Finding Your Holiday Decorating Style

Photo Source: christmas-kid.com

Holiday season is soon approaching and it's time to transform your home into a welcoming winter wonderland of twinkling lights, shiny ornaments and fresh scented evergreen.  However, with so many beautiful holiday decorating styles to choose from, finding one that's right for you may seem like an overwhelming and daunting task.  Each holiday decorating style has something special to offer but how do you decide which one's perfect for your home?  Your holiday decorations should do two things: 1) reflect your individual style & personality and 2) tie in with the existing décor & furniture in your home.

Let it Reflect your Individual Style and Personality
How do you enjoy spending your holidays?  If your ideal approach to the holiday season is to layer on cozy knitted sweaters, bury yourself under warm blankets and sit by the fire sipping hot chocolate and watching Christmas movies, then the Classic Christmas holiday style might be right for you.  However, if you can't wait to throw on that holiday party dress, heels and sparkling jewelry, or if your perfect holiday get-together includes holding a martini glass and chatting over background music, then you might consider going Glam for the holidays.  Just know yourself and stay within your comfort zone.

Keep with the Existing Décor of your Home
It's also important to tie in your Christmas decorations with the overall look, colour scheme and décor of your home.  If your home celebrates natural and organic materials, if your dining room features a large distressed harvest table and a sliding barn door, then Rustic Christmas might be your thing.  If your look is modern and quirky with bright splashes of colour and bold artwork, then consider Whimsical Christmas décor.  The important thing is not to compete with the existing style that already works well in your home.

Below are seven featured holiday decorating styles to help you find inspiration as you prepare to make your home Christmas-ready! 

Photo Source: warrengrovegarden.blogspot.ca

1. Classic Christmas

It only seems natural that I start by featuring the Classic Christmas decorating style. Classic Christmas has a traditional colour scheme of cranberry red and deep green. It's all about warmth and comfort: a crackling wood fire, a tartan patterned throw and thick cable knit Christmas stockings. It features plush wreaths and garlands of fresh evergreen and bright red berries. Nothing says cozy like Classic Christmas! 

Photo source: Beechtreephotography.com

I love this Classic Christmas table setting! The neutral linens allow the Christmas touches to really stand out, like the centerpiece of pillar candles, evergreen, pine cones and berries. Your guests will love these individual gifts on each place setting. A simple white box tied with a pretty red ribbon is all that you need to make a lasting impression. 

Photo source: traditionalhome.com

Nothing says Classic Christmas like big red bows and boxwood. Adorable house-shaped tea light holders light the way. 

Photo Source: woohome.com

This Classic Christmas tree features traditional Christmas motifs like candy-canes, stockings and toy-shaped ornaments. The antique wooden sled and skis remind us of a simpler time and give an outdoorsy touch.

Collected from various sources via Pinterest

Here are a few Classic Christmas details.  Notice the colour repetition of reds, greens and whites, the traditional Christmas motifs (like on the stockings shown here), and the use of fresh evergreen and berries.

Photo source: catchmyparty.com

2. Holiday Glam

Let's now take a look at all that glitters with the Glam holiday decorating style.  Glam holiday style is luxurious, sophisticated and chic. It is elaborate and highly ornamented. Glam design loves sparkle and shine, and favours metallic and reflective finishes. It also features soft and seductive materials like feathers, fur and velvet. 

Photo source: bliss-athome.com

A few touches of Glam Christmas decorations help to complete the modern-glam look that already exists in this space with the furnishings and marble fireplace surround. This mantle is decorated with metallic Christmas balls and white fur stockings. And how Glam is that coper antelope bust? I love the display of presents in the fireplace; shimmery gold and silver ribbons pop against the white boxes. 

Photo Source: centsationalgirl.com via Houzz

Think beyond the fireplace mantle and decorate a console table. Glam it up with a mini white feather Christmas tree and a sparkly wreath. The asymmetrical placement of the objects keeps the look modern and interesting. 

Photo source: via Pintrest, original source unknown

How fabulous is this monochromatic Glam Christmas tree! One thing that glam style is not is minimal, as we can see with this tree that screams opulence and abundance. This tree is so adorned in glamorous decorations, that there is hardly any green peeking through! 

Photo Source: cy-fairlifestylesandhomes.com

This Glam table setting shines! But not all "shine" is created equal: here a combination of glimmering finishes, such as the glitter of the foliage and pillar candle, the reflective surface of the glass sculpture and wrapping paper, and the iridescence of the bow's ribbon, all work together to add depth to this tablescape. The mix of gold and silver continues to add dimension. Glam décor is also about elegance, and nothing says elegance like gold-rimmed fine china, crystal wine glasses and gold charger plates.

Photo Source: donablogg.blogspot.nl

3. Rustic Christmas

The next holiday decorating style is Rustic. Rustic design pulls much of its inspiration from nature and the outdoors. It celebrates the beauty of natural and organic materials like wood, logs, branches, evergreen, winter berries and pine cones. It uses rough fabrics like burlap, twine and raffia. It gives new purpose to modest, simple, everyday objects, like mason jars, milk cans, demijohns and metal pails, and elevates them to works of beauty. Rustic design celebrates simplicity. 

Photo source: Pottery Barn

How cozy and inviting is this rustic Christmas fireplace! The garland of fresh evergreen, the driftwood, and not to mention, the natural stone of the fireplace itself, brings elements of the outdoors in. The cascading stockings add that special unexpected touch.  

Photo Source: frokeniknopp.blogspot.ca

Rustic decor is simple and beautiful. This rustic holiday table is not overly adorned or decorated. There is no need to cover this table with a tablecloth; leaving the distressed wood exposed is much more beautiful and defiantly less fussy. 

