We’ve put together our top tips and ideas to give you some inspiration on how to decorate your new home this Christmas.
Christmas trends this year
Each year trend forecaster WGSN gives a rundown of the looks UK retailers will be displaying for the festive season, including Christmas living room décor ideas and trends for every other room in your home.
“Giving your Christmas décor a refresh each year can be as easy as choosing two or three key items inspired by one of the latest designer looks,” says Alysha.
“This year ornate and glam, woodland creatures, dried botanicals alongside handcrafted open constructions and a twist on the ‘classical Christmas colours’ are all leading the festive trends.”
“Multi-coloured decorations in bold brights inspire optimism for the year ahead and a celebratory atmosphere for the holidays. It’s a very accessible trend for those confident in their décor choices and can be achieved by adding a mix of colourful baubles, bright candles, and rainbow stockings.”
Bringing the outdoors in is another key trend for this festive season, as Alysha explains. “Woodland trends in the shape of animals, leaf forms, hand-painted acorns, and frosted snow effects are all really popular.
We’re seeing lots of embossing and natural motifs on baubles and wrapping paper too.
“It’s also a trend that works well for staircase Christmas decorating ideas and woodland themed items work well for Christmas banister ideas. In place of traditional wreaths, wrap festoons of woodland creatures or snow-covered gold acorns around the spindles.
“Classical Christmas never goes out of fashion. Traditional decorations, from nutcrackers to gingerbread men, and trees in traditional red, green and gold, evoking comforting nostalgia - all delivered with a modern twist.”
How to decorate your living room for Christmas
When it comes to living room Christmas décor, you probably have those favourite pieces we bring out year after year. Or, if you're a first-time buyer, you’ll be looking to invest in your own collection of new Christmas decorations and ornaments. The living room or lounge is often the main room you use for hosting and socialising, so you’ll want to get it dressed in its festive best.
If you have a mantlepiece, a full spruce Christmas garland makes a statement while still being traditional. A traditional Christmas decor scheme can really complement builds in our Heritage Collection - think a grand Christmas tree in a bay window, or fairy lights on the awning.
Add extra drama with elements of gold leaf or hang baubles from coloured ribbons. Look to your nearby online craft businesses or independent homeware retailers to find unique Christmas home decorations that are locally sourced.
Redrow ambassador @style_the_hawthorns doesn’t have a mantlepiece, and instead decorates shelving all around her living room instead. “I tend to go for traditional colours such as gold, silver, red for the tree and then use foliage such as eucalyptus on shelving, which I style around fairy lights,” she said.
Christmas window decorations are increasingly popular. Placing some of your favourite decorations in the window, such as a garland or wreath, can make them more visible and help spread Christmas cheer through your neighbourhood. You could hang lights in the window too or add some paper snowflakes.
How to decorate your kitchen for Christmas
The kitchen perhaps is not the first place you think of when it comes to Christmas décor for the home, but it’s so often the hub of the festivities. Christmas kitchen décor can be lots of fun and really bring that sense of nostalgia to your home.
Redrow homes are designed for their spacious kitchens to function as a real social hub, so a bit of festive decoration can tie in the themes all around the rest of the house.
Lots of the latest Christmas decorating trends feature rustic and handmade items, with craft and baking central to this theme. We also love hand-sewn garlands made from felt or recycled materials. Try using thick contrast stitching to give your gingerbread figures a childlike quality or test your sewing skills to create other shapes like hearts, in traditional red and green.
How to decorate your kitchen for Christmas also involves adding adornments to your worktops and furniture. Hang miniature wreaths made from natural foliage to the back of high bar stools with traditional tartan ribbon to create a really simple yet striking look. Or you can tie a wide red ribbon around the back of your stools and add a sprig of traditional fir leaves or holly at the back.
Christmas décor for your kitchen island is also something to think about. Wrap festive foliage around clear glass storage jars with a narrow red ribbon, or dress a tiered cake stand with miniature ceramic Christmas kitchen decorations and snowy foliage. Don’t forget to leave that cookie jar or treat plate out for Santa too on Christmas Eve!
How to decorate your dining room for Christmas
Christmas home decorating can really come into its own in the dining room. If you’re in a new Inspired Collection home, you’ll find lots of open-plan kitchen/dining space to add a bit of festive flair to. Table scaping is an increasingly popular trend, so it really is an area of your home where you can really indulge in the magic of the season.
Your dining table is likely to be the focal point of the room, so begin by choosing a beautiful Christmas table centrepiece that will set the theme for the rest of the space.
