Yes, the holidays are here. And, yes, the way things fall on the calendar this year, it’s a shorter runway between the big events. And yet, getting your home dressed up for the moments ahead is worth it. No, really.
Maybe it’s the cold, the weariness, or simply the deep yearning for a soft place to land, but there’s such a pull this time of year to transform our homes into cozy, peaceful wonderlands. To turn our everyday spaces into something warmly welcoming, whispering of nostalgia, and primed and ready for making new “forever” memories.
The wonderland you seek is seeking you. And, there’s still time to make design and decor dreams come true in your home. Today we’ll unwrap a few handy DIY tricks — with an emphasis on upholstery fabrics, of course — to help you create your favorite festive feels in your home this year.
How To Use Furniture Fabrics To Give The Gift Of Comfort And Joy
It’s fair to say a few foundational elements set the stage for the vibe of most homes. There’s the size and shape of the space itself, the colors of the walls and floors, and then there’s the furniture.
Your furniture plays an outsized role in setting your home’s welcoming tone (or not). The glorious upside of that is your furniture also offers an outsized opportunity when you want to add some special snuggle-up-for-the-holidays feel to your home.
Comfort…
Lean into the foundational trends of the year with large pieces in warm and earthy neutrals like birch beige or creamy cotton white and set your space up for calming hygge vibes while also cleansing the visual palette so holiday accents that bring you joy can take center stage.
…and Joy
Then there’s the joy of dining chairs donning an oh-so-soft-to-the-touch holiday gift dressed in deep hunter-green textured velvet or rich claret red ikat woven velvet. The holidays are the perfect time for the coziest of textures.
Pro Tip: Once again, we sing the praises of slipcovers. Temporarily changing the look and texture of your primary furniture pieces can be as simple or in-depth as you choose. And then they can be folded up and easily stored away when the holidays have passed.
Color Me Curious: There’s More To Holiday Decor Than Red And Green
The holidays can feel almost like a sporting event or something, there are specific colors that are the expected decor “uniform.” That is, usually.
This year interior designers and decor experts encourage thinking beyond the traditional red and greens. What that means for you comes down to what gives you the vibes you most want, but there are a couple of throughline approaches at the extremes of each other.
- Go Deep: Expand the traditional palette. Instead of basic red and green, try something like chocolate brown, wine red, juniper green, or charcoal grey. Earthy, warm, deep, it’s the holidays leaning a bit Dark Academia — cozied up by the fire.
- Go Big: On the other hand, imagine Christmas in Barbieland. Colors that pop and crackle with joyful energy. Mixed metals, tinsels, bright pinks, frosted blue, wintery whites, and more. Play with a maximalist glam holiday vibe color scheme.
- Keep It Simple: None of the above is also perfectly acceptable. As we talked earlier, leaning into a warm neutral palette adds calm and features smaller, visually quieter accents aligned with the season. And the traditional palette is just that, a rich tradition. Whatever makes your holly jolly, friend.
Using Simple Decor Details To Usher In Treasured Holiday Memories
Accents are a perfect segway to our next quick tip: details. So often holiday magic comes in precious, fleeting moments. Details create a sense of something special — that this isn’t just another average day — setting the stage for those magic moments.
Details like…
- All the trimmings: Fabric garlands, like a cinnamon red faux silk, wrapped around banisters and railings or festooned in sweeping arcs around doorways and ceiling molding add a sense of occasion. So do seasonal curtains in elegant basil green faux silk or brown, grey, and sky blue tapestry fabric with silhouettes of pine trees and deer.
- Table for you: Add even more sense of occasion with table and mantel runners in soft ivory and pink stripes. And complete the look with cloth napkins in refreshing light green.
- Pillow talk: Use new pillow shams to add seasonal spice to your space. Like living room throw pillows in classic crimson buffalo plaid and snuggly green textured chenille.
Pro Tip: Details done with intention and heart prove to be less “just” details and more a kind of decorative embrace your home gives you and your guests — that’s less a tip and more encouragement.
Quick Tips For Cultivating Cozy In Your Home Decor This Holiday
Real talk, I’m trying to cram 80 pounds into a 20-pound bag today. Because there are SO many quick, simple ways to elevate your holiday home decor. Too many. So, let’s try a speed round:
- Wrap it up. Pick a few fabrics like a small-scale crimson stripe or a warm muted green and tan checkered fabric and wrap things around the house. Books, boxes, planters, lampshades, whatever strikes your fancy. Wrap it up and put a bow on it. Instantly festive and playful.
- Dress it up. Beyond the reupholstery/slipcover opportunities we’ve covered, look for other pieces you think could bring holiday flair with a creative sew or no-sew fabric refresh. Maybe a bedroom headboard, entryway bench, or family room ottoman?
- Make it personal. Pull those old holiday pictures from the closet or print some out from your phone. Grab some small inexpensive frames from your local craft store and scatter pics you love from past holidays in unexpected places around the house.
- Light it up. Christmas lights, fairy lights, and candles add instant warmth, nostalgia, and a pervasive deep cleansing sigh. Ditch the bright overhead lights for a spell and cast a spell instead with some warm lighting.
And… nah, I should leave it there.
Stocking Stuffer: Bring The Heart Of The Holidays Home, Naturally
Actually, one last thing. Natural elements like pinecones, cranberry sprigs, and mistletoe add a magic all their own — and sometimes amazing smells, too. Or simply use trimmings from a Christmas tree on tables as part of centerpieces or on a mantle with other decor.
In lieu of natural elements, try fabrics like an intricately arranged pattern of leaves, nuts, and pine cones in warm shades of brown, tan, and olive green, or an understated design with small leaves and buds in warm neutrals with hints of golden and yellow tones adding a touch of refinement.
We’re hoping it’s abundantly clear by now that you have so many simple, quick, and affordable ways to have more merry in your Christmas and happy in your holidays. Fabrics can help you get there and we here at the largest online upholstery fabric store love helping you make magic. Give us a call today.