Though many of us won’t be visiting distant family this year, we can bring the holidays right into our homes with seasonal decor. Here are tips for decking your halls—and your windows, doors, tables, bedrooms, and bathrooms too!
Once our stomachs are stuffed, and the conversation runs its course, it’s nice to stand up and have a change of scenery.
Doorways into Christmas
Doorways are a holiday decor hotspot. During the holidays, they’re like a gateway into the Christmas splendor of your home. The decorations can start right on your front step with holiday planters and garlands around your porch pillars. Window wreaths and Christmas mailbox swag prepare us for more magic within. The front door is not the only place for bells, lights, and evergreen crafts, either—the back door and garage door are waiting for garlands, wreaths, and ribbons, too!
The Chef’s Workshop
Once inside, the aroma wafting in the air is sure to bring your guests into the kitchen. For them, this is a glimpse inside a master’s workshop. For you, it’s a place where many holiday memories occur; from the shortbread bake-a-thon, to gingerbread house construction, to cooking the turkey dinner! Flowering bulbs on the kitchen island make a festive touch, as do evergreen boughs on top of the cabinets and miniature wreaths on cabinet doors. But your indoor decor theme often starts here, too, whether that’s with festive tea towels or accent pieces with a Christmas farmhouse vibe.
A Feast at the Table
When the dinner bells ring, it’s time to gather around the table. As this is one of the biggest feasts of the year, there is no need to hold back on your table decor. Candles, pine cones, and red berries are all fair game, as well as your Mr. and Mrs. Claus salt and pepper shakers. However, all of that is just stage support for your centerpiece, a feast for the eyes that compliments the meal on your plate. Perhaps you’ve crafted your own with incense cedar and eucalyptus or purchased one with candles, juniper, and pine boughs. Beneath it, your tablecloth and table runner supply the all-important color and theme for the room, as well as the necessary drop sheet for the splatters of gravy and cranberry sauce that will soon be enjoyed.
The Heart of the Home
Once our stomachs are stuffed, and the conversation runs its course, it’s nice to stand up and have a change of scenery. Those vague, undefined places called a living room or family room exactly serve the purpose at hand. During the holidays, they host our tree, are the focal point of our celebrations, and serve as a holiday decor hotspot. Even if it’s just you and your cohort, the living room is sure to offer many coffee tables and bookshelves to decorate with your favorite poinsettias and Christmas pillows. The whole room can become a theatre for your holiday theme. No bar cart or mantelpiece need be left unadorned by ribbons, holly, and juniper.
The Bathroom: A World of Its Own
Besides having an apparent functional purpose, bathrooms are also a place where we break from the crowd to relax and collect our thoughts. Obviously, they should feel separate and private. As such, their decor need not be continuous with the rest of the home. In fact, the most charming bathrooms give us the sense of entering another world. The mood is often soothing and intimate, complete with a scented candle, potpourri dish, fresh evergreen boughs, or fresh flowers. The countertop is perfect for orchids, amaryllis, or a miniature garden. A uniquely themed set of towels, rug, and shower curtain add to the ambiance.
Holiday Bedrooms
This is always the last room we enter at night and the first we see in the morning. The holiday decor here is just for you and your partner. It’s the place where you can unabashedly indulge in your holiday gnome obsession or dote on your beloved Christmas succulent wreath. No color is inappropriate, no holiday fantasy is out of reach, and you don’t need to follow any decor rules. Whatever pleases you most is the best decoration for the bedroom!
If Christmas is the time for rebirth, let’s kick it off by refreshing our home decor. If you need more ideas, visit our garden centers in Bloomingdale and Carpentersville for all of your decorating and decor needs!
Platt Hill Nursery is Chicago’s premier garden center and nursery.
