Pattern is the most evocative of decorating tools, easily transporting us to a time or a place, from quintessentially English floral prints to bright Moorish fabrics. A mix of patterns, whether on furniture or wallpaper, has the power to create either a calming cocoon or add excitement and drama - it's all in how you use it.

If you opt for a patterned wallpaper with a bold ground colour - as our decoration director Gabby Deeming has in this pink living room - a good rule of thumb is to pick out the secondary colours in the pattern and use them as a jumping off point for the rest of the room's furnishings.

Bathroom wallpaper in pretty prints paired with accessories in complimentary colours is perfect for an eclectic look. A red and green colour scheme is particularly eye-catching; and all the better if you can add another print via a reflection in the mirror.

The modern living room sets the tone for the combination of pattern and texture to be found throughout the house. The walls are hung with a collection of starburst mirrors from various antiques fairs.

This eclectic yet restful bedroom layers bold paint colours and vintage furniture with pretty, pastel prints.

Love a particular fabric? Repeat it throughout a room for an impactful scheme.


 House&Garden.



Affordable and slightly old fashioned in the best possible way, let crepe paper streamers, paper chains and starry garlands be the final flourish to your Christmas decoration scheme. Here are our favourite ways to use them.


  PAPER CHAINS
So affordable and pretty, with a process of assembly easy enough to get even the youngest crafters in the family involved, yet they still look suprisingly sophisticated.

PAPER GARLANDS & CRAFT PUNCHED SHAPES
 Invest in a craft punch - basially a giant hole punch that when applied to coloured card yeilds various pretty shapes - you won't regret it. String your craft punched bounty in to pretty gardlands, or stick straight to walls. 

CREPE PAPER STREAMERS
Crepe-paper streamers are an affordable and effective way to add festive cheer to walls and furniture. 

Paper streamers - very simply made by rolling a sheet of crepe paper and cutting into slices like a swiss roll - can be garlanded around for a village-hall-celebration look.

Paper Fans and Flowers
For those who embrace colourful, kitsch decorating. Decorations derived from traditional Mexican and Polish styles are prefect for maximalists. See how to make your paper flowers.
 


 Go oversize on decorations for impact. One of these paper rosettes would hold its own in a small room. 

 House&Garden.

Festive holiday decorations that are sure to get everyone into the spirit.

Christmas Cones
Who said mantels have to be dressed in traditional cedar pine? This mantel's abundance of pinecones provides texture while allowing accent colors to pop.

Coastal Christmas Chandelier
Light fixtures are a great place to add extra holiday cheer. Attach pine branches around a chandelier's base, drape burlap ribbon and add glass ornaments for a more rustic approach.

Layers of Linen
No Christmas tree is complete without a skirt to hide its base. Rather than using a store-bought tree skirt, transform a piece of canvas into an elegant, ruffled linen beauty using only cuts of linen, scissors and glue.

Bursting With Joy
Tis the season to love this living room's holiday style. The black velvet chairs and black and white chevron-striped rug add a modern twist alongside seasonal classics, like the tree and stockings.




 Nature Inspired
Fresh cedar pine, fir branches and magnolia leaves combine with fruit, pinecones and berries for an ultra-natural and festive look. Strands of gold beads add a surprising hint of color within the garland.
HGTV


If you're bored with solid colors, white, or even multi-colored strands, these simple DIYs make you see this classic decoration in a whole new light.

Glittering Strands
Mirrored garland amplifies the light from a strand of white lights, creating a stunning glittering focal point.

Glowing Globe
If you're looking for a more understated outdoor decoration, this globe is it. The surprisingly easy accent is made by using two outdoor baskets and a strand or two of string lights.

Glowing Chain
Remember those paper chains you used to make when you were a kid? This is the grown-up version, made with wood veneer and laced with twinkling lights.

Patterned Lanterns
Pretty cupcake liners can almost be too pretty to bake with. Instead, showcase the cute pattern by popping them on string lights. Again, make sure the light don't get too hot!

Painted Strands
Usually, your options for the wire color for Christmas lights are either green or bright right. Not anymore. A simple coat of carefully-applied spray paint opens up a whole world of possibilities.


Vintage-Inspired Reflectors
Craftier types will love this idea, which turns specialty metallic paper into retro floral accents that helps enhance the light of each bulb.

 HouseBeautiful.



It's where you open presents in the morning, fall asleep after Christmas dinner and have that last festive drink before bed - the living room is at the heart of your Christmas celebrations. These schemes are beautiful examples of how you can stylishly deck out your living space.

Festive Glamour
Your tree should be proportional to the size of your room, the table used as a plinth adds height, while the moss round the base of the tree disguises the unattractive pot in which it is planted, tonal bronze and gold, contrast of the metallics. Try a combination of electric lights placed discreetly on the inner parts of the branches and real flames on the outer; that way you have the best of both worlds.

