Is your home ready for the holidays?

Guests, gifts, shopping, parties, decorations… the list is endless on the things holidays bring along….Oh my! And the mood.

It happens every year- the holiday mood sweeps all of us, but the most unfortunate part is that we are always never ready. Then when the holidays are around the corner, panic sets in, and we begin to rush.

However, you can avoid that by preparing your home and readying it for the holidays early. How can you make your home feel and look more welcoming and inviting for your holiday guests and more entertaining for your family?

Here are expert tips that you can use to make all the festivities that come with holidays easier. We divide them into; interior design and exterior design.

Creating a Good First Impression On Your Interior

Like everything else, the first impression counts. Although this applies to your whole property, the interior of your house matters the most. Some rooms warrant more investment and focus than others. By this, we are talking about the living room, kitchen, bathroom, and bedrooms.

Living Room

Regarding the living room, comfort should be your main priority, followed by style. It is where you, your family, and your guests want to rest and relax. Therefore, you must ensure your room oozes comfort in all its spheres- from walls and ceilings to floors and furniture.

First, you must invest in long, comfortable sofas that your family and guests can sit and lie on. Do not take shortcuts when choosing sofas.

TIP: Go for removable, washable covers for easy cleaning and maintenance. Also, go for those with brightly colored materials to give your room more character and an inviting appearance.

You will also want to position the furniture in a “U” shape or circle to allow your family or guests to converse easily. Also, create a décor theme by either scattering cushions around your living room or having a wall work.

Furniture-wise, go with oak, as it is easier to match most interior themes. You don’t have to go for the most expensive ones since they will likely get scratched while the kids play around the house. There are many cheaper options you can go for that are equally robust and great-looking as expensive ones. You need to look around.

Also, ensure plenty of storage points to keep clutter to a minimum. Use coffee tables and TV stands with cabinets to hide game consoles, books, remotes, etc.

Remember the lighting and wall designs to add to your living room design. How do you ensure your wall and lighting complement and accentuate your living room design?

Your empty walls are filled with possibilities, and a few creative additions can make your house feel homey. Here are wall décor ideas you can try to refresh your space;

Large-scale art. An oversized photograph or painting will act as the focal point of your room and set the tone in a smaller living room. A black and white photo will be ideal in a minimalistic space.
Gallery wall. You can add color and personality to a gallery wall. Display a collection of photographs or art. Opt for cohesive frames and bring a group of decorative variations to mix things up. You can even see an extended gallery wall to the ceiling to make your room look larger.
Accent your wall. Besides adding art and photographs, decorate with wall works. Also, think about how you can creatively transform your ceiling with wallpaper or repainting.
Use fabric on a wall.

You can consider accent, ambient, or task lighting for lighting design.

Ambient lighting is a diffused background light that fills your room. It may fill your living room but may need to be more for activities such as reading. Some of the ambient lights are chandeliers, pendant lights, and ceiling fan light kits.

Task lighting shines bright on a specific task to highlight something. You can have it focus over a table, cozy corner, wall work, etc. This can take the form of desk/table lamps, full-spectrum lamps, swing-arm lamps, etc.

Accent lightings are more decorative and add subtle touches to your living room lighting. They include picture lights to highlight artwork, up-lights shining upwards, or accent lamps.

Kitchen

Your kitchen is the heart of the home, and thus it should be given a fair share of your focus. Before you think about its design, assess the kitchen appliances’ condition and ensure they are in good condition before you think about repainting its wall, installing new doors, and adding wall décor. Focus on refining worktops or replacing them altogether to refresh your room.

Remember that kitchens can be expensive to renovate, so you have to plan well in advance. There are a few things you can do to revamp your kitchen, including;

Minimizing clutter by having trays and baskets to store your kitchen essentials such as utensils, spices, towels, etc.
Investing in decent pans and pots that will serve you for many years
Having cabinets to maximize upward space
Hanging wall fittings to save on cupboard space
For smaller kitchens, you can have light times, light wood, and white cabinets to make the room look and feel bigger
Add a cozy seating area/island for your kids or guest. You can have an exciting kitchen wall work near the island
Have a quirky area like a blackboard where you can have your recipes or warm message written

Ensure that your kitchen looks welcoming and, of course, paint colors associated with hunger.

Bathrooms

Although not a significant area to focus on, your bathrooms should be addressed. Color-wise, you can choose a white finish to make it look elegant and fresh. Alternatively, you can use a darker finish to make it look cozy. The color scheme you settle for should suit your overall house theme.

Here are the essentials when it comes to bathroom design;

A great power shower
Have blinds instead of curtains
Have a storage place for toiletries- a basket would be ideal
Adequate lighting
Power outlets for hairdryers and shaving

Make sure you uplift all the bathrooms in your home.

Bedrooms

Over the holidays, your bedrooms should be a place of comfort and romance, especially the main bedroom. Ideally, bedrooms should be carpeted. Avoid wooden floors and tiles, as this can be cold, especially in the morning. If this is not something you can change, add thick rugs to make the floor cozier for your under-feet.

