As you survey your house, hone in on the spaces that visitors will see first. Set the stage with your entryway—make it fabulous. Add some touches that make it glitter—add some glam.

Next, turn your attention to the living room or the room(s) where family and guests will gather. Make them warm, celebratory, and full of reminders of holiday joy. When you’re limited in time and inspiration, concentrate on spaces where most of the hosting and holiday activities will take place.

When adding color with your holiday touches, red, gold and silver are great colors that can be incorporated at the beginning of the season and even last until spring.

Don’t overlook smaller places that can have an added touch for the holidays. Replace that display of family photos with some holiday nick knacks. Windowsills, armoires, and yes, even bathrooms deserve a little touch of holiday magic. And, don’t forget to add some holiday spice to the guest room.

Shine, glow, sparkle.

Accessories are the jewelry for your interior decorating, even more so during the holidays. Ornaments aren’t just for the tree. A simple holiday accent can be created by placing ornaments in a crystal bowl or glass urn. Round glass balls can even be used as table place cards when you write each guest’s name on them.

Soft glowing light is complementary to you and your holiday guests. Once you’ve turned the lights down low, bring out the candles by the boxful. From tall and tapered to short and stout, candles set a celebratory tone. Grouping candles in odd numbers and varying heights can add interest or consider displaying them on a silver platter for even more light and shine.

Mirrors, picture frames, and metallic accents will help your room sparkle and shine. Don’t be afraid to mix it up with lots of different metals.

Be natural.

When looking to Mother Nature for inspiration for adding holiday cheer, think beyond the obvious poinsettias. Fill vases with bouquets of fresh flowers in addition to the usual holly. Consider beautifully shaped topiaries covered with pepper berries. Or how about draping your dining room chandelier with a pine garland or holly.

Stroll down the produce aisle of your grocery store for some simple and unique holiday decorations. For example, spray paint walnuts and gourds in silver or gold and display them in a decorative basket. Or fill a crystal bowl with red and green apples. Simple and festive.

Set your own style!

Above all, make your holiday décor reflect your family’s personality. Are antique toys a personal passion? Are you a dedicated beachcomber? Try incorporating your passions or your children’s or grandchildren’s into your holiday tree design and other aspects of your decorating.

Do not be afraid to give your festive decorating an unexpected feel, a feel that relates personally to those who will use the space most often.

Sometimes simple fits your style. It’s the holidays; don’t overcomplicate it.

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For many, the Christmas tree takes center stage around the holiday season. Whether it’s a nostalgic masterpiece made of handmade ornaments from your childhood or it follows a subtle and modern theme, the Christmas tree easily becomes the focal point this time of year.

With such an iconic holiday staple gaining the attention in your living room, family room or whatever area of your home it resides, it can feel difficult to make sure the rest of the room is up to par. To ensure you make the Christmas spirit flow throughout the room, we have a few tips for decorating around the tree:

Make the mantel the star of the show
The mantel is the perfect place to set the tone for Christmas — a blank slate can help you set the foundation for more holiday decorations without taking up any floor space. Mini decorative trees, holiday ceramics, lights and candles are simple objects you can use to spruce up this space and help the eye wander around the room instead of focusing solely on the tree.

Be merry and bright twinkling lights
What’s Christmas without an array of lights? Decorating with string lights may be the most popular for the exterior of your home, but you can create your own living winter wonderland in the living room with the right amount of twinkling lights. We recommend white lights, as this is a timeless option that can go with nearly any color scheme.

Go festive with a red and green theme
When the red and green decor comes out, you know it’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas. The tree will surely take precedence when it comes to laying the foundation for this color scheme, but a collection of red and green decor surrounding the tree can make the room feel more complete. Consider red and green accessories such as:

• Accent pillows and blankets
• Area rugs
• Tableside accessories
• The Christmas tree skirt
• Picture and artwork frames
• Candleholders
• Coffee table decor
• Window treatments

With the right mixture of holiday hues throughout your living space, the Christmas tree will become more of a single piece of the puzzle than the entire masterpiece.

Play the Christmas classics all season long
As soon as the room is filled to the brim with holiday decorations, there’s a simple finishing touch you can add to ensure you achieve the holiday atmosphere to its full potential: Christmas music or movies. You can play your favorite Christmas songs in the background while baking cookies, wrapping presents or reading Christmas stories to the children. Likewise, a Christmas movie marathon offers the perfect opportunity to embrace the decorations and settle into the Christmas vibe to its fullest extent.

