As the holidays approach, many of us turn our thoughts to decorating for the season. Holiday gatherings and celebrations call for attention to décor, but all too often, efforts to transform your abode into a joyous celebration of the season result in your home looking more like a department store than a house. I fear many of us try too hard at the holidays.
I always apply this rule when decorating: If it requires more than one extension cord, it's wrong. If your idea of holiday decorations are enough lights to collapse the Northeast power grid or - even worse - a Santa toilet seat cover that depicts Santa covering his eyes when the lid is up, please read on for a new way to tastefully honor the traditions of the season.
There is no escaping the standard trappings of December: Santas, snowmen, reindeer and snowflakes. However, these icons of holiday decorating are so overdone that they can seem trite. This imagery is so commercial and obvious that I suggest you consider simplifying your holiday décor to something much more sparse, contemporary and sensory-based.
I am often inspired by nature in my designs. When I think of the year-end holiday season, I associate it with winter. In winter, I'm struck by the serenity a fresh snowfall brings to every landscape, urban or rural. A blanket of pure, soft white, snow creates a beautiful background for nature. I am always moved by the serene calmness and grace of a thicket of trees, the naked branches sculptural against a somber winter sky. Use that reference to create your own fantastic indoor winter sculpture. Gather a bundle of pepper berry branches (available at most florists) in a tall glass cylinder to make your own beautiful statement. The bright red berries contrasted against the bare wood branches are so simple and elegant. Don't fuss with them too much; drop them in the cylinder and let them arrange themselves.
Christmas trees this time of year are a bit expected and anticipated, so how about simple evergreen swags on the inside of your doors instead? The fragrant pine aroma will fill your house with a welcome and familiar holiday scent. So many times, I find clients forget that there are five senses. It is assumed that decorations will be visually appealing, but don't forget that fragrance is a very powerful way to evoke a memory. Pine is the scent of the season. There are also many scented candles available that can provide soft lighting and fill a room with pleasing memory associations.
