By Holly Hukill, Certified Interior Decorator, C.I.D.
The article for December is probably the hardest for me to write. There are so many different and wonderful ways to decorate for Christmas!
My sister and her husband used to decorate with blue and silver. It was an elegant, yet simple color palette that was very reminiscent of Christmas or Hannukah.
This year, I have seen a lot of country-style Christmas ornaments made from wood and lightly brushed with white-wash paint or covered with buffalo plaid. I love the look of black and white or black and red buffalo plaid ornaments, the same buffalo plaid ribbon wrapped through the tree and the presents wrapped in plain brown paper tied with burlap. That would make a true country Christmas.
Red, green and white are the classic Christmas colors. The look of the outside of this home with classic red and white ornaments strung throughout the green garland and added to the wreath and onto the small trees outside the home ties the whole look together. By adding the lanterns filled with flameless candles, you have an entrance that is beautiful day and night.
I have always loved the look of wreaths hanging on the outside of the windows of a home. It brings such warmth to the look of the outside, in my opinion. The addition of the window boxes filled with greenery and red ribbon certainly make these windows stand out with Christmas charm. If you don’t have window boxes, you could still hang the wreaths and then fill pots, used for summer flowers, with a small green tree instead and tie bright red bows on the branches and around the base for added color. Or purchase the outdoor-grade ornaments and hang red balls from the branches. I personally love red cardinals and would love to see a few of those hanging from the branches of the small tree. It would make a beautiful addition to this outside display.
You can carry the red and white theme into your living room to create a beautiful Christmas scene straight out of a Hallmark movie. The Christmas tree and the white flocking becomes a decoration in itself. All you need to add are a few red ornaments, and your tree is done! In the background are twigs that reach from floor to ceiling wrapped in lights, creating a beautiful and unexpected lighting affect to this room. The simple candles and red- and white-knitted stockings make this room feel perfect for a Christmas Eve filled with cocoa and Christmas carols.
This table makes for a perfect place for your company to sit and eat a Christmas meal. By placing white dishes on white placemats and white napkins, it allows the boxes wrapped in red paper on top of the white dishes to really stand out. The greenery in the center and the red ornaments really “pop.” This table looks beautiful and really invokes the feeling of Christmas.
I wanted to find the perfect picture of red and white ornaments hanging from a chandelier to complete my story of red, white and green for Christmas. However, I thought this crystal chandelier with the beautiful vintage ornaments of silver, gold and burgundy could still help you visualize how you could achieve the same effect over your dining room table.
However you decorate your home for the holidays, let it speak from your heart. Whether you use handmade ornaments your children have given you or you find an idea or two here to use in your decorating, I wish you a wonderful holiday season and a very Merry Christmas.