A display of winter greenery, flowers and berries make an easy holiday tabletop arrangement. Photo ©Judith Love.Use vases that are tall and wide enough for greenery such as holly privet or nandina branches, or nip off short pieces of your Christmas tree and use them in your centrepieces.
From giant handmade garlands made from twigs hung unevenly to simple peg doll candlesticks, Scandi style reigns supreme when it comes to holiday decor ideas. Check out our picks for the cosiest touches for every room here.
Living room
Have you got a welcoming living room which you have decorated for the Christmas festivities? Obviously, it is an invitation to all friends and relatives to visit and enjoy the Christmas spirit with you. Furthermore, you can select colour combinations or just add any crafted decorations with a personal touch to make it even more charming.
Green foliage sets a seasonal backdrop. A corsage of wild magnolia festooned across the mantel unifies this space’s modern painting with the more traditional elements (wreath and ribbon) around it. Ribbon bows poised atop trees, wreaths and garlands are festive accents that won’t overwhelm; let your colour choice be informed by both your space and your persona (naive patterned bows complement modern paintings; chocolate brown ribbon ties are macho).
Bring tradition and the seductive scent of pine needle, vanilla bean and other seasonal scents to your rooms with candles, sprays and potpourri to keep the welcoming seasonal smells long after your guests depart. Use fragrant accessories to enhance your christmas décor – a centrepiece for a coffee table or festive mantle display.
Dining room
Bring in decorations that you have for the dining table or buffet – adding festive decor is not only a great way to get excited about the holiday, but it also makes Christmas dinner in the dining room feel more festive, making your guests feel welcomed. Use decorative artefacts in a centrepiece display on the dining table, any other glassware can have lush greenery (going as far as a mix of fern leaves and spruce branches!), adding holiday decor through festive holly berry branches, pine cones, or any clippings you have available can punctuate the dining table for you, use matching vases to build a festive arrangement – you could even complete the decor with items located in your home that talk to your design style.
Or you can rescue a family dining room heirloom and use it as the starting point for a holiday tableau by putting it in the centre of a festive display. The focal point of the arrangement, a creamy mahogany buffet, is allowed to shine while Christmas ornaments and vintage mirrors simply play up its charms by adding festive flourishes without competing with its clean lines.
Decorate your staircase for Christmas is a quick way to brighten up your home with seasonal cheer. Make it double fun with berry and ornament garlands for that playful, eclectic feel that complement the colours you chose. Here’s this pair of folk-patterned stockings decorated with rosehip-fir garlands and red ribbons.
Kitchen
Kirsten Diane of Hip2Save.com kept her kitchen picture-perfect while cooking up holiday food, hanging red rope over her stove to frame wooden shelves filled with Santa mugs and firewood 24670284.
Decorate with white accents to keep the kitchen feeling open, including glassware, ceramics, and this adorable DIY sign reading ‘Merry Christmas Ya Filthy Animal!’ “Merry Christmas Ya Filthy Animal!” Graphic courtesy Katie Gilmartin.
Or opt to go all-out, Emerson-style, with such holiday clutter as ribboned rattan pendants, faux plants and greenery, as advised by Risa, the designer behind the blog Spruce Ridge Vintage.
And don’t stop at the entryway or mantle with wreaths. Painted-wood-panelled pantry drawer doors are crying out for a dose of seasonal colour and texture. Traditional wreath material includes boxwood, magnolia leaves and cedar; but try fruit, berries or dehydrated citrus pieces for a truly different look.
Bedroom
Make your bedroom your holiday getaway by adding festive pillow shams or throw blankets. You don’t even have to replace your regular bedding, just the occasional holiday decoration can make a room feel festive but not over the top.
Alternatively, if you want the surprise factor, use a tabletop tree as a decorative prop. A playful paper tree or a tree of LED twigs from Rockett St George are a fun twist and a bold feature.
Another way to make seasonal bedroom beds is with a vignette. Candles, wreaths or snow globes – here’s one from Layered Lounge – can all have an impact. Tabletop displays, mixing two or three natural objects with another element – like the Nutcracker and Gonk from Dear Lillie Studio shown here – work very well in bedrooms for adults and children alike.
