It is said that the living room is the heart of a home. Come Christmas, and it is in your living room that the festive spirit really comes alive. After all, it is here that families gather together, the Christmas tree is put up, and gifts are exchanged. You will agree that your living room should shine and glow with a festive feel throughout the Christmas season.
So how do you create a warm and winsome Christmas ambiance in your living room? We have some wonderful suggestions to get you going. Read on.
- Put up the Christmas tree in style-
Let’s begin with the obvious. Nothing is more Christmassy than a Christmas tree. Choose one that’s appropriate for your living room’s size. If you have a luxuriously spacious living room, you might want to use a big christmas tree, anywhere between 8-12 feet tall, as a focal point in your room. Get a big tree and decorate it lavishly. If it is a moderately spacious room, put up a decent-sized tree in a corner. If the room is small, be innovative. Use plants such as araucaria or juniper or tabletop Christmas trees that can be placed on a side table in a corner.
Bonus tip: Create the illusion of a bigger tree by using larger baubles at the bottom and gradually smaller ones at the top.
Make this Christmas tree your living room’s statement piece. Wind around fairy lights. Hang ornaments. Add a beautiful tree skirt around the base. If your living room is otherwise understated and minimalist, the tree will just stand out. If your living room is already colorful, a well-decked Christmas tree will add more vibrance to it.
- Let the living room windows give the Christmas vibe-
Windows link the inside world with the one outside. Window treatments are visible from the inside as well as outside. Whoever passes by your home should get a whiff of the festive joy inside. Here are some ideas to give your living room windows a Christmas feel:
- Use the curtain rod as a hanging bar for Christmas paraphernalia. Festoons, fairy lights, baubles, buntings, garlands, candy canes, or just plain foliage. It would be good if the foliage is the kind that stays fresh for days.
- If you have sheer curtains or roman shades on your windows, use these as a backdrop to hang oversized wreaths on wide striped ribbons.
- Use christmas-themed tie-backs on drapes. This looks especially festive paired with layered window treatments.
- Here’s another simple yet effective idea. Get snowflake stickers or cling film with a snowflake pattern. Paste these on the window panes for that white Christmas feeling.
- Do mantlescaping
If you have a fireplace and a mantle, put both to good use. A crackling fire in the fireplace evokes warmth and welcome in true Christmas tradition. Next, decorate the mantle with Christmas-themed cards, ornaments, and candles.
If there’s no mantle in your living room, hang a thick foraged branch at the mantle height on a wall and decorate it with greeting cards, hanging baubles, stockings, and garlands.
You can also use a window sill as a mantle substitute.
4. Add accents in festive colors
You don’t have to disturb your existing décor to evoke festive flair in your living room. Just bring in accents in red, green, and golden colors. Here are some suggestions:
- Place occasional baubles among books on the bookshelf.
- Create a coffee table centerpiece that reflects the festive spirit. A tray with candles and pinecones, a bell jar filled with Christmas ornaments, a vintage music box that plays jingle bells, etc are some such ideas.
- Bring in curtains that are red, white, or green in color, or ones with red and white stripes, or even accentuating rich gold tones.. Give your couch cushion new covers in christmas colors- green, red, or white. Cover the chair back or the sofa back with throws in festive color palettes.
- Bring in the greens-
Greenery gives such a festive vibe, don’t they? Pine, cedar cones, holly, mistletoe, fir, poinsettia, etc are some greens that just evoke the Christmas feeling. Depending on where you live, go for fresh foliage. If fresh foliage is hard to come by, you can also opt for faux Christmas plants.
- Create a Christmassy accent wall-
Choose a wall (or a section of the wall) that gets maximum visibility from the door of the living room. Hang greeting cards, pics of Christmases past, and other festive paraphernalia to create an accent or feature wall. The idea is that anyone entering the living room sees this wall and gets the first whiff of the Christmas spirit that pervades every inch of the room.
- Add some jewel tones and sparkle-
Gold, silver, copper, bronze, rose gold – all these metallic colors sparkle and make your living room appear merry and festive. You can bring in the metallica through tinsel or ornaments. Similarly, glowing jewel colors such as sapphire, emerald and ruby too give a warm and welcoming vibe. You can place cushions in jewel tones on the couch or use crystal ornaments incorporating these hues.
- Light up the living room-
Hang fairy lights. Switch on overhead lights. Bring out the luxurious candelabras. Create candle groups of different heights in the same color and style in a tray. Basically, light up the living room to make it a warm and glowing space.
- Add a festive fragrance-
Festivals and fragrances go together, don’t they! Christmas too has its own evocative fragrance. Many would call it a blend of cinnamon, orange, cloves, ginger, honey, mulled wine, apples, and snow. In fact, you can buy the Christmas fragrance from a store as scented candles, aroma oils, and room sprays.
Use some of these ideas in your living room’s décor and your living room will look all set for the Christmas season. Merry Christmas and merry times to you.
