One of the best ways to make Christmas more special is to decorate your home. Whether you are inviting guests over or you are having an intimate dinner with the family, learn from the tips we’ll share below. Let’s explore some ways to make your home holiday-ready with the right décor.

Before we talk about the basics of decorating your home, check out this guide from Shutterfly if you need help with your Christmas list.

1. Go Natural For rustic holiday home décor, it is best to go natural. Stay away from fake Christmas trees. Instead, buy an authentic tree. If you are putting up garlands or wreaths, it is also best to use natural ones. To make them stand-out, add real pinecone, poinsettia, and succulents.

2. Make It Sparkle

Nothing spells Christmas better than things that shines and glitters. Whether it is mercury glass votive, glittered cards, or crystal balls, consider decors that will add sparkle in your home. This is sure to make the mood more festive.

3. Decorate with Candles

Use candles to make the home ready for Christmas. Choose white, red, green, and gold candles. These colors are perfect for the season. Pick candles with scents that will be reminiscent of Christmas, such as pine and cinnamon. If you are looking for holiday candles to display at your place, check out the selections available at Shutterfly.

4. Set the Table An excellent way to decorate your home for Christmas is through holiday table setting. From red ribbons to fir branches, there are plenty of accents that can add a festive mood to the dining table. Scented candles will also make excellent centerpieces. As for the colors, choose those that are associated with Christmas, especially red and green.

5. Hang a Wreath

Welcome your visitors with a wreath hanging at the door. Like the Christmas tree, go for something fresh and natural. The unique scent will surely make the visitors feel the holiday spirit as soon as they step in your home.

6. Display the Gifts

If you have already started shopping for Christmas, use your presents as holiday decors. Wrap them in colorful and shiny wrappers. Stack the gifts under the tree. If there are kids at home, hang stockings and stuff it with small gifts.

7. Add a Glow

Things look better with a little glow, which is possible by adding lights. Wrap your tree, wreath, or garland with a string of lights. Complete your holiday dinner table décor with Christmas-inspired candles for a more elegant set-up.

8. Fake a Fireplace

If your house does not have a fireplace, this Christmas season is the perfect time to build a fake one. You can use candles or string lights in jars. This will make any room look cozy even if it does not generate heat like a real fireplace.

Take your home to the next level this holiday season! Consider our suggestions above to make your house ready for Christmas!

When you buy a new home, you are given the opportunity of starting a fresh start. It’s an exciting time, and to help you on your way, here are 3 tips to ensure that you make the right interior design choices.

Your Lifestyle

How you live your life should dictate how you present your home. You need the choices you make to help you to achieve your lifestyle, and not hinder it. An example being if you enjoy watching television; you will want to create a cozy snug to watch it in that has comfortable sofas to lounge on. Or, perhaps you like reading? In which case, you will need a lighting solution that enables you to illuminate the pages of the book clearly. Think about how you want your home to work for you before you make any big decisions.

Your Furniture

Furniture that may have worked well in your previous home, may not quite hit the mark in your new one. You will have several key pieces that you are keen on, or may even have sentimental attachment to, but there will be others that no longer fit the bill. It may be a case of upcycling furniture that you have – paint them, change the handles, or reupholster chairs in a different fabric to suit your new scheme.

Just remember that sometimes less is more; you do not want your home to become filled with too much of one style. Intersperse modern designs with your older pieces to create a homely yet contemporary feel to your home; furniture stores such as YLiving feature contemporary classics that will inspire your style, and help you to develop your interior’s scheme intentions.

Consider the Orientation of Your Home

Depending on where you are buying your property, your preferences for how the property is orientated will change. For example, a location like Michigan is prone to long cold winters, so you would ideally have a south-facing property, while a home in hot Texas would benefit from being north-faced to reduce the effects of the summer heat. You may be wondering how this affects your interior design scheme, but the orientation of your house affects the amount of daylight that will enter each room, and the choices of color that will work best in your space.

Choose paints that will be complemented by the light – a color that looks great in a bright room will not achieve the same results in a dark one. It is best practice to avoid cool colors in notably dark rooms, and choose warm options to bring life into it. Paint the ceiling and the area inside the window white to reflect light into the rest of the room. Light rooms are far easier to choose a color for, so this is your chance to get creative! Finish off your rooms by painting the woodwork a crisp white to set off the colors that you have chosen.

Moving to a new house is an exciting time, and while you will want to make your mark on it straight away, it is always a good idea to live in it for a while to get a real feel for the property before you make any big ticket purchases or modifications.

You spend a lot of time in your home, and so it only makes sense that you want to turn it into a haven with you in mind. The obstacle is that many homeowners don’t know where to start or what to do to make it look right; they also don’t know how to budget for such a project.

However, decorating your home doesn’t have to be such a chore. While home decorating isn’t everyone’s forte, there are many valuable tips on how to create the home of your dreams with minimal headaches. For ways on how to decorate your home, consider the following:

Shop the Sales & Discounts

Hold out for the sales and discounts, especially if you’re on a tight budget for your home decorating project. They’re out there, but you have to be patient and wait for certain times of the year. For instance, Lumens currently have a sale on discount lighting and other home accessories. You can go online for up to 50% off top-brands that’ll transform your home from okay to chic and stylish.

Less is More

Part of the home decorating process is to go around and remove what’s not necessary. Your goal is to reduce the amount of clutter and only display your best items. There’s no reason to overdo it in your house, and a cluttered home can cause stress and anxiety to many homeowners. Less is more, and the items you decide to keep and have on display with only become center stage. Start by going through what you already have before you start adding more to your rooms.

Be Picky

Don’t buy all you see and display all you own; instead, be picky about what you highlight in your house and make sure it’s adding value. If you want your home to look striking, then you have to pay attention to the details and only decorate with what’s going to contribute to your home’s overall atmosphere. Be picky when you’re shopping, and don’t assume that because an item is on sale or looks good in the store, that you need it or it’ll look right in your home. Take your time and think about each decorating move you’re making before following through.

Don’t be Afraid of Color

Black and white looks beautiful in a home, but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t try to add color. Instead, think about ways you can add a splash of color or different hues to your existing palette. Color has the ability to brighten up a room, lift your mood and add character and charm to your home, while black and white can become monotonous after a while. However, work color into your home slowly, and add more as you get more comfortable with the way color looks in your space.

Conclusion

If home decorating were easy, then everyone’s house would look like it was out of a magazine. Take the time to teach yourself particular tips and tricks that will help you succeed. Go slow and give yourself a chance to increase the attractiveness of your home.