Glamorous holiday decor tips
Decorating your home for the holidays is a fun and festive way to welcome the season. We checked in with Toronto-based interior designer Lisa Canning for suggestions on giving your home a touch of holiday glam this Christmas. Get inspired by her ideas for alternatives to the traditional red and green and learn how to bring that festive feeling into your home.
CanadianLiving.com: What's on trend for holiday decor this season?
Lisa Canning: BOLD! In the same way we've been bold with colour this fall, holiday decor will be equally 'in your face' with colour combinations, textures and organic shapes. Another word that keeps coming to mind is 'sumptuous'. Patterns will be rich with detail and fabrics lush in texture.
CL.com: As opposed to traditional red and green, what colour combinations create a dramatic and glam holiday look?
LC: Similar to fall colour trends, it's all about moody, dark hues. Jewel-tone purple, navy and fuchsia in combination with your traditional silver, white, gold and bronze will be winning combinations.
CL.com: Besides colour, what other elements in a space can create a glamorous look for the holidays?
LC: You really can't go wrong with an all-white palette. What's great about working with all white is that you can pull things from your existing collection that aren't necessarily holiday, which is a great budget-friendly way to decorate. But the holidays just wouldn't be the same without a little bit of sparkle. Adding iridescent, reflective surfaces in with your white palette will add instant interest and glamour.
CL.com: Can you provide some tips for dressing your Christmas tree, foyer, mantelpiece and front door?
LC:
Christmas tree
I like sticking to a palette of colours, similar to how I would decorate a room. I also employ a tip my fashion illustration professor taught me in school: use 60 per cent of one colour (for example, silver), 30 per cent of another colour (say, white) and 10 per cent of a "fashion pop" (hello fuchsia!) as a rule to distribute colour. I also like to think of the room the tree will be in and coordinate it with the rest of the room.
Foyer
With the amount of guests visiting for the season, make your foyer extra special. Provide a basket of slippers, some cookies wrapped in attractive packages for guests to take home as they leave, and scented candles to greet them as they enter. Continue the colour scheme from your Christmas tree to your foyer. If you're adventurous, you could change the paint colour of your foyer to suit your holiday decor scheme. Or stick a piece of glittery wallpaper (or even gift wrap) in a frame to introduce your holiday decor scheme to your guests.
Mantelpiece
I love scented candles for the holidays. They are warm and inviting and the scent adds another layer to your guests' experience. Cluster candles on an attractive platter or mirrored tray.
Front door
I love urns flanking either side of the front door during the holidays. Fill them with tall branches, winter greens and some sparkly ornaments for a layered, textured arrangement. Match your wreath to your ornaments (this year, I'm forgoing the traditional twig wreath and spraying mine a fun colour) and you are set!
CL.com: What's the secret to keeping things sophisticated?
LC: Work with a colour palette in mind. Whether it be more traditional and subdued (white and silver) or fashion forward and dramatic (purple and pink), stick to it and integrate it throughout your home.
Natalie Bahadur is the Senior Editor of styleathome.com and is a regular contributor to CanadianLiving.com.
