Interior Design & Decorating, Potpourri | ImproveNet by JackCraft
The holidays are just around the corner and that means your home should be decked out for the greatest time of the year. Just like holiday shoppers, homeowners tend to wait until the last minute to decorate their homes for the holidays. That is why we have been looking for 10 last minute holiday decoration tips you can create today.
We will review 10 holiday decorating ideas that are designed for a specific location outside and inside the home, including the kitchen, living room, dining room, bathroom and bedroom. All these suggestions can be done yourself, but as always, if you seek the help of a professional, we can locate a contractor in your area. If you choose to go at it on your own, make sure you check out our Christmas lights cost estimator so you can get an idea of what you will be spending with a majority of these updates.
Without further ado, here are our 10 last minute holiday decoration ideas.
1. Wreaths on Doors
We had to start with the most basic and easiest decoration to install and that is of course, a wreath on your door. This tends to lean towards one holiday, but we have seen homeowners install wreaths that are not just red and green. For extra cheer, you can display wreaths on your front windows as well. This will give people a warm feeling as they pull up to your home for the holidays.
2. Colorful Seat Covers
Moving inside the home, another great and easy holiday decorating idea is colorful seat covers. You could step it up and cover the entire seat, but for those of us on a time crunch, try grabbing a sash or scarf from your closet and tie it around the chair. You could also leave it hanging, giving you the flexibility to use any colorful form of clothing. Plus, if you use this same color throughout the home, it brings a nice sense of unity for the holidays. This design tip is certainly intended for the dining room, but any seats or chairs in the home would welcome this upgrade.
3. Hang Extra Ornaments
For those of our fans who celebrate Christmas, you most likely have a tree and will be hanging colorful Christmas ornaments. Most homeowners tend to go overboard with their green, blue, gold, red and green silver pieces, so you might as well use the extras to brighten up the home. You could hang the extra ornaments from your dining room chairs, the staircase, coat hooks or even the oven door handles. For a more simple design, you could also take your extra Christmas ornaments and put them in a glass-serving bowl. Voilà, you have a new centerpiece for the dining room, living room or kitchen.
4. Fruit Centerpiece
Speaking of centerpieces, even if you do not have extra ornaments, you have perfectly good fillers in your fridge. Holiday decorations are about bringing a certain joy and brightness to any room. You can fill your glass-serving bowl with red and green apples and a new decorative piece is born. For extra color, add in some sunny yellow bananas. This is not the most traditional holiday decorating tactic, but it certainly can do the trick for your kitchen.
5. Colorful Candle Vase
It gets chili in the winter and if you are looking to keep your heating bill down, a great way to increase the interior temperature is by adding candles throughout the home. You can make the candles festive by placing them in large vases and surrounding them with extra ornaments, gold pieces or even pine cones from the front yard. You should never be afraid to add a bit of nature inside the home. However, we advise you remove these extra items when the candles are lit. Catch the visual at A Pop of Property blog.
6. Spread Hanukkah Gelt
We of course want to be cognizant of those who already celebrated their holiday season and know the fans who observed Hanukkah have extra gelt, or chocolate candy covered in gold wrapping, stored in their pantry. Just because Hanukkah is over, it doesn’t mean you can’t decorate your home for the later part of December. You can place gold decorations throughout the home during the holidays and these candies could be great additions. You could even create a game with your children, hiding the candies throughout the home. It’s like celebrating Passover in December.
7. Gingerbread Houses
Fans obsessed with the Food Network know the desert shows are in full gingerbread mode this season. Cooking gingerbread houses is not only challenging and rewarding, but probably the cheapest way to decorate your kitchen for the holidays. Even more rewarding, cooking gingerbread homes with your children is the perfect activity to keep them busy during their winter break.
8. Christmas Bikes
Just like ornaments can be used in unorthodox areas of the home, Christmas lights can be used in other areas outside the home. Why limit your decorating prowess to just the home? Get creative and wrap your bike with Christmas lights. You are not riding your bike in the winter (for those of us fighting the freezing temperatures), so you might as well use your bike in a different way.
And don’t stop with your bike. Wrap those extra lights around the mailbox, unused car, front door or other spots in your front yard. The holidays are a time to get creative and extra lights outside is a great avenue for you to find your innovative prowess.
9. Decorate Open Shelving Units
If you are having guests over for the holidays, be sure to use your open shelving units as avenues for your creative side. Empty the books, vases and other items that may be sore on the eyes. Add some colorful yarns, stars, ornaments, candles and of course, beautiful pictures of the family. Make sure you head down to the basement and grab anything that will bring out the brightness of your living or dining area.
10. Holiday Notes
Many homeowners have chalkboards or whiteboards hanging throughout the home. Erase your weekly schedule or shopping list and add inspirational quotes or holiday sayings to further bring out the positive mood of the season. Some great examples that we found included famous lines from holiday stories or comedic quotes from Elf, the great Christmas movie with Will Ferrell. Bring out the passion of your guests by writing “the best way to spread Christmas cheer is to sing loud for all to hear.”
What holiday decorating tips did we miss? Let us know in the comments section below. As always, if you are looking for extra hands, let us find a contracting professional in your area.