Contact Michelle Jett – Decorating Den Interiors before Christmas
Santa isn’t the only one making dreams come true this holiday season. If you want to decorate your living space to the nines this Christmas, call a personal decorating consultant from Michelle Jett – Decorating Den Interiors.

She will come to your home to provide a complimentary consultation, where your decorator will evaluate your living space and provide specific tips and tricks for decorating around the Christmas tree.

At this time, you can share your own ideas, personal style preferences and hopes for holiday decor so you can come up with a decorating blueprint together. This is a great opportunity to get in the holiday spirit and inspire a new and improved layout for your Christmas decorations moving forward.

The big celebration is right around the corner. Is your home ready for the holidays? Contact a personal decorating consultant from Michelle Jett – Decorating Den Interiors today to get started.

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Have you ever wondered, by the way, how Christmas in July celebrations started? The magazine Southern Living reported in 2017 that “Christmas in July started 84 years ago on July 24th and 25th in 1933 at a girls’ camp called Keystone Camp in Brevard, N.C. The first Christmas in July included carolers, a Christmas Tree, Santa Claus, presents, and fake snow made of cotton. As the tradition evolved, campers would use laundry bags as makeshift stockings, which they placed outside their cabins to be filled with candy overnight. Eventually, elves, reindeer, and Mrs. Claus joined the act.”

One of the most prominent celebrants today is the Hallmark Channel, which has an entire section of its website devoted to its Christmas in July month-long celebration. There’s even a “How To” section to making decorations that go with the theme of the various movies.

Not to be outdone by Hallmark, we’d like to offer some ideas of our own.

Five basics for holiday decorating:

Candles are always a go-to for holiday décor. Nothing softens a room more than the glow of candlelight. Tall and tapered, short votives, star-shaped colors, and scents abound. Groupings of varying heights will be your key to a successful candle display. The colors you choose can complement or accent a room’s rhythm.

Sparkle and twinkle are hallmarks of holiday décor. Mirrors, silver and gold ornaments, picture frames, and even candlesticks will help your room shine. Don’t be afraid to mix metals. By all means get out that antique silver, polish it up, and put it center stage. What says “Holidays” more than the twinkle of hundreds of tiny white lights? The smallest of plants to the largest of Ficus trees will come alive when you add a few inexpensive strands of white lights. Consider draping white lights inside silver netting or garland or wrapping your staircase in a fabulous and unique new look.

Tabletop décor is fundamental for the holidays. Setting a beautiful table can set the mood for all your holiday entertaining. Try adding bows to the stems of wine glasses. Fold napkins in a special way and tie them together with a gold tassel. Use gold or brass chargers under your special tableware. Pull it all together with a table runner and a wonderful holiday floral or greenery arrangement.

Merry mantles are a staple of the holiday season. Start with a theme such as your prize collection of antique Santas, snowmen, birdhouses, or reindeer. Whatever theme you select, use different shapes and sizes to create visual interest. Unify your display with garland, ivy, magnolia leaves, or anything else that is soft and easily draped.

Put the “green” in your holiday decorating by using nature’s bounty in a decorative way. Adding cloves to oranges, limes or lemons will create a beautiful and fragrant pomander. Simply stacking fresh lemons or limes in a tall glass hurricane can make a truly impressive decorative statement.

Christmas in July: Not too soon to be thinking about making December more special. Contact Michelle Jett – Decorating Den Interiors today to help you prepare for the holiday.

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Adorning your tree with ornaments, lights, and garland is simple. What about the rest of the space? Before you can rock around the Christmas tree, you need to make sure the rest of the room is decorated to complement it. Here are a few tips for getting the job done:

Change Your Color Scheme

Even if your Christmas tree isn’t covered in traditional holiday colors, you may want to think about changing the overall color scheme in your living space to complement this new focal point. This doesn’t mean you have to paint the walls and buy a new sofa – instead, think about how you can take advantage of accents. A gorgeous area rug adds a new level of comfort to the space, brings the room together, and can help accentuate the tree. Throw pillows and blankets scattered among the seating areas are great complementary pieces as well. And of course, the rest of the Christmas decorations you use throughout the room should match the color theme you followed with your tree.

Not only does accenting make the overall design of the room pop, but it’s the perfect way to make a statement when you don’t have a lot of time to completely transform the room. Plus, it’s a simple way to ensure an easy transformation when the next season arrives.