To ensure your bedroom feels luxurious and brings the holiday mood that you feel while in a luxury hotel, here are things to have;

Invest in the highest-quality mattress
Invest in a king-size for your main bedroom
Have plain cotton linen
Scatter cushions
Have black-out blinds or even thick floor-length curtains
At least two pillows for each of you
A wardrobe, preferably with sliding doors, to save on space
A dressing table
Several power outlets

Also, add romance to your main bedroom by having red fabric, kinky artwork, soft lighting to create ambiance, etc.

Also, ensure that your room has a focal point, such as artwork hanging over the bed, to add character to a room. Preferably, have a large piece or a collection of three individual more minor pieces of art. Avoid all-white wallpapers. Instead, use bold, patterned artwork to give your main bedroom the “WOW” factor.

As for children’s rooms;

Have built-in bunk beds, especially if you have small rooms, to maximize space
Have kids’ wallpapers and their photographs to customize their rooms. You can ask for their color preference to make them feel relaxed when in their rooms.

Other Rooms to work on

Dining Room

Your dining room should be cozy to keep your family sitting at the table long after dinners. To do this;

Make the space open with soft ground lighting and an overhead lighting
Have comfortable chairs and a large dining table
Add a vase of flowers
Have candles for ambiance

You can also work on your dining room painting to make the room inviting.

Hallway and landings

You can make your hallways and landing stylish and welcoming by;

Placing a table and chair/bench with pillows to fill the area
Adding mirrors and a piece of art to act as a focal point
Use monochrome color schemes to make the area neutral

Designing your interior takes time and effort, but with slight creativity, you can make your home a relaxing place to have the best holiday time.

Before we talk about how to uplift your home exterior in preparation for the holidays, let’s share some interior design secrets you can implement to give your rooms a personality;

Focal point. As you can see from the above interior design ideas, every room must have a focal point. This could be an artwork, mirror, statement furniture, fireplace, or wall work. Keep in mind that large rooms should have more than one focal point.
Warm colors. Holidays are all about relaxation and welcoming guests, and thus you should use warm colors such as pink, blue, green, and violet to make the rooms welcoming. PRO TIP: Blue is a powerful color in most of your rooms. Why? Because most people love blue.
Color scheme. Every room needs to have its primary color scheme or two contrasting colors that create a color scheme. Bold colors make a significant impact. You can use cushions, pillows, flowers, throws, or wall works to make your color scheme in a room click.
Use bright white paint in small spaces to make them feel and look bigger. A reflective white opens your room, making it appear bigger.
Comfort. Provide plenty of cushions and blankets for everyone.
Wall works and artwork. Art brightens a room and can act as the focal point. Think of a style you want to achieve to prepare your home for the holidays. Ensure the wall work or artwork you use has a purpose.
Accessories. Add artwork, wall works, and candles to enhance rooms. Make sure they are coordinated.
Mirrors. This is an old trick that always works. Mirrors reflect light and make a room look bigger.

You can have an interior designer work on your interior walls and designs.

Your Home Exterior Is as Important as Its Interior

If decorated correctly, your garden and patio can act as retreat and enjoyment spots on warm and sunny nights. During warm days, your exterior will be ideal for relaxing. No matter the size of your body, you can have something to uplift it.

Here are three areas you need to focus on when working on uplifting your exterior and readying them for holidays;

Gardens

Irrespective of the size of your garden, you can be creative and make them seem relaxing and fresh without overcrowding it.

Think about;

Planting vegetables or herbs
Planting low-maintenance flowers with vibrant colors
Adding a water feature
Adding seats and umbrellas where you can relax
Installing a hot tub

You don’t need to complicate things here. Going natural is the best way to make your garden attractive.

Patio

Take your time to design a patio since this is where you will be relaxing.

Think about;

Installing lighting, a fireplace, or a heater to make it warmer and more comfortable at night
Add a decker to make the patio feel bigger
Add a table and have enough outdoor chairs
Add a BBQ station

That’s all for the patio

The Front Area

Designing your house’s front area is vital. This is the first thing guests see when they enter your compound; thus, you need to create a great first impression.

Plant flowers or plants on the doorway
Have parking areas and proper paths
Paint the front door with welcoming color
Work on the exterior walls- you can hire a wall works expert to do this for you

To finalize this section, it is essential to mention that when decorating and uplifting your exterior, whether using lights, plants/flowers, seats, or wall works, ensure that it matches your theme to make your home look coordinated.

Final Thoughts

Designing your home is a challenging task. Where do you start? What style or theme do you choose? These decisions can be difficult, especially if you are not a designer.

The good news is that you don’t need to reinvent the wheel. You can work with an interior designer or wall works expert to uplift your home to give it a holiday feel. There are also social media sites, such as Instagram and Pinterest, where you can check for inspiration.

Remember that you don’t need to renovate your whole house to make it ready for the holidays- a little thing as adding wall works, artwork, or repainting with vibrant colors can make your home feel welcoming and relaxing.

And if you do it right, you only have to do it once. The rest will be general maintenance and keeping up with the trends.

If you need help making your home holiday-ready with fresh paint colors, fixing damaged drywall, or sprucing up your kitchen cabinet look, call us at 951-695-5588.