Decorating a Client's Home for the Holidays
Decorating a stranger’s home for Christmas was actually
quite the challenge! Once they contacted me about my services, I only had a couple of
weeks to get to know this family and figure out how they used their home for the
holidays, so I knew how to decorate it!
Christmas decorating has to be very personalized, more than your
average, everyday decorating. There may
be traditions that need to be upheld, religious, non-religious, children that like
to be involved, special ornaments that
need to be hung? There is a lot to think
about and a lot to consider. It is a
very delicate thing to do for someone I think.
And I took all of this into consideration when decorating this client's home for the holidays.
Luckily the clients were amazing to work with and such
at ease with the entire thing. They
trusted my design and overall ideas for the space. She basically let me go and do my thing! This client loves anything Pottery Barn, so we found our inspiration through Pottery Barn holiday magazines to give the space a casual, rustic feel with a traditional color scheme of red and green.
Christmas symbolizes family, tradition, and being together, and that is exactly the kind of space I wanted to create for the family of four!
An Inviting Holiday Entryway
All of the framed artwork was found on Pinterest and just printed on my home computer.
Instead of garland all along this huge staircase that winds up to the second floor and open to the first floor, we opted for two simple Christmas swags on the posts.
A Classic Family Room
Sometimes you just have to work with what you have! An easy way to bring in color and fun holiday patterns into a space are through pillows. These are $7 pillow covers from Hobby Lobby that can simply be slipped over existing pillows during the holidays.
Their new 9 foot tree was a daunting task for them! They've never decorated a tree this large, so they didn't know what to do with it. I bought all new ornaments, ribbon, and tree trimmings, brought out the ladder and filled the tree with shine and sparkle!
I stayed with mainly red ornaments, with a couple of gold and greens ones stuck in for contrast.
Burlap was used for the ribbon to stay with the overall rustic and natural theme for the decor.
The mantel was the most important element to me in this design because it is the focal point of the home. I wanted to make a big impact with simple objects.
Before + After
I love just a simple wreath above a mantel at the holidays, but just a wreath by itself was not going to be enough for the size of this mantel and fireplace area. So, their large artwork was removed (for now) and I replaced it with a large 3 feet by 4 feet open picture frame (which can be bought like this) and hung the wreath inside the frame for a grander statement.
A gold gilt finish on the NOEL stocking holders brightens up this mantel. A row of classic velvet stockings, each stitched with a name are not only beautiful, but a keepsake the kids look forward to year after year.
I even fixed up their bookshelves, even though it wasn't on "the list" of things to do. I think people get so frustrated with what to do and how to style bookshelves, but it really doesn't have to be that difficult. I used all of their same objects that were already in their bookshelves, just added a few Christmas pieces and took away some items.
Helpful Tips When Styling Bookshelves:
1. Pull everything to the front
Even though these bookshelves are deep, you can't see anything in the back, so bring everything to the front and put it in a straight line.
2. Separate the books for groupings
Here I used all of their same books but separated them into groupings of 3 or 5 and put them vertically or horizontally to use them as more of a display area.
3. The power of 3!
I use this ALL the time! When in doubt, group three "items" together and leave it at that. For example, a group of 3 books, 1 statue, 1 picture frame, and that's it!
Think of a bookshelf as displaying items and not just throwing items in the bookshelves.
Eat, Drink, & Be Merry: The Eat-In Kitchen
A lantern like this one from Pottery Barn makes the perfect centerpiece for a table. It has height, you can fill it with anything from a candle to Christmas ornaments. And you can reuse it after the holidays! I decorated this lantern with matching upholstery jute webbing, same as the wreath above the mantel, and Magnolia leaves with pine cones and berries.
Even small items can speak volumes. Get creative with ordinary Christmas decor such as these ornaments and use them in a way that is anything but "ordinary."
With only cookbooks as her decor before, I brought in new glass vases filled with matching Christmas ornaments from the tree, fresh cranberries, and pine cones.
This cheerful room captures the spirit of the holiday season. A row of personalized stockings draws the eye to the hearth with its flickering lights and festive greenery. A simple lantern adorned with ribbon and greenery offers enough contrast to the copper tabletop. A mix of burlap and jute with Magnolia, pine, and boxwood leaves throughout the home offers a rustic look while the red and gold shimmer lends the perfect touch of Christmas sparkle!
