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for the Holidays: What to do Before You Deck the Halls
by
Kathleen Wilson
The Holidays are
here, and most of us are getting ready to deck the halls in one way or another.
Before you pull out the tinsel and tree, take a couple hours to make some quick
changes to update your rooms, and provide a great background for your Christmas
and holiday trimmings. More...
Think of decorating for the holidays as making a cake. Before you get to the
icing, you need to have a good foundation. Then you add the filling, and lastly
comes the decoration on top. Here are ideas for all three!
* If you haven’t already, pick a focal point wall in your room. This can be
the wall you see as you enter, the wall the TV is on, or the wall that contains
a wonderful view. Now make that wall special, a place where a person’s eyes
are drawn to. This gives your room importance and style. Try painting that one
wall a rich color such as butterscotch gold, deep sage, plum, steel blue, or
barn red. These are all seen as the “new neutrals” because they are muted
colors, and blend well into your color schemes.
* Add more importance to your focal wall by placing a large piece of furniture
there, group artwork, or paint panels of coordinating colors to represent
paneled walls.
* Now use your large furniture pieces to create conversation areas in the room,
group some chairs around a fireplace, rearrange your couch and loveseat to face
each other, or try something on a diagonal to add style. You can use an online
furniture arrangement for free by going to www.HGTV.com
and clicking on the “Room Planner.”
* Now add your filling. Using your focal wall color, add throws and pillows, use
coordinating ribbon to tie up your curtains, or frame some pretty fabric with
your colors to fill that empty wall. Adding winter white this time of year will
perk up any color scheme!
* If you only have blinds at the window, now is the time to layer with curtains.
Nothing fancy, just simple drawback curtains from the discount shop or the
sewing matching, tied back with that matching ribbon, of course! Layer table
cloths and runners, and add placemats to your kitchen table.
* Ok, now that you’ve spent an afternoon or two making the room a coordinated
showpiece, time for the icing. Let loose with your holiday decorating,
remember there is always a way to make what you don’t have, and fill your home
with love for the season… now that you have a background to be proud of.
And it only took an afternoon!
* * *
Copyright © 2005 by Kathleen Wilson. All
rights reserved.
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