Traditional Christmas Living Room
The focus is the Christmas tree: 'It has to be perfect because it is seen from every angle. Once we have checked it is the right size, we put it on its side, on trestles, so as not to damage the branches, then wind strings of fairy lights around the trunk, hiding the wire with tinsel. The baubles are put on when the tree is up, with the aid of enormous ladders.' On the chimneypiece is a fake-fir garland embellished with fairy lights, silver foliage and dove ornaments.

Matching Colours in Christmas Living Room
A selection of coloured baubles and pine cones have been spray-painted to match the bold colours of this room, which adds festivity without affecting the harmonious decoration scheme.

Foliage in Christmas Living Room
Traditional but pared-down schemes that look natural, light and fresh.

Classic
The easiest way to give a feeling of festive decoration with very little effort is to strew your surfaces with ivy and candles. Understated and cosy.

House & Garden.


When it comes to Christmas tree decorating ideas, anything goes. From classic to cool and unusual, distinctive decorating ideas for your Christmas tree, perfect for even the  smallest of spaces.
 

Fake Snow Covered Tree
A simple combination of lights, pine cones, robins and - most importantly - fake snow Starting with the lights - very small LEDs look prettiest - we then mist the tree with water before liberally applying the fake snow. Last come the pine cones and the robins.


Stepladder Tree
Lovely vintage ladder, strung with mouth-blown glass decorations. This "tree" is definitely a break from tradition, but in a large kitchen, surrounded by the general hubbub of Christmas cooking, it work beautifully. It could also look good against quite a plain minimalist background.


Marbled Bauble Tree
Elegant and crafted. The uniformity of using just one type of bauble, but covering them in an unpredictable pattern that invites closer examination. Hand-marbled unglazed ceramic baubles, which have a lovely weight and tactility.

Pom Pom Tree
Colour, texture and craft. Tree with multicoloured woollen pompoms.

Miniature Trees
Lovely mantel-top decoration, but can also adorn a dining table or shelf. Hang lots of white paper decorations from the ceiling, and vignettes such as this one running along window sills and mantelpieces.
Naturalistic, cosy and characterful schemes - old-fashioned decoration, charming mismatches and detailed storytelling vignettes - rather than statement styles, be charmed by a nativity set than by a bold bauble.


House and Garden.
Between carving the turkey and baking the pie, flowers and pumpkins might be the last thing on your mind. But these decorating ideas prove a little extra prep makes the holiday feast a lot more festive.


Warm Essentials
A soft blanket, crackling fire and cup of coffee are the secret weapons to keeping warm on a crisp, November day. 

Illuminating Centerpiece
Shed a little light on your Thanksgiving day table with a pumpkin and candle centerpiece, inspired by the harvest season.
Grapevine Wreath
Hang a picture frame with a sweet little message on a grapevine wreath, adorned with mini pumpkins, berries and ribbon. 
Floral Overload
The secret to flower arranging is simpler than you think. Just start with single blossoms, placed in several vases of different heights. Top it off with a bloom at each setting tucked behind the place card.
Crisp Leaves
Red, yellow and orange leaves make up this fall mantel, placed in vases, strung as garland and displayed in a picture frame.


House Beautiful
Decorate your home for Thanksgiving with this ideas and have a delightful day.
Creative candleholders
Use repurposed candleholders for easy fall displays of small pumpkins and gourds. Look for candleholders in varying heights at a garage sale or antiques store, then spray-paint black for a unified look.
Harvest mantel
The focal point of this harvest-inspired mantel is a collection of inexpensive melamine plates attached to the wall with easy-to-use adhesive disc hangers. Casually arrange an assortment of pumpkins and gourds between two bundles of dried wheat on the mantel. Include a blackboard or two where you can write an inspirational quote or even your Thanksgiving menu!
Hues of autumn
Footed glass containers show off ribbons, beans and nuts in fall hues. The copper tray adds shiny sophistication and makes the arrangement portable.
Nut votive
Place these pretty votives on your Thanksgiving dining table, mantel or coffee table. Just gather unshelled nuts and layer in a glass cup around a small candle. Save a few nuts to scatter near your display.
Natural display
A pumpkin "basket" makes an imaginative centerpiece for a fall table.
Hollow out the pumpkin, then place a block of wet floral foam inside. Position a pillar candle in the foam and surround with fall blooms and berries to complete this DIY fall decoration.
Nature's artistry wreath
Embellish a square store-bought magnolia wreath with color-coordinated real and faux materials, including twigs, seedpods, nuts, berries, wheat and leaves.

 Minswestliving.

About me

UPTOWN Real Estate Group is your luxury international real estate firm. Our team has more than 30 years of prestige and experience. Hablamos español. Houston & Mexico.

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