The pros at Arresting Design suggest you start your decor off by picking a theme. From left, dark and dramatic; young and vibrant; fruitful; and subtly icy.
Do you greet the holiday decorating season with a sense of been-there, done-that? If you do, don’t worry, you’re not Scrooge. You probably just need to refresh those tired old decorating ideas.
We love Christmas decor with a bit of attitude: feathers, ribbons, fake fruit, homemade ornaments, old spoons and forks — whatever strikes your fancy. Think about seasonal decorating in the same way you would think about decorating a room. Stick with the basic design principles of repetition, depth, symmetry, balance, line and colour, and then feel free to jazz it up!
It’s probably a good idea to start by choosing a theme. Your tree is usually the focus of your holiday decorations, so make it a statement. A tree with oversized ornaments, such as large silver stars and balls for example, is a hot look this year. Fill in the spaces between large ornaments with colourful taffeta bows, or shiny ribbons.
Jewel-like crystals have found their way onto trees, garlands and wreaths this year as well as hanging on the ornaments themselves like dangly earrings. If you want your tree lit from the inside, consider winding your lights around the tree trunk, (but do this before you add your ornaments!).
Or go ahead and indulge your imagination. Maybe create an icy blue Christmas tree; or a tree bedecked with plastic (or real) gilded fruit; or a Mediterranean tree with plastic or wired-on real artichokes, dried peppers and plastic fish. Whatever you do, be true to your vision.
But whatever your vision, there are some important style pointers to keep in mind. Your Christmas decor needs a sense of unity, so beware of a mish-mash of styles. Repeat one type of ornament so it creates a recurring colour, or shape or theme throughout the house.
For example, ribbons are a great way to coordinate a holiday look. Decide whether you want a velvet ribbon in rich, jewel tones, or a series of red/green/gold ribbons, or a dramatic black and burgundy scheme. Then use the same type of ribbon throughout your home, wherever it may fit, and watch how it ties together all the elements of your holiday decor!
For most trees and decorations, stay away from ornaments of one size and type. Include different sizes and shapes, as well as different textures. For example, we just love the look of a large, dried hydrangea blossoms (they look off-white and are beautifully textured when they are dried), mixed in with both shiny and matte red Christmas balls of different sizes.
Arrange ornaments evenly to cover your tree. And don’t overdo it — three to four dozen ornaments should suffice for the average tree.
As for colour, it can be useful to keep hues and shades similar to those in your room. For example, a room in pastel colours may do well with a simple tree and decorations adorned with gorgeous silk flowers in pastels and leaves, and gold taffeta bows.
And finally, after a period of fussing and adjusting decorations to achieve the perfect balance, you can relax with a seasonal refreshment and admire your creative and stylish handiwork.
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