As Apartment Therapy’s Executive Home Director, I head up our decorating, trends, and designer coverage. I studied Media Studies at UVa and Journalism at Columbia and have worked in media for more than a decade. I love homes, heels, the history of art, and hockey — but not necessarily in that order.
The holiday season is all about joy. And decorating for the holidays is a huge part of that joy! At least for me, it is. Each year, I can’t wait to put up my Christmas decorations — which yes, I do get started on immediately after Halloween.
Regardless of how pre-Thanksgiving decorating makes you feel, holiday decor should, of course, always be about whatever sparks joy for you. As always, we’ll never yuck your yum — especially not when it comes to sentimental holiday decorations.
But, if you (like me) want to stay stylish this holiday season, you’re in the right place: I spoke with top interior designers to find out which Christmas decor styles they recommend you stay away from, and what to try instead. Merry “Cringe-mas” to all!
Credit: Wilson Cleaver/Shutterstock
Lastly, designers recommend staying away from multicolored lights if you’re looking for a softer, elegant vibe. “Multicolored lights tend to overpower everything else in the decor,” concludes Meena Murthy Kakkar, partner and design head of Envisage. “Modern Christmas decorating has shifted toward curated elegance. Warm fairy lights, amber tones, or even soft pastel glows create a cozy and sophisticated mood, allowing your tree, wreaths, and table settings to shine through.”
Credit: Photo: Alex Lepe; Prop Styling: Vicky Wasik and Maya Borrero
Designer Donen Kemnitz of Favorite Design Co. suggests choosing neutral tones. “I used to love the overstyled Christmas trees with big shiny ornaments, but an overload of red and green decor can be overwhelming,” she says. “Sticking to a more neutral color palette while using different textures and materials can still be very festive and warm.” You could also try softer shades of red and green, like burgundy and deep forest greens.
Credit: Photo: Vicky Wasik; Prop Styling: Vicky Wasik and Maya Borrero
Ninada Kashyap, cofounder of Alkove-Design, says that at the end of the day, pieces that are precious to you are always the perfect finishing touch. “We love when people mix in a few meaningful pieces collected over the years [or] from travels around the world,” she says.
“I would recommend a more collected and personal approach,” Mansharamani affirms. “The idea is to let the tree tell a story rather than for it to look staged, embracing a little imperfection and individuality to make it feel truly festive.”
When Lauren Whitfield, a content creator with an interior design degree, wanted to renovate her home’s kitchen, she turned to her husband, who used to work in the trades, as her co-captain. “Our kitchen before was very cramped and dark,” she says. “We wanted to create a space that felt inviting and cozy, while also being opened up to the living and dining rooms.”
The couple’s kitchen didn’t have the largest footprint, so the goal was to pack lots of character and charm into a small room. Lauren’s vision was to create a mix of cottagecore, farmhouse, and English country design. The bottom line: She wanted it to look “lived-in.”
At first, the couple wanted to replace the cabinetry, install some new appliances, and add some paint. But upon further inspection, they realized that the drywall and flooring were “extremely damaged,” forcing them to “go all the way down to the studs.” The couple essentially demolished everything, including a wall between the living room and kitchen. This created space while providing them with added storage.
“Once we demoed everything, we were able to start with a clean slate, which essentially gave us free rein to do anything we wanted,” Lauren explains. “Our goal was to create a practical space that was cozy and cost-effective.”
To keep costs down, the couple chose standard Lowe’s cabinetry and vinyl flooring. They did splurge on the quartz countertops because Lauren loves the “look and practicality” of them.
In addition to the open shelving, the couple purchased an IKEA island that has built-in shelves for even more storage space. To complete the project and help the space flow with the rest of the home, they added shiplap and painted it a creamy white (Sherwin-Williams’ Maison Blanche).
“My favorite part has to be the open shelving and shiplap wall,” Lauren says. “I think it gives the overall space a really cozy, lived-in feel, and I love how we used practical items, such as the food canisters and cookbooks, as decor. In a small space, this is not only practical but also feels like it is a part of the overall design.”
It took the couple four months to complete the kitchen renovation by themselves, and the reno cost around $7,000. There were plenty of lessons and even some happy accidents along the way, like a cutting board storage space that was caused by a slight miscalculation.
This post originally appeared on The Kitchn. See it there: How a Homeowner Couple Transformed a “Cramped” Oak Kitchen Into Their Cozy Happy Place for Only $7,000
Now, this is usually when you’d pull out that old can of paint (with the hope that it didn’t dry out or shift in color), grab a brush, and get to painting. But what if I told you that there was an easier way to give your walls a quick refresh that’s also mess-free and can ensure your paint will still be as good as new when you need it? Say hello to the magic that is a paint touch-up pen!
Whether you’re looking to touch up that scuffed wall, cover that hole you just patched up, or even hide that nick in your favorite piece of furniture, you can think of these paint touch up pens as your secret weapon. To prepare them, simply use one of the included syringes to transfer paint from your can to the empty pen. Then, reattach the head, twist the base to saturate the brush, and you’re ready to start painting!
Because of its pen design, you’ll no longer have to worry about laying out your paint tarp to catch drips or spills. And the best part? These pens are refillable and airtight, too, so they’ll preserve your paint, meaning you can throw them in your drawer with the confidence that they won’t dry out for years to come. They’re available as a five-pack or as a two-pack (which sold over 7,000x in the past month), so get your home improvement MVP now!
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Olivia Harvey is a freelance writer and award-winning scriptwriter from outside Boston, Massachusetts. She’s a big fan of scented candles, getting dressed up, and the 2005 film adaptation of Pride and Prejudice starring Keira Knightley. You can make sure she’s doing okay via…read more
Ciéra is a writer and regional laureate with particular passions for art, design, philosophy, and poetry. As well as contributing to Apartment Therapy, she’s an Editorial Assistant for Design Anthology UK and a Contributing Writer for Homes & Gardens and Living, etc. When not…read more