Featured at OwnHomeStyle.com
By Lisa M Smith
The holidays are a time of friends, family and celebration. Just like you may feature fabulous foods on your holiday table, you need to feature your holiday decorations. This is the time of year to uncover your internal display artist and do your own home holiday makeover.
A holiday makeover takes thought and planning. First select what you are going to show off and then decide where. Don’t just put your holiday decorations in your existing room and shove existing items aside. Edit. Start with your existing accessories; take away most or all of them. Yes, I know it can be hard but this editing exercise will benefit you in more ways than you think. Good design requires careful editing. Any decorative accessories should support your holiday theme not fight with it for attention.
Determine the best areas for your displays so they are seen and enjoyed. Carefully place your holiday items with attention to impact and prominence. It may also be necessary to rearrange your existing rooms to make way for the transformation. Place the Christmas tree where you will enjoy seeing it. If you normally have two sofas facing each other in front of a fireplace try arranging them in an “L” shape if this opens up your viewing area to the tree. Do not crowd holiday displays into the room.
Now you are ready to be artistic and creative. Go for it! Do whatever works to play-up or feature the item you present. Remember to allow areas for the eye to rest. Display a single beautiful menorah all alone on a table in front of a mirror to reflect the beauty of the celebratory lights.
Have some fun and make a complete transformation in your entrance hall, powder room, family room, living room, kitchen, dining room, or any other public space. I once heard of someone who let her children have small (artificial) trees in their bedrooms and put other lights up, but the trade off was the kids had to have everything else cleaned off and put away for the entire holiday season. Smart mom! It worked. Especially when her son found his decorations removed after leaving hockey items and computer games on the floor. This can bring about a whole new way of living!
Here are some ideas of existing everyday items you can switch out for more festive holiday versions. Simple holiday décor exchanges:
Decorative pillows.
Casual throw rugs (doormats too).
Candles and/or candle holders.
Family pictures – put past holiday pictures in existing frames.
Guest towels.
Change your tabletop books to ones of a winter or holiday theme.
Houseplants – add festive ones and move your existing ones to non-public rooms.
Table linens and dishware.
These are only a few, feel free to keep going.
Successful holiday decorating is festive and comfortable. You want people to smile when they enter your home. The same rules of every day home decoration apply. Make a plan and editing your existing decorative accessories to make room and support your holiday theme and color scheme. This will create a holiday “wow” for everyone to enjoy. Just like you shouldn’t put out every accessory, don’t fill every empty space with a holiday decoration. Leave places for the eye to rest. Feature, don’t fill. The most talked about holiday interiors are ones where the homeowner did the full makeover.
About the Author
Lisa M. Smith is an interior designer and owner of Interior Design Factory, Ltd. She specializes in creating beautiful and inviting residential interiors that are timeless and look collected, not like a showroom. Real design for real people. She produces individualized results using creative solutions that are liveable and tell a story. Good design is for everyone and available in every budget.
Hire an Interior Designer Now for only $4.95. Click on website to ask your personal design question. You can even send pictures. Get design advice and answers just for you!
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