Use string lights throughout the space.

Hang Some Lights and Use Candles

The tree isn’t the only thing that should be lit. Take advantage of the lines and edges throughout the room to hang string lights. This is a delicate way to make the television, doorway, windows and picture frames pop. Remember: Stick to white lights or complement the color scheme with the same hue as your decor.

Candles are ideal this time of year as well. Browse your favorite candle store for a few of your favorite seasonal scents to distribute around the room. This piece of decor is multifunctional – it lights things up, produces a festive aroma, and adds another layer of comfort to a cozy night in.

Exchange Your Window Treatments

Even if you plan on decorating the outside of your home, make sure your guests, neighbors and passers-by can see all of the hard work you put into decorating your Christmas tree and the rest of your home. A new set of sheer window treatments can ensure everyone can see your beautiful interior decorations for the holidays.

There’s no time to waste! Don’t let your living space go unfinished this holiday season; your tree needs some complementary decor. If the idea of completing this task on your own stresses you out, you may consider contacting a design consultant from Michelle Jett – Decorating Den Interiors. He or she can come to your home for a free consultation to evaluate the space around your Christmas tree. From there, our professional will offer tips and advice based on the allotted room, your ideas, and the holiday theme.

So what are you waiting for? Contact a personal decorator from Michelle Jett – Decorating Den Interiors today to get the rest of your home ready for the holidays.

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Here’s how accent lighting can help you ring in the holiday spirit this Christmas:

Set the Atmosphere on a Cold, Wintry Night

Nothing says relaxation quite like a cold evening snuggled up on the couch near the fireplace with a cup of hot cocoa or tea. You can make this night even more memorable by installing accent lighting throughout the living and family room, including table and floor lamps. These additions are a great way to soften the light, brighten or darken specific areas of the room, or even stand as a design piece on their own. Additionally, dimming the lights adds a romantic vibe to your cozy night in – adding dimmers to pre-installed lighting is a great and simple option.

Make Your Christmas Tree the Focal Point

One of the most exciting parts about preparing for the holidays is decorating the Christmas tree. To ensure this traditional greenery doesn’t go unnoticed, consider adding a spotlight right above it. This will emphasize the tree and make it the focal point of your holiday decor.

Enhance Your Holiday Color Scheme

If you decided to completely change up your color scheme to flow with the holiday season, adding accent lighting to your home can emphasize the theme you’re going for. Based on the areas you want to emphasize most, you can add wall sconces, floodlights, recessed lights, track lights, or other accent options. Not sure which style of accent lighting you want to use? Consider calling a personal decorator to help you make the decision.

Add Visual Interest to Your Holiday Decorations

Much like sprucing up your Christmas tree and holiday color scheme with focal point lights, accent lighting can be used to add visual interest to any of your holiday decorations. Perhaps you want to light up the traditional nativity scene you have on display, or a collection of small painted houses you crafted last year. Or feature a special holiday floor lamp or table lamp in gold or red to illuminate your space in a new way. No matter what you want to emphasize, accent lighting can make a subtle, yet bold statement.

Christmas is a month away. Is your home prepared for the holiday? If you’re currently considering accent lighting, but you’re not sure where to get started, contact a personal decorator from Michelle Jett – Decorating Den Interiors. She will come to your house, evaluate your space, and come up with a variety of options for accent lighting based on your goals. With the suggested choices for lighting, your personal decorator can help you ring in the holiday spirit with ease and continue the elevated atmosphere all year long.

Time is running out! What are you waiting for? Hurry and get in touch with a design consultant today. Happy holidays!

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Here are some easy tips and tricks for preparing your home for the upcoming family festivities:

Focus on the Main Spaces

It may feel like you need to decorate and clean every inch of your home once fall comes around. And while it is time to retire some of your summer decor and add in some holiday accents, it’s best to truly focus on the spaces that count the most. This includes the living room, kitchen, and dining room. While this isn’t to say your other spaces can’t be spruced up and decorated, these main spaces are likely where most of the hosting and holiday activities will take place.

Focus on giving these rooms a good clean for the new season (this will make it easier when each holiday rolls around). Then, add your carefully curated accessories around the fireplace and dining room table for a warm and inviting feel.

Spruce up the dining room for the holiday season.

Keep Safety Measures in Mind

It’s well known that home accidents (especially fires) rise around the holiday season. From an increased use of candles, lights, and generators, to having more guests around and cooking complicated meals with sharp knives, there is simply more chance of something going wrong.

