Author

Melissa Johnes

It’s that jolliest time of the year again. And, as always, it’s time to decorate your home, but you think you’ve used up all your ideas last year? Luckily, we’ve got quite a few fresh ones straight from the fountain of ideas so that you can bring the true spirit of holidays and set your mood for enjoyment.

EXPERIMENT WITH COLOURS

If, like the rest of us, you can’t resist buying new baubles each Christmas, then, like the rest of us as well, you’ve made quite a significant pile of them in your attic. So, try to organise them by colours. Try something different this year – use only one colour, or combine two – for example, something you’ve never tried before, like green and brown, pink and purple, or white and red. Or, you can decide to use classic colours – green and red.

ALT IS IN

If you feel innovative, then you will agree that a Christmas tree needn’t be a real tree at all. You can make your own tree with the right resources. For example, put the lights on the wall in the shape of a Christmas tree. Another easy solution can be to arrange decorations inside your bookshelf in the shape of a tree. Or, pin them to a pinboard. Instead of baubles, you can try with big buttons. An eco-friendly solution can be to find a cardboard or some old shelf and cut it out in the shape of a tree and then decorate it, matching it with the rest of your less-is-more assembly.

WREATH

This year, you can put your Christmas wreath not only on the front door, but onto the tree as well – and let it be the only decoration you’ll have. Or, you can try to sew one from buttons and cloth. It won’t even take time, and it sure will be original!

DECORATIONS

Instead of buying new baubles – go to a park and collect pinecones. If you’re not thrilled with the idea of putting brown pinecones, you can paint them and give them a modern look. See how they will look hanging off a chandelier, curtain or a lamp. Wrap up your couch pillow or coffee table so that it looks like a present, or just put bows and ribbons to give your pillow a designer look.

LIGHTS

This year, you can dress your tree with lights only. But, make sure to use a number of lights, because you don’t want your tree to look like bare bones. Or, dress your wall with hanging lights. Make it shine! You can try dressing the handrail with lights only. But, watch out when you’re going up or down stairs – you don’t want to pull them out!

COMBINE

Another creative thing you can do is to put ornaments into a bowl and give your dining room another touch of Christmas. Or, you can put them into candlesticks and arrange them at the corner of a room. Don’t be afraid to experiment!

We hope that these few tips will indeed add some festive spirit to your home, so that you can relax and dress your finery and celebrate the upcoming holidays in a cosy atmosphere.

Tired of walking into the same old home every day? Not having time or resources to hire a professional to redecorate your home from basement to the rooftop? Here are some of the tips you may want to try to refresh your home and make it sweet again.

RESHUFFLE

Sometimes, the best solutions are the easiest ones. The first thing that will take you literally 10-15 minutes is to reshuffle the furniture. Don’t think your furniture is pinned to the floor. You can easily move it around and see if the new layout would work. If your TV is, however, fixed to the wall and is at the centre of the entire room, then try to switch places of the couch and the chairs. Or, just move them under a certain angle. Try moving the lamp in a different place, or move the tea table a little to the left. You can also rearrange all your paintings, or drill new holes in different places just to give the space a new dimension. It may take you a day or two to get used to the new layout, but you are sure going to feel better than ever when you enter the room.

decoration

LESS IS MORE

The truth is that the key to simplicity is to have as few things as possible. The space should not be crammed and you will feel a lot better if you didn’t have to pay attention to not breaking that decoration you’ve never even liked in the first place. So –  put all the objects you don’t really like and ditch them into a box. Give them to charity, or recycle – read the following few lines.

EXCHANGE

Ask your friends and family if they have some old furniture back in the garage and offer your old furniture in exchange for theirs. It is recommended to exchange, for instance, book shelves, or tables. To spice things up, organise a neighbourhood exchange – gather all items people are willing to give up, put names into a bowl, and see who gets what! It’s fun and risky – but every new item can revive your headroom. And don’t worry if the things look a bit shabby – rustic look is in, and you can always say that it was an antiquity!

FLYING COLOURS

If you, however, have enough time – such as to wait for the paint to dry – then roll up your sleeves and take the first object in your room into your hands, get some sandpaper, and get cracking! Mind you: white matches everything. So, if your kitchen is blue, nothing will look as fresh as new white chairs. Or, if you are not sure what to paint, try painting all your doors. Let your new green door be the entrance to your new home. If you, however, don’t want to change your designer’s furniture, then the simplest way is to paint only one wall. It will do wonders.

And finally, whatever you did, remember that, sometimes, even a detail – like a new carpet – can restore liveliness of your home.