A Few Homey Touches Will Put Happy Back in Holidays
Question: Help. The holidays are coming, and my house looks dull. I’m a working mom and have little time or money. Please give me some quick fixes to make my home more inviting for the holiday season?
Answer: Relax. Here are some hints guaranteed to lift your spirits and revitalize your home:
Start at the front door with a homemade wreath of leaves, pine cones, berries, fruits, spices, and ribbon. Pots or baskets overflowing with greenery, chrysanthemums, poinsettias or flowering cactus bid a cheery welcome to guests.
In the entryway, try a small table with a collection of family photographs and a crystal bowl of potpourri. Use heirloom lace or a small festive cloth for the table covering.
If you have a fireplace, decorate the mantle with pine boughs and ornaments or a collection of candlesticks, china plates or porcelain figurines. Buy some inexpensive flowering paperwhites (narcissus), put them in copper pots and ceramic bowls and place them strategically on the hearth or cocktail table. Their white faces are a welcome change from traditional green and red and their fragrance is sweet and subtle.
No fireplace? Decorate the dining room table or a long cocktail table as above and add some metallic ribbon and votive candles.
A quick fix for a shabby sofa or chair is to cover worn spots with a cozy throw, quilt or a ready-made slipcover.
In the kitchen, add terra-cotta pots of fresh herbs, an old pot filled with shiny red apples and new kitchen towels. Help the kids decorate a small tree with cookie cutters and cranberry and popcorn garlands.
Brew some spiced cider or spices to fill the house with the fragrance of the season.
In the bathroom, include colorful hand towels, soaps, potpourri or an assortment of sea shells resting on a bed of pine.
Don’t forget the bedrooms. Miniature Christmas trees, Victorian wreaths, old toys and books, pots of dried flowers all perk up a boring bedroom.
Exhibit your children’s artwork or your needlepoint throughout the house. Search out pots, baskets and artwork that you’ve hidden away. Try to use what you have on hand (that saves a lot of shopping).
Don’t be restricted to traditional holiday colors. Experiment. Bronze, plum, gold, silver, purple, ivory or white can be quite exciting.
Nancie Lowe, ASID, CID, is senior interior designer at Homestead House in Irvine. She is a member of the board of directors of the American Society of Interior Designers. (949) 552-0777 or (714) 771-0674.
Do you have a question about your decor? Send questions to Home Design, The Times Orange County, 1375 Sunflower Ave., Costa Mesa, CA 92626, or e-mail to ocsocalliv@latimes.com.
