12/2-Oakland, CA-Easy Holiday Decorating Tips and Ideas for Small Spaces

Even if you live in an apartment or smaller house, it doesn’t mean you can’t decorate with festive cheer. We’re going to show you ways to make your home feel festive without being cluttered.

• Pick a theme or a room to decorate. In other words, do not put out every holiday decoration you own. We all own way too many ornaments or holiday decorations and if we displayed everything, we’d be walking into strands of garland, holly and village scenes everywhere. Contain it to a few shelves and the tree in the living room.
• Decorate to your lifestyle. If your kitchen, dining room, and living room are already full, then re-think your décor. Is having a full-size Christmas tree important to your family? If you don’t host large holiday parties and have a small dining table, consider placing your tree in the dining room. However, if space is an issue, use a mini holiday tree and decorate it with fairy lights and a few colorful ornaments. Red makes everything look festive.
• Decorate a few shelves. You don’t have to go overboard. If you favor a country Christmas theme, just hanging some stars, simple lighting, and a few yuletide logs complete the look. You could also add a hanging tree-shaped shelf, filled with greenery, candles, and ornaments.
• Hang decorations if you lack shelves. Consider hanging your Christmas cards or some cardstock snowflakes from the ceiling. All you need is some twine and tape, and it will look like a White Christmas inside your home.
• Add small details to your kitchen without cluttering it. Display a grouping of cake plates and decorate them with greenery, red and white candles, and some Christmas bulbs. Consider hanging some wreaths over some of your kitchen cabinets. Using a festive red ribbon adds to the décor.
• Embrace lighting. Let the warm glow of holiday lights fill the room with festive cheer. Layer white and red Christmas lights on your tree. Add strands of fairy lights to your mantle or around your curtains for a soft glow. Supplement your dining room table with a simple DIY centerpiece of votive candles, cranberries, and greenery.
• Make your mantle a focal point. Decorate it with pine garland and lights. Consider setting up your nativity scene or holiday village there. If you don’t have a fireplace mantle, you can improvise easily by adding a wooden branch to a wall to hang your stockings and adding some bells and lights.

We understand the dilemma of wanting to decorate for the holidays and not wanting to overdo it. We hope these tips will help you get started this season. For more decorating and organizing tips, please contact Refresh Organizers & Designers at (510) 570-1292.