My readers and clients know this about me: I’ll always suggest a proliferation of color, texture, unexpected seasonal accents, and a reimagining of your rooms or exteriors, and whenever possible. A lot of time, that means a lot of stuff. It’s thrilling to treat your home like a design laboratory, but sometimes, you don’t need all that stuff. Why not revisit your holiday decorating, and think about limiting your design to the ‘natural’ world? This year, try focusing on the tree, a garland, a simple wreath, and drink in the design of nature.
You’ll need to remember two words to succeed, simplicity and uniformity. Limit the elements you use throughout, and keep them the same. Here’s how:
First, think about reducing your color usage to ranges of green with one or two accents only. Silver and orange are always good with holiday greens, and they work well with traditional or contemporary décor. Think about using color as punctuation, though. Nothing more. A dash or two on the tree, a spot on the mantel, maybe a modest appearance on the table.
Implement plants, dried wood, pinecones, and branches for all your decorating, and avoid anything that appears manmade. Select tree trim and accent pieces like these owls, which are an extension of this natural approach. And think of the unexpected, such as silk, dried or artificial plant materials, like these succulents used throughout.
Recreate the same feel on each surface, find the same natural elements, and take inspiration solely from the natural world. Look outside your door for ideas. To ensure the uniformity of your design, purchase enough items to spread around to each of your decorated areas.
Don’t fill the mantel until it groans with the weight. Instead, think of bracketing it with your design, and use natural pieces at each end.
Remember that everything in nature doesn’t shine, so save the gleam, and utilize glass pieces for sheen.
Find strength in numbers. Don’t hang one wreath; hang many. And strip them of everything but color. No bows or ribbons. A wreath swathed in mosses provides texture and a range of greens. What else do you need?
Add a personal touch or two, and you’re done. Once you’ve accented a few surfaces, trimmed the tree, hung your wreaths, and checked for balance throughout, then pause. You can almost hear the winter wind sighing through the branches overhead. What better way to decorate for the holidays than turning to nature for good ideas? And, for once, there isn’t a single grinning Santa, or tarted-up reindeer anywhere in the mix.
Live Life to the Fullest
Chris Olsen