You could add a natural garland running down the middle of the table, adorned with small white lights and white decorations. Keep the rest of the space simple and complementary adding white, silver and natural tones, together with snow-tipped accessories.
If you already have a Christmas tree in the lounge, you may like to opt for a twist on the classic spruce by adding an elegant white Christmas tree in your dining room, which can be reused year after year. Add handmade sustainable decorations in white, glass and natural wood and presents beneath with traditional brown paper wrapping, tied with white ribbons.
Hand-sculpted wire frame decorations, either wrapped with ribbon, twine or miniature lights also look fabulous hanging from your walls or tree or standing on your Christmas table.
How to decorate your hall for Christmas
Tis the season to deck the halls, after all! Your hallway should set the tone for the rest of your home and this rings true at Christmas too. Decide on your theme or colour scheme and carry it through from the door wreath to the hall, then to the living area and beyond.
Spread Christmas cheer by adding seasonal scents to your home. Place a diffuser in the hall with cinnamon, nutmeg or citrus for a nostalgic first impression that makes your home smell like Christmas.
For Redrow ambassador Kirsten, aka @Farmershome_, hall Christmas decorations are a must. “I love decorating my hallway and stairs,” she said. “We have lots of twinkling lights and a garland up the banister, which is covered in champagne gold and silver baubles.”
Fellow ambassador @westsussex_lifestyle recommends keeping hallway décor ideas simple. “We don’t go overboard with this area,” she said. “We usually place some accessories for the console table in the hallway and a beautiful garland up the stairs.”
Christmas tree decorating ideas
When it comes to the best way to decorate a Christmas tree, there are lots of pieces of advice. At Redrow, we’ve had experience creating winter wonderlands in countless show homes, and have helped many a new homeowner with some Christmas decorating inspiration over the years. So, we know a thing or two about how to decorate a tree.
Start with the lights – and work from the inside out as you don’t want to see wires showing in front of your decorations. Add garlands or strings of decorations, starting at the top and working your way down the tree.
Then add your baubles, starting with key pieces, and then the smaller ones. Alternatively, you could follow this Christmas tree decorating hack from @westsussex_lifestyle: “We have an artificial tree with inbuilt lights, which is easy to set up and gives us consistency year on year without the hassle of cleaning up needles. We change the bauble theme each year to keep it fresh.”
Top Christmas tree decorating tips
Invest in the best tree you can afford, preferably real for that authentic festive smell; but if it must be artificial for practical reasons, choose a traditionally shaped green faux tree with no sprayed edges. When choosing a real tree it’s all about the shape - take time to find the perfect one and, if it’s not quite right, ask the seller to trim it for you. And don’t forget to take a slice off the bottom before standing it in water for longevity.
Just because you’ve got a faux tree doesn’t mean you have to miss out on those lovely Christmassy scents. Use reed diffusers or introduce oranges, cloves, eucalyptus and cinnamon sticks to your décor.
Always use plenty of Christmas tree lights and consider using more than one set; you may think a large set of lights will go the distance but, trust us, it’s worth putting up more. And make sure you wrap them right around your tree to create a lovely back glow. You really want your whole tree to shine!
Match your Christmas wrapping to the colour scheme and have fun using dried orange slices, pine cones, eucalyptus and spice sticks to embellish. They’ll smell lovely and look just perfect stacked around the base of your Christmas tree.
Look after your festive decorations. Go for quality and longevity. Once you’ve chosen your theme, stick with it and keep adding to it each year so it changes gradually. Don’t just throw all your baubles in a box when Twelfth Night comes – wrap each one carefully before you put them away.
Sustainable Christmas decorations
Buying a whole new set of Christmas decorations every year simply isn’t practical or sustainable. This festive season, follow the three Rs: reduce, reuse and recycle your existing decorations to create a whole new look.
- Refresh your old baubles with a little paint. Add a festive pattern or message for a personal touch.
- Brighten up a garland, wreath or table centrepiece by attaching baubles from Christmases past.
- Become a festive forager and embrace the whimsical woodland trend by incorporating pinecones and holly into your Christmas decorations.
- Create sustainable Christmas decorations by stringing popcorn, cranberries or slices of dried fruit together. After the festivities, these can be composted.
- Kitchen roll tubes can be repurposed and upcycled to make crafty Christmas decorations. It’s a fun festive activity the children can help with too.
- Repurpose old Christmas stockings previously used to store gifts by crafting them into cushions to add a hint of nostalgia to your Christmas decorations.
Ready to move into a new house in time for Christmas? Browse our new build development locations and find your dream home today.
