized look. Store additional decorations and knickknacks until after the holiday season.
Start with lights
It’s often easier to decorate by beginning with lights first and then weaving additional decorations into the mix. Build on lights with garlands and accent items.
Less is often more
Keep the decorating simple. A few elements here and there can have a much more effective impact than several things that draw attention away from one another. When taking out holiday decorations this year, use it as an opportunity to assess and cull the collection, which will make things easier next year.
Homeowners can decorate their spaces for the holidays effectively with some guidelines professional designers often use.
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