10 Top Tips to Get Your Home Holiday Ready
Caroline Wilkes
carolinewilkes@aol.com
November 15, 2010 - These members of the Long Island chapter of Interior Design Society believe the holiday season can be even more magical with just a little bit of planning, effort or cost, and have revealed their favorite simple-yet-impactful ways to make the your home a hit for holidays...
- Organize and De-Clutter - Before you deck the halls and
start meal planning, Cynthia Braun, A professional organizer (OrganizeYourLife.org) advises, "Reduce holiday stress
and anxiety by clearing away accumulated clutter around your
home and cleaning out kitchen closets and cupboards. This will
create space for decorations and holiday food items, setting the
stage for meal prep and baking.
- Choose a Decorating Theme - Kathy Passarette of Creative
Home Expressions (CreativeHomeExpressions.com) suggests choosing
an inspiration. "Holiday gift wrap, a favorite ornament or
holiday accessory may have the style and colors that inspire you
for your decorating. Repeat these colors and textures throughout
your home. For example, if you decide on a red and gold color
scheme, use red and gold towels in your kitchen, red and gold
pillows in your living room and so on."
- Get Back to Nature - Kathy Passarette also thinks bringing
the outdoors can make an elegant statement. "Consider rustic
twig hurricanes, grapevine wreaths and other natural elements.
Keep it simple -- plain greenery in a basket can be one of the
most seasonal of looks." She also suggests using clear glass
containers, such as apothecary jars, and filling them with pine
cones or cranberries to bring seasonal color and texture to
various spots in your home.
- Add Festive Flowers - Paperwhites are the forgotten holiday
flower. William Johnson of East End Interiors
(EastEndInteriors.com) says, "Easy to grow, full of fragrance,
and versatile in style, the clean white flower of the Paperwhite
can be placed with fresh cut greens or twigs from your birch
tree. You can add a holiday twist to any setting, whether
traditional or contemporary."
- Go for the Garland - There are so many ways to warm up a
room with garland. Designer Karen Lyons, owner of Comfort By
Design (ComfortByDesignofNY.com) says, "You just have to use a
little imagination…besides using garland on holiday trees and
your banister, it looks beautiful lit up across a ceiling to
divide a room, hung around a chandelier and hung over your
favorite artwork, mirrors and doorways. Light it up where you
can for an added touch."
- "Over The Top" Chandeliers -- Interior Decorator Vivian
Beechinor of Room Redecorator (RoomRedecorator.com) suggests,
"Jazz up your chandelier with holiday ornaments and ribbons to
give it a glitzy, sparkly look. This is an unexpected touch that
will impress your guests this holiday season."
- Serve With Style - "The holiday table should feel like a
big, happy celebration," says Interior Designer Caroline Wilkes
of Caroline Wilkes Interiors (CarolineWilkesInteriors.com). The
most interesting table settings start with the tradition of
using prized pieces of china, crystal or silver that may have
been in the family for years. "Members of the family enjoy
seeing these things at gatherings…then put your own spin on it
by mixing in more current elements. Pick up on a color in the
china pattern and run with it, or choose silver, gold or white
as an elegant accent."
- It’s All About The Centerpiece - "The focal point of the
holiday table," says Caroline Wilkes, "there are two approaches
in designing a fabulous centerpiece... you can use one,
monumental arrangement or a row of like items that span the
length of the table." "The juxtaposition of luxury and nature
is very intriguing… be creative and try incorporating tall
winter branches with sparkling ornaments and candles."
- Dust Off Those Family Photos - A task that lingers on just
about everyone’s "to-do" list, Nancy Ganzekaufer, owner of
Expressive Living Art Consulting (ExpressiveLiving.com)
recommends creating that family photo wall you have always
wanted. "Nothing makes family and friends feel more welcomed
than seeing how important they are to their loved ones. Whether
it be a hallway wall or a stairwell, a family photo wall not
only gets your home ready for family time, but reminds you of
what's important all year long."
- Post-Holiday Storage - The first year you do this requires a bit more effort, but from then on setting up and taking down holiday decorations is a breeze. Professional organizer Cynthia Braun recommends her "Organzied Storage" system, stressing the importance of returning decorations to appropriately labeled containers. "Sort, organize and store by groupings of like items. This will make decorating next year simple and care-free."
