HOLIDAY DECORATING IDEAS

The holidays are about tradition: preserving the old while creating new ones with those you love. Whether you celebrate in 80 degree weather with one person or a foot of snow with 20, here are 12 holiday decorating ideas to consider for your seasonal home decor style and integrate into this year’s celebration.

HOLIDAY DECORATING IDEAS: ACCENT WITH BOLD COLORS

Add a pop of color to your table. Incorporate bold pieces like these Yael et Valerie placemats, turquoise ceramic bowls with gold rim or these hand woven sisal baskets from Swaziland to adorn the holiday table and incorporate more color.
Choose decor pieces that tell stories. Pieces including the intricately woven Ethiopian cotton throw blankets are conversation pieces. The designer’s story can be shared with dinner guests.
Add special decor touches to the bathroom. Add simple and soft touches to a frequently used room in the home, the bathroom. Think all-natural potpourri or some Eu’Genia Shea Skincare which includes 4 two-ounce tins of shea butter ethically sourced from Ghana.
Accent the home festively. Grab glass vases and fill them with colorful ornaments, treasures from past vacations, or memories from time spent with friends and family. Stack them one on top of the other. Include a few in an entryway for guests to see when they first enter or a traffic spot in the home of your choosing.

HOLIDAY DECORATING IDEAS: TAKE A MINIMALIST APPROACH

Take a minimalist's approach to accessorizing. Keep solids the main focus and add in a variety of patterns that are eye-catching, such as Yael et Valerie pillows, iconic graphic pillows from South Africa, or these handwoven Egyptian wool rugs. Accessorizing can quickly refresh a room’s decor.
Select centerpieces that add depth. Centerpieces can be minimal yet impactful. Incorporate minimalist lighting like the Ndebele necklace pendant lighting in an entryway or over a kitchen island.
Sustainability reigns supreme. Before bringing furniture or art into the home, learn more about its production values. For example, a family-owned furniture business upcycles natural wood to create hand carved pieces like the Djembe accent table. And Kiliim is reinvigorating flat-weave rug making along the Nile region of Egypt.
Embrace plants as decor. Greenery can add great color and texture inside the home. Evergreen, think wreaths and Christmas trees, can ignite our most primitive sense, the sense of smell, and link it to memories of holidays past. Hang a wreath on the front door and drape the windows with some fresh greens. To add intimacy, add decor accents like in this framed print and green pillow.

HOLIDAY DECORATING IDEAS: LOOK FOR ALL THAT SHIMMERS

Let the lights shine. The winter season is a time to experiment with light. Whether hanging from a tree or lit by candles, integrating light into the space adds to the focus of the mood you are creating with your holiday decor. Purchase inexpensive white lights and pick a few distinct places to hang them in the home. Use table lamps or floor lamps to create intimate spaces in different rooms.
Leave a welcome note or a gift. Hand written cards with a small welcome gift show you have taken the time to think about your guests. Include a card written to each guest and set it at their seat at the table. This becomes a part of the decor.
Never skip a beautiful display of desserts. Bake a dozen cookies or your favorite pie and serve it on a beautiful hand designed platter. These serving platters are handmade and glazed in Zimbabwe with patterns derived from nature. Also, these gold rimmed dining accessories that are hand painted in Jamaica work well.
Invest in a handmade set to serve your coffee and tea. Offer coffee and a variety of teas to round out the end of the meal. Something like ginger or herbal tea is a great way to help ease the digestion of a big holiday meal. The Senagalese Limoges tea set is silk printed on sturdy Limoges porcelain with pure gold gilding.