How do you bring the festive mood without breaking the bank? Here are small decor changes that can transform your home into an entertainer’s dream:
Let there be light
Nothing brightens up a room like lights. Add string lights, fairy lights, lanterns and candles to create a mood and ambience in your garden or outdoor seating area, especially now the weather’s warm enough to enjoy being outside. For an awesome DIY lighting project for inside or outside your home, wrap tiny LED string lights around wreaths, or vases or place them in jars for a soft glow. If you’re an entertainer who worries about load-shedding, opt for battery-operated or solar-powered lights to keep things going even during power cuts.
Be jolly
If you enjoy a winter wonderland-style Christmas, buy beautiful accents to help you get into the spirit and liven up your home. Create a centrepiece for your dining table, like a gold tray adorned with candles, ornaments and greenery. You could buy holiday-themed towels or tablecloths, or place small figurines of sleighs or reindeer around your living area. You could even add a Christmas tree, faux greenery, pinecones and festive stockings, small items that accentuate your current decor and give your home a jolly feel without breaking the bank or redoing your entire house.
Liven up the outdoors
We have the best weather for entertaining right now, so open your windows and doors to let light and air in. Whether your outdoor space is a patio, balcony or expansive garden, now is the time to liven it if you’ve neglected it all year. Add a huge plant or tree in one corner, put up lights, a cute table could be your catch-all, and throw some cushions and blankets in a basket for those chilly late nights. It’s about cleverly using the space and thinking about your style and how you entertain.
Create a moment
Since it’s the festive season, you’ll be having friends over, so create an entertaining moment with a bar or snack table. It’s fun to have a quirky or different item or area that defines a room. Use a bar trolley, console or dining room table and decorate it with items that’ll bring it to life. Think beautiful glassware, cocktail makers, cheese boards, platters, ice buckets, napkins, napkin rings and wine-bottle holders, all functional yet stylish.
A pop of colour
Colour is a brilliant way to bring energy and the outside in. Use vibrant pillows and throws to add pops of colour to your seating areas. These easy-to-change covers breathe life into the new season without costing you too much.
We suggest using a consistent colour scheme or hue throughout a room for a harmonious, energetic effect. For example, use various shades within a single colour family but play with texture to create intrigue.
Also, look at the colours in the dominant pattern in the room first, be it curtains, upholstery fabric, a rug or large artwork. Then, choose colours based on that piece. This will make it easier for you and ensure you invest in accents you can have on rotation based on the season or your mood.
An aesthetic corner
If your home has an accent wall, aesthetic corner or entryway feature, then this is the time to switch it up and make it an ‘Instagrammable corner’ for you and your guests to take pictures and pose for memories. Be it Christmas, a New Year’s Eve party, or a festive get-together, this wall or space you can experiment with to your taste and liking.
Bring elements such as beautiful lamps, wall hangings, a different mirror, play around with textures on the table or switch it up and add a chair for the picture moment. If you love music, old pieces of vinyl are an affordable way to add character to your aesthetics corner – it’s all about making it uniquely you.
Remember that personal style and traditions vary, so choose decorations that resonate with your holiday spirit and preferences. Feel free to mix and match these items to create a unique and festive atmosphere in your home.
Originally published for print in BONA Magazine
Writer: Sisonke Labase
