Sprucing up your home for the holidays provides an exciting outlet to stretch those artistic muscles and personalizing your space. Even without a large budget, it’s easy to create festive pockets of comfort both in and outside the home. Take into account the things that you are already own—past holiday decorations, family heirlooms, accent décor items from other seasons, and indoor foliage. Utilize your DIY skills and create a customized home that represents your family and personal energy. Consider these ten holiday home décor ideas for a simple transition from fall to winter.
1. Choose a Festive Color Scheme
Pull together your home design by simplifying the number of colors used throughout each room. When decorating the tree for example, choose 2-3 colors that complement the rest of the space. Reds, golds, and silvers are an easy go-to, as well as color palettes like neutral earth tones or vibrant boho-chic varieties. This tactic is particularly helpful when seeking a budget-friendly décor approach. For an elegant look, choose thick spools of ribbon in the color scheme to drape across the tree like garland. Remember to choose appropriately colored lights to accent your palette selection.
2. Drape Garlands and Greens
Framing the room with garlands is a simple way to change the energy and aesthetic of a space. Both faux and fresh garlands do the trick. Vary garland lengths depending on its purpose. Drape longer, light-wrapped garlands over the door or archway to the room and add your own touches of festive accents such as bows or holiday cards for personalization. Shorter garlands also hang well over the tops of mirrors, clocks and tall bookshelves. Both traditional and more playful garlands making great runners when alternated with candles and food displays.
3. DIY Wreaths and Variations
Aside from the more traditional store-bought wreath, try out of these crafty DIY-holiday variations. Plan a crafty afternoon and try out a yarn-based pom-pom wreath, or an elaborate wreath trio for the door. A minimalist approach accents a simpler home as well, keeping things festive with simple shapes and basic flourishes. Keep these handmade wreaths from year to year, or keep a collection going for around the house. When adorning the front porch, it’s bound to change the energy of an outdoor dining or lounging area.
4. Create a Cozy Holiday Hosting Space
This is an excellent time of year to gather guests and check in with loved ones. As you rearrange your space, consider the optimal ways to gather guests for comfort. This can be done by sprucing up your common gathering area—add a centerpiece to the coffee table, spread festive scented candles throughout the room or add holiday throw pillows to the couches. When twinkle lights and candles act as the primary source of light in the room, guests are more in the mood for holiday coziness and conversation. Arrange a customized playlist of holiday tunes and consider the best way to serve snacks and cocktails for areas where guests mingle and sit.
5. How to Decorate a Patio for the Holidays
Bring your home décor outdoors during these chillier months. Though the weather varies this time of year, porches and patios still make great gathering spaces with the right preparation. Arrange seating around a heat source such as a fire pit or chiminea, and consider adding space warmers from those further away from the fire. Incorporate living holiday decorations, such as forsythias and holly plants to blend the space with the natural world around. Transition outdoor patio furniture from warmer weather to the winter by adding thicker cushioning, throw blankets, and indoor/outdoor rugs for warming the feet. And lastly, bring the cheerful holiday lighting outside throughout the shrubs, a second Christmas tree, or a plethora of candles.
6. Convert Your Favorite Items to Holiday Décor
Much of your existing décor transfers simply and elegantly to a festive display. Mercury glass or gold-leaf vases make excellent additions to a wintry centerpiece or mantle display. Arrange them together with tea lights or pillar candles utilize their reflective elements.
Autumnal items also blend with the holiday season. Cinnamon-scented pinecones and fall harvest displays shift from fall to winter with touches of greenery from the tree or holly and winter berries. Adorn your favorite candlesticks and table displays with festive ribbon and fabric in your color scheme for an easy home décor idea.
7. Build a Wintergreen Bouquet
Winter offers some beautiful blooms and bouquet options, and make easy holiday decorations. Create your own display of pine twigs and other wintery branches, layering with interesting textures and varying height. Add your own selection of ornaments and even touches of string lights to show off a glowing, season-long centerpiece.
For a more extensive craft idea, go on a hunt—either outside or at your local craft store—for birch or oak branches that can add a natural and dramatic touch to your home décor. Give them a spray of white and silver paint to create a snow-covered look.
8. Decorate with Lights
As the days get darker, we enter the season of lights. Besides the tree, explore creative ways to incorporate twinkle lights into centerpieces, across door frames and even throughout the kitchen and bathroom. LED string lights add an excellent touch to the insides inside vases, mason jars or even repurposed wine bottles. Lights spruce up faux or fresh garlands when wrapped around them before adorning door frames and other spaces.
Don’t forget that lights transform an outdoor hosting area. Other than your standard porch lights out front, line your patio and outdoor dining space with simple holiday décor that welcomes guests to gather and chat. A cozy fire pit balances out the chill and breaks up the rhythm of indoor gatherings.
9. Incorporate Holiday Fruits
Explore the age-old traditions of stringing berries and citrus fruit for garlands and ornaments. Make a garland of cinnamon sticks, star anise, and dried orange slices for both a natural and fragrant display. Cranberries go a long way in centerpieces and floating candle displays as well. Fill a bowl or pillar vase with fresh cranberries—floating or not—to add a punch of holiday color to the room. As a bountiful centerpiece, collect holiday fruits such as pears and tangerines.
10. Work with All Five Senses
The sense of sight is not the only one that inspires holiday feelings. Accent the natural smell of the tree or other greenery with holiday-scented candles of balsam or Christmas cookie, even consider making these candles on your own. Lightly heating a pot of water, cinnamon cloves and orange slices fill the home with a natural aroma of festive scents.
Break out the cozy, knitted blankets to accent the seating areas as well as cozy drink warmers and holiday-themed throw pillows for your guests. With the addition of music and your favorite holiday recipes, you have all senses covered for a cozy holiday home!
You don’t have to break the bank to decorate your home for the holidays. With all the affordable holiday home decor ideas above, you’ll be able to create a cozy, festive retreat that you and your guests can enjoy during all you holiday gatherings.