Christmas is the perfect opportunity to inject a little fun and whimsy into your home’s interior decor scheme, but it doesn’t mean you have to forgo the sense of style your space usually evokes. It’s all about finding creative ways to make your home feel festive and keeping a few simple guidelines in mind.
Below I’ll share a few hints and tips to make this silly season a stylish one.
Colours
Choose colours that bring out the best in your existing interior design scheme. Look around your space and consider which Christmas tones will work well as accents. You can’t go wrong with traditional reds and whites, but if you feel this is going too literal, consider metallics - which are very on-trend and won’t make the space feel too themed. If you’re mad for colour, you can break all the rules and go for a rainbow, colour-clashing effect. This is the only time of year I’d ever suggest this style approach, so you have to go all out if you want it to look right!
Fragrance
Scented Christmas candles go a long way in making the home feel festive, so hit the stores and get smelling. There are distinctly fruity scents available that will suit a daytime setting like Christmas lunch, and moodier, earthier scents that will bode well for an evening setting. Candles are the ultimate mood setter and Christmas time is no different. You can place smaller candles along a table runner, medium sized ones in groups of three on mantle pieces or go for a large one on an entry table so that guests experience the scent the moment they walk in the door.
The tree
When it comes to the tree, I often find that the ‘less is more’ approach is a wise one - regardless of whether your tree is real or store-bought. It’s nice to see the greenery and branches shine through your decorations, so keep the baubles, ornaments, tinsel and lighting a little light-on and you’ll get to appreciate the tree more leading up to the big day. I think lighting and bauble/decorations are a must on the Christmas tree, though I’ve moved away from using tinsel in recent years. That’s not to say you can’t use it; you should always go with the style that appeals to your inner child the most.
Gift wrapping
I change up my gift wrapping colour scheme every Christmas - and despite the fact that people say that the wrapping only gets thrown away, I have to argue that it makes the entire gift giving experience all the more exciting. Brown paper with white ribbon and twine is a really nice way to keep the look minimalistic and rustic, but if you’re colour crazy (like me), don’t be afraid to explore colour combinations like blue and gold, black and yellow, gold and white or a fave of mine: indigo and lime!
Table settings
Regardless of which theme you choose this Christmas, the table is a great opportunity to get creative and make your own festive tablescape. I always advise that you create a visual story down the middle of your table using ornaments, food and your precious keepsakes - ensuring there are pieces at varying heights to lead one’s eye along the table. Just ensure nothing goes above eye level so that guests can still talk to each another.
(Editor: Watch our LookBook festive table settings videos for ideas for your own Christmas table.)
Whichever Christmas style you opt for, you should ultimately lock in one that makes you feel joyous. That is, after all, what the silly season is all about!
Writer and stylist Chris Carroll blogs about interior styling with an Aussie twist at The Life Creative.
