The pressure to create a picture-perfect holiday home is immense. Entire storage bins dedicated to decor, tangled lights that test your patience, and the feeling that you need to do more can overshadow the simple joy of the season. This year, consider a different approach. Small, intentional changes can have a huge impact, transforming your space without requiring a massive effort.
Here are six decorating trends that focus on simplicity.
1. Add Festive Throw Pillows in Holiday Patterns
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Swapping out your everyday throw pillows for seasonal ones is a quick and effective way to introduce holiday cheer. This simple change instantly updates a room’s color palette and theme. Look for patterns like plaid, snowflakes, or simple winter scenes.
Materials like velvet, faux fur, or chunky knits add texture and warmth, making your living room or bedroom feel more inviting. This approach requires very little effort but delivers a significant visual reward. Choose covers that can be removed and washed for easy storage and cleaning after the holidays.
2. Drape Garlands and Wreaths
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Garlands and wreaths are decorating powerhouses. A single garland draped over a mantel, woven through a stair rail, or framing a doorway adds a graceful, festive line. A wreath isn’t just for the front door; it can be a beautiful focal point hung over a mirror, on an interior door, or on a bare wall.
These pieces work well on their own, requiring no additional ornamentation to look complete. They outline the architecture of your home and bring a touch of the outdoors inside. Use temporary, non-damaging hooks or clips to hang garlands and wreaths. This protects your walls and woodwork.
3. Incorporate Candles or Candlelight
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Few things create a warm, inviting atmosphere like the soft flicker of candlelight. Placing candles on a mantel, dining table, or side table instantly adds a layer of gentle light. For safety and convenience, flameless LED candles are a fantastic alternative.
Many come with remote controls and timers, allowing you to set them to turn on and off automatically each evening. Grouping candles of varying heights on a tray creates a simple yet elegant centerpiece. For scented candles, choose fragrances that complement each other. If using real candles, never leave them unattended.
4. Decorate with Natural Greenery
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Bringing elements of the outdoors inside connects your home to the season in a natural way. Fresh cuttings of pine, spruce, cedar, or holly can be used in numerous ways. Tuck a few sprigs into a bookshelf, arrange a bundle in a vase, or lay branches along the center of a dining table as a simple runner.
The greenery adds texture, a fresh scent, and a touch of life to your decor. Many local garden centers or even your own backyard can be sources for these materials. Some fresh greenery can be messy. Place branches on a protective runner or tray to catch any falling needles.
5. Use String Lights
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String lights offer a world of decorating potential beyond the Christmas tree. Their gentle glow can highlight architectural features and create a magical ambiance. Wrap them around a window frame, drape them across a headboard, or tuck them into a large glass vase or bowl.
Battery-operated “fairy lights” with thin, flexible wires are especially useful for decorating shelves, wreaths, or centerpieces without needing to be near an outlet. Opt for lights with a warm white color for a classic, gentle glow. Timer functions on battery packs are a useful feature.
6. Include Seasonal Scents
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Scent is a powerful component of holiday memories. You can fill your home with festive aromas without much effort. Simmer pots are a great DIY option: combine water, cinnamon sticks, orange slices, and cloves in a saucepan and let it gently simmer on the stove.
Reed diffusers, or potpourri with fragrances like pine, baking spices, or peppermint, also effectively layer seasonal smells throughout your space. When using multiple scents, stick to a similar family (like spices or woods) to avoid a fragrance clash.
Getting Started
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Feeling inspired to simplify? A good first step is to assess what you already have. Perhaps you can forage for some greenery in your yard or find some unused candles. Another approach is to pick one room, like the living room, and apply just a couple of these ideas. Add some holiday pillows to the couch and drape a string of lights over the mantel. See how these small adjustments transform the space.