Photo Source: vintagenewsjunkie.com

This Rustic Christmas tree features a burlap garland and minimal, simple ornaments. The rustic look is continued with the use of old doors as a backdrop. I love the wicker wreaths, and old-fashioned sled, wagon and ice-skates.

Collected from various sources via Pinterest

How sweet are these rustic Christmas details!  Notice the repetition of rustic materials like bark, burlap and evergreen.  

Photo source unknown

​4. Whimsical Christmas

Whimsical Christmas style celebrates the fun in Christmas! It is childish and playful. It does away with traditional Christmas motifs and introduces unexpected shapes and patterns, like bold stripes, polka dots and even swirls. Iconic Christmas characters such as Santa, the elves and the reindeer are often depicted in a comical, cartoonish and sometimes silly manner. The whimsical style takes traditional Christmas colours like red, green and white and brightens them into vibrant reds, lime greens and stark whites. If you want to have fun with Christmas then a whimsical style is for you! 

Photo Source: trendytree.com

This Whimsical Christmas theme is the perfect complement to this modern room. The bold colours pop against the stark white walls and fireplace. Whimsical style is busy and excessive, and right when you think that it's bordering on chaotic, the element of fun kicks in. These tree ornaments are silly and playful, like the giant candy canes, the cupcake ornaments, the bold Christmas words (like "JOY" and "NOEL"), and the two crazy elves hanging from the fireplace garland. The curly tree topper, uneven garland and the two swirly tree figures, prove that this decorating style has no rules!

Collected from various sources via Pinterest

How much fun are these Whimsical Christmas wreaths! This style reminds me of Dr. Seuss' "The Grinch Who Stole Christmas".

Photo source: homemydesign.com

This Whimsical Christmas tree is inspired by swirly peppermint candies and candy canes. If there was ever a time to go with a white artificial tree, this is it! 

Photo Source: allyou.com

​5. Antique Christmas

Antique Christmas is a beautiful celebration of the past. It features delicate hand-made vintage ornaments in feminine materials such as lace, velvet and pearls. It uses a muted colour palette of soft gold, dusty blue, pale violet, creamy white and pastel pink. Antique Christmas adds a touch of beautiful old-world elegance, formality and tradition to your home.

Photo by Carolyn Aiken via Aiken House and Gardens

This Antique Christmas tree is the perfect choice for this formal and traditional room. I love the delicate monochromatic colour scheme of soft golds and creams; even the green of the Christmas tree has been softened with the look of snow. The pearl garland strung around the Christmas tree adds delicateness and femininity.  The look is completed with vintage dolls, toys and ice-skates which sit under the tree atop a crocheted tree skirt. 

Collected from various sources via Pinterest

These Antique hand-made Victorian ornaments are so beautiful and delicate. 

Photo Source: laboutiquevintage.co.uk

This must be how Christmas was celebrated in the palace of Versailles! This French Baroque-style room features breathtaking architectural details, like the windows and the mural ceiling, and beautiful intricate furnishings like the crystal chandelier and gilded settee. This Antique Christmas tree is stunningly beautiful and is the perfect complement to this room. White peacocks perch atop the branches and adorn this tree with their elegant long feathers. The delicate colour palette of white and soft-pinks completes this antique French look. 

Photo Source: decorecomgigi.com

6. Jewel-Toned Christmas

Jewel-Toned Christmas is a modern style of Christmas decorating which features gem-coloured ornaments in bright shades of fuchsia, turquoise, amethyst, emerald and sapphire. It has the sparkle and glitter of Glam Christmas decor, but with an untraditional, bold and surprising colour scheme. 

Photo Source: decoholic.org

These Christmas decorations are the perfect addition to this already jewel-toned room. The deep hues of this space give off a sophisticated and romantic vibe. Gold accents emit a regal air; not to mention the crown shaped ornaments. This is modern elegance at its finest. 

Photo Source: lushhome.com

How's this for a Christmas table setting? Here the jewel-tones are brightened to add fun and playfulness. The crisp white of the table provides the ideal backdrop to allow the colours to pop. The snowy table runner creates the perfect winter landscape for the glittery green deer to prance upon. 

Photo Source: solutions.blair.com

Pink door + jewel toned wreath = the "gem" of the block! 

Photo source: bymildred.blogspot.com.nz

7. Shabby Chic Christmas

The last holiday style is Shabby Chic. Shabby Chic décor showcases vintage finds, celebrates worn or imperfect finishes, and often has hints of sparkle from, say, an antique chandelier or mercury glass candle sticks. It features distressed white-painted woods and a monochromatic colour scheme of creamy whites, soft greys, and sometimes adds touches of light robin's egg blue or pastel pink. For Christmas, the decorations continue the soft and soothing pallet. 

Photo source: home-owner-buff.com

How cozy and inviting is this Shabby Chic Christmas room! The Christmas tree's snow-tipped branches soften the evergreen into a shade that compliments the monochromatic colour scheme of the space. White ornaments, a white stocking and a large white star above the fireplace complete the look for Christmas. The thick knitted textures found in the rug and arm chair warm up this space for the winter, and you can't get much more welcoming than the pile of cozy knitted blankets and pillows that sit in front of the Christmas tree. 

Photo source unknown

I love the distressed woods of this dresser, old door and Louis XVI chair. All you need to transform this Shabby Chic vignette for the holidays is some fresh evergreen, a simple pine wreath, an antique Santa and an old sled. Holiday decorations don't have to be overly "Christmassy," like this simple pillow that features a familiar holiday message. 

Photo source: remppahaikara.blogspot.ca

How sweet is this Shabby Chic "Noel" display!  I love that a simple wreath takes the place of the "O".   

This concludes our feature on Holiday Decorating Style.  I hope you were inspired and found your holiday style. Which style is your favourite?  I'd love to hear from you. 

Thanks for reading,
Loredana