Easter in spring. Fourth of July in summer. Halloween and Thanksgiving in fall. Christmas and Hannukah in winter. Each new season brings with it a new reason to celebrate—and decorate!
We’re here to offer you a few easy tips to amp up your decorating game, all while staying stress-free.
1. Always plan ahead.
The biggest mistake people make when decorating is not planning, which results in either spending too much money or having to make multiple trips to the store to get everything you need. To avoid this, do a rough sketch of the space you're decorating and plan out what you want to use in each area of the room. For example, if you’re doing outdoor lighting, you’ll want to:
a. Decide how many light sets to buy;
b. Count the electrical outlets you have available in that space; and
c. Determine how many extension cords you need.
2. Keep it under budget.
It’s always nice to have a few high-value, sentimental decorations, but there’s no need to spend hundreds or thousands of dollars. If you’re someone who gets bored easily and likes to switch up your decorations each year, you’ll definitely want to spend less. The good news is that you can still create a beautifully decorated home on a budget. Consider checking out flea markets and discount stores or wait until a holiday is over and shop the clearance bins.
3. Remember that less is more.
You don’t need a lot of decorations to create a big impact. In fact, too many decorations can be overwhelming and make a space feel cluttered, rather than festive and inviting. Just because you’ve collected a lot of decorations over the years doesn’t mean you have to display all of them.
4. Pick a color scheme or theme and stick to it.
Even if you don’t have too many decorations out, your space can still look cluttered or overwhelming if nothing goes together. For example, if you have blue and silver ornaments on your Christmas tree(s), then don’t cover the rest of your space in red and green decorations.
5. Step back and take in the full picture.
It’s easy to get caught up in the details decorating one corner of a room. But to truly see how different décor pieces work together, make sure to step back and take the room in its entirety. Or take a break for an hour and come back! Oftentimes a room looks different once we see it from a fresh perspective.
Most importantly, don’t forget to have fun! There are many wonderful magazines and websites to find holiday decorating inspiration, but it can also create unrealistic expectations. The holidays are stressful enough. Ultimately, it doesn’t matter how much time or money you spend on it; if you create a space that you love where you can make fun, family memories, then you’ve succeeded. Happy decorating!