Decorating Your Home for the Holiday Seasons

Decorating Your Home for the Holiday Seasons

What a glorious time of year to be a decorator! Our homes transform themselves from fall to Halloween to Thanksgiving to Christmas or Hanukah to New Year's to winter. For a decorator it is the best possible time of year.

But how can you decorate your home for all these different seasons without breaking the bank?

1. Get the basics completed first.
Before you go out and start sticking things to furniture and draping garland make sure you have the basics done. Painting, furniture where you need it, area rugs laid, etc. These basics can be plain because you can spruce it up with your holiday decorations but make sure they are completed. If you are like me and want to change out curtains and pillows for Christmas, go ahead and start to think about those additions and get them ready.

2. Assess your needs for the coming holidays.
If you aren't hosting Thanksgiving dinner but you are Christmas or Hanukah then you have a little more time to make sure the dining room table is big enough to hold everyone. Assess what you will need for holiday parties and get together's. If you are a low key person and are really only expecting small intimate gatherings then make sure you have everything you need for those gatherings as well. Shopping for furniture, area rugs and new window treatments online can save tons of time and headaches.

3. Devise a plan.
Before going out to buy buy buy, identify what you need for each area you will be decorating. Decide what to buy and set up a plan on how to arrange the furniture to accommodate for a Christmas tree or large family gatherings. Visit websites to read articles or subscribe to online services to arrange your floor plans and get a good feeling about how rooms will flow and where everyone will fit. All this planning and organizing in advance will save tons of money and heartache after the holidays are over.

4. Decorate using the focal points.
Every room has a focal point and when decorating for the holidays if you use these focal points you can go lower key on other decorations. The point being when you enter a room or home if you eye is drawn to the focal point that is what people see. Let's say for instance you have a fireplace in a room that is your focal point. By adding a Christmas tree next to it or near it then decorating up the fireplace and mantle you don't need to add too many other things in the room to make it feel Christmassy. Same with a dining room, the dining room table is your focal point, use a beautiful table cloth and an elaborate centerpiece for your decorations and you don't have to do too many other things to make the room work for any type of gathering.

5. Accessorize.
Buying pillows and candles can really make a room feel comfortable and cozy while pulling the holiday colors around the room. Adding flower arrangements, evergreen sprigs and using inexpensive holiday bulbs in lots of nooks and crannies add splashes of color and a festive feeling.

6. Store for use again next year.
Probably one of the best uses of time and money is buying things that can be stored and used again. Using plastic containers to store all your decorative items makes sure that they will not be damaged over time. Many online stores as well as large retailers have color coordinated bins to use for each holiday season. Having color coordinated containers for each holiday theme will make it easier for organization. If packaged properly these decorations can be used for years depending on their durability and style.

Everyone loves a nice appearing home because it reflects the personality of the homeowner. Going home at the end of long working day is worth looking forward to if the home is pleasant and orderly.
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Article written by Rhonda Morin who owns MyInteriorDecorator.com, wrote The Decorating Bible and who's passion helps others decorate their homes their way online!

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