Need some tips for Christmas Day and festive season decorating?
TAFE Newcastle and TAFE NSW interior design head teacher Tim Neeve has some design advice for you.
Pick A Style And Stick To It
For a traditional Christmas look, stick with bold red and green, but don't be afraid to use other colour palettes. Reflect the Aussie summer with a coastal feel, think simple timber tones, soft blues and whites.
It's your house and your style, so choose decorations that reflect your personality.
Think Outside The Shop
Don't just look in obvious stores for Christmas decor. Search op shops for unexpected elements and work in some of your own personal items to reduce costs.
One Hero Element
Have one "hero" in the room such as the Christmas tree or table centrepiece and consider the placement. There's no point in hiding your styling work.
Once the hero is chosen, everything else in the room should work to complement its scale and theme.
Less Is More
Remove items to add Christmas decorations. If your buffet is already covered in family photos or other decor, store them away and add something festive instead. This will also help you stick to your theme - you don't want your regular style competing against your Christmas theme.
Plan Your Christmas Dining Table
Set your dining table early so you can focus on your guests when they arrive. Place a runner down the centre of the table for decoration and keep the centrepiece low so people can talk across the table.
Don't stress if you don't have enough matching place settings - add an eclectic mix of plates and cutlery.
Make Your Own
Make your own place cards for your dining guests as a personal touch. You can DIY with cards, tags and when wrapping presents. Mix and match Christmas paper with brown paper, ribbons and raffia, so gifts are wrapped uniquely. Colourfully wrapped gifts under the tree are a great decoration.
Experiment And Have Fun
Add sparkle or lights to a design and wrap fairy lights around anything for an instant lift. Lights can be used to great effect indoors as well as outdoors - look for battery-operated or solar-powered lights to avoid messy cords.
Festive Flora
TAFE NSW floristry teacher David Berger has some tips on keeping Christmas decorations sustainable and budget-friendly.
Christmas floral decorations are an easy and creative way to bring life to any festive display, whether it be a wreath adorning the front door or a floral arrangement on the dining table. For a simpler approach, David suggests arranging a bunch of Australian native flowers in a vase on a table, like the Christmas bush as it has red flowers and can make the table pop with colour. For a more elaborate look, weaving Christmas decorations like baubles through floral arrangements can spruce up an ordinary bouquet.
David suggests using Australian native blooms when making festive decorations such as Christmas wreaths and table arrangements because they are guaranteed to last the whole Christmas season. Australian natives like the Christmas bush, banksias, grevillea and Christmas bells work well for festive decorations because of their colour and longevity.
Keep your flowers looking fresh and in the best condition all festive season by changing the water in the vase every three days and adding one tablespoon of bleach.
