Before you put up your holiday tree, consider some ways to set the scene for the Christmas season in your living or family room. These simple touches will give the room a cohesive look for all of the decorations, baubles, and ornaments that you will soon display.
Five ways to give your space a holiday look include the following:
Beautiful drapes
When winter winds start to blow, it is time to change the treatments, curtains, and panels on your windows. Adding thick, textured drapes brings a warm, comforting feeling to your space, which is perfect for the holiday season. Choose deep jewel-tones of red, green, and gold, or opt for a wintry white or ivory fabric in the draperies that you choose.
Some other ways to accent and adorn your holiday drapes includes:
Use holiday-themed jewelry as novelty tie-backs for drapes. Christmas pins and earrings make ideal "jewels" for keeping drapery material in place.
Buy gold cording to wrap around lengths of drapes to gently pull them away from the window during daylight hours.
Tuck a strand of string lights up and around the drapery rod, obscuring the wires as much as possible. After dark, these twinkling lights will look like stars against the heavy drapery material.
For more ideas about drapery and decorations, check out a retailer like Park City Blind & Design.
Seasonal slipcovers
Bring cohesion to your furnishings with some simple, inexpensive slipcovers. Not only will these help protect your furniture from food, drink, and extra use, but they can bring a unique, novel touch to the room's overall appearance. Create slipcovers from printed Christmas fabric, or buy prefabricated covers in solid colors that meld with your holiday displays.
The right light
When you think of Christmas, you may think of the warm glow that seems to bring people closer together and that evokes a cozy feeling. You can achieve this by replacing light bulbs in current lighting fixtures with warm white bulbs. These are widely available and they give off the rosy, welcoming light that is perfect for winter and the holidays.
A roaring fire
If you have a fireplace, it is easy to create a festive scene in your living space. If you do not, consider investing in a electric or gas model for winter months. These are not only perfect accompaniments for the décor and atmosphere of Christmas, but also can provide a secondary heat source that may be more energy efficient than cranking up your home's thermostat on chilly nights.
A maximized mantle
When it comes to your hearth's mantle, less can be more. Instead of covering this focal point with pictures, decorations, and other holiday-related knick-knacks, decorate it simply and naturally. Use evergreen garland, topiary trees, or simple fir boughs laid across the mantle to create the perfect spot for hanging holiday stockings.
Get your living room in the right mood for the holidays with these five simple strategies. The results will be a winter wonderland that you and your family will enjoy spending time in, as well as provide the perfect venue for holiday entertaining!
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