The Red Cross recommends checking decorations like lights, electronic candles, and even artificial Christmas trees and wreaths before plugging them in for the season. Look for any exposed wires or faulty plugs. Additionally, always make sure to keep decorations a good distance away from heat sources and extinguish any candles or fire before going to bed or leaving the room for the night.

Have a Transitional Color Palette

The holiday season is usually further split into two distinct periods: Autumn and winter. For many, the decorations from fall to the snowy season are a dramatic change, but decorating your home can be easier if you choose a transitional color palette from the start.

Red, gold and silver are all great colors that can be incorporated at the beginning of the season and last until spring. Consider using a tablecloth in one of these hues or adding these pops of color in throw pillows and blankets. These can stay for the entire season while other decor can change to set the tone between fall and winter.

Make Space

Real Simple points out that during the holiday season, you and your family will likely be receiving many gifts. The start of autumn marks the perfect time to begin cleaning up and making space for some of these new items. Ask your children to gather toys and clothes to donate so they can enjoy the new ones. Similarly, clean out any nooks and crannies preemptively so you have space for a tree, extra seating or whatever you may need some extra room for during the holidays.

The holiday season can be stressful enough without having to worry about prepping your home for the craziness to come. Sit back and relax while the team from Michelle Jett – Decorating Den Interiors takes control!

Depending on your comfort level, our design professionals are available for an in-person free consultation or can be reached over the phone to discuss your personal style and needs during this transition period.

Contact a personal decorator from Michelle Jett – Decorating Den Interiors to begin creating the perfect atmosphere for the upcoming holidays so you can enjoy them with friends and family.

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Not everyone is into the generic Halloween decor. A home full of fake cobwebs, plastic pumpkins, and witchy accessories isn’t for everyone. However, that doesn’t mean you can’t follow suit and make your home a little more spooky this time of year.

If you’re a huge fan of decorating for the seasonal change – but don’t want to go overboard – use these fun and subtle ways to decorate for Halloween:

Mix Up Your Color Scheme

Perhaps your current decor theme or color scheme is holding you back from making a delicate Halloween statement. Take a look around your home – if you’re still sporting bright hues that are reminiscent of summer, take the opportunity to mix things up for fall. Deep oranges, reds and browns are perfect for fall and can set the right tone for Halloween as well. If you want to go a step further, don’t be afraid to throw in some black here and there, or maybe even some purple. However, if you’re going to go bold, choose one vibrant color – a mix of orange and purple can take away from the subtlety you’re trying to achieve.

Let the Accessories Do the Talking

Taking a subtle approach to Halloween through color doesn’t mean you have to paint the walls. Utilize your home accessories to their full potential. A gorgeous new decorative brown and orange area rug can bring your space together while giving off a fall vibe. New seasonal throw pillows and blankets can dress up your seating arrangements while making the living room feel more festive. The options are endless when it comes to your home accessories – you have the opportunity to make a subtle or bold statement for the holiday based on your personal style. Taking the subtle approach allows you to carry these accessories from Halloween to Thanksgiving, meaning you won’t have to start thinking about changing things up again until Santa Claus comes to town.

Take a more elegant approach to Halloween decor this year.

Get Spooky with the Lighting

Dim lighting can be the faint touch of Halloween spirit your home needs. The right lighting arrangements can make a big difference in your space, and installing dimmers can give your rooms the hint of spookiness you’re looking for this time of year. This option is ideal for the front porch or entryway on Halloween night, and it can also complete a room if you’re planning on throwing a Halloween party.

Decorate the Mantel

If you want to take advantage of the fun and thrilling decorations that come with the season, but don’t want to decorate an entire room from floor to ceiling, just utilize the mantel. Spruce it up with gorgeous pumpkins from the patch, a quaint Halloween banner, and candles to light at night.

Halloween is right around the corner. Is your home ready for the thrilling night? If you’re still not sure how to tackle this task on your own, perhaps professional assistance can come in handy. A personal decorator from Michelle Jett – Decorating Den Interiors can come to your home and help you get everything in order. One of our professionals will provide a free consultation to evaluate the space you plan on decorating and give advice and feedback based on your ideas and personal style.

So what are you waiting for? Don’t let the holiday pass without showing some spirit, even if it’s subtle! Contact a design consultant from Michelle Jett – Decorating Den Interiors today.

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