Room Redo

Getting right down to it, the holidays tend to make us focus on our families and enjoying a short  break from responsibilities outside the home. That said, you should love what you do to your home during this time of year. Some prefer to place a motion-detecting singing Christmas tree near the door. Others may favor mistletoe over every doorway. Whatever it is you love to do, here are some tips or suggestions for how to possibly do them better!

Firstly, choose a color scheme for your home and stay consistent with it. Make sure that all of your holiday accents and decorations fall somewhere into that scheme so that you maintain a sense of cohesion and professionalism. Too many colors can become distracting, especially with respect to lighting. You could purchase decorative lights which fit your color scheme but, if your scheme changes from year to year, you will find yourself buying new lights rather frequently. To avoid this, invest in white lights as they go with everything and will not clash with an existing color palette you may have implemented. Take the decoration to every room. This does not necessarily mean that you should have a full-sized tree in your shower, but rather bring a hint of the holidays to every corner of your home. Place festive little elements which fit into your scheme to the bedrooms, bathrooms, kitchen, etc. Lastly, attempt to rearrange your living space to add a little bit of excitement and change for the holidays. Situate couches and other seating so that the focus of the room is the fireplace or tree.

Keep in mind that, above all else, you should do what makes you happy. Decorating your home is as much an act in satisfying yourself as it is in satisfying visitors. Make it so that there is never a dull moment in your home during this season – revamping your feelings of joy every time you step into another room.

We are sometimes called upon to house our beloved traveling family members. This is especially common during the holiday season. Whether they are staying in your fully furnished guest room, or your repurposed home office, you can easily make your home their home away from home.

The first Feng Shui tip regarding guest rooms is to treat them as your own bedroom. In other words, furnish it and maintain it as if you yourself were going to sleep in it every night. Remember to make use of soothing colors to create a calm and welcoming environment for your guests. Take the reduction of clutter a step further in this room so that there is ample room for unpacking and organization of personal effects.

Not everyone has the luxury of a guest bedroom, however, and must sometimes make use of other spaces such as home offices or living spaces. In these cases, the same basic rules apply. In a home office, be sure to keep in mind the principle of reducing clutter. Not only does this help in your own business, but keeps the room relatively prepared for guests. Again, apply these same principles to anywhere else that your holiday guests may find themselves sleeping.

The holiday season can be accurately described as that time of year that everyone becomes an interior decorator. It is hard to resist the urge to spruce up the home with a tree, some decorative lights, or even candles. Holiday decorators should first keep some safety tips in mind before setting up for December. With these tips, you can ensure that you do not cross that line from “being warm” to “being on fire”.

The largest decorative piece for the Holidays is most often the Christmas tree. The easiest, safest, and cleanest way to go is to have an artificial tree. Even then, you should be sure that your tree is either nonflammable or flame retardant. However, many people still love the atmosphere provided by a live tree. In that case, be sure that the tree you are selecting has not been cut for too long. There are a few ways to determine this: the trunk is sticky to the touch, needles are not easily pulled from branches, and the needles themselves are still green. Once you have it home, remember to keep the tree stand filled with water and keep the tree away from open flames or heat sources. The U.S. Fire Administration also recommends that you not keep your tree up for longer than two weeks as it will begin to dry out and become an increasing fire hazard.

Secondly, Christmas lights are a huge part of the season. Before putting up any of your lights check for exposed wires, broken bulbs, etc. Do not overload sockets by using more than the recommended plugs for a given outlet.

As far as candles go, the USFA recommends avoinding the use of lit candles if at all possible. However, by careful placement, lit candles can be just as safe as anything else. Be sure that the candles are held in a solid and sturdy base. Keep the candles away from anything flammable, especially your tree. And of course, when candles are lit, do not leave the house or leave them unattended for extended periods of time.

Please keep all of these tips in mind and make use of them in order to ensure that you and your family have a safe and fire-department-visit-free holiday season!