Decorating your living space for Christmas can be a daunting task, and one that comes with its challenges. With tinsel, trees, and baubles to factor into spaces that can often already be full, festive decor can be tough to get right, with room size hindering how much you can do when it comes to dressing your home for Christmas.
That’s why ScS, the carpet and sofa specialists, has put together some inspiring tips and tricks to allow you to decorate your space for maximum impact this festive season – no matter its size.
How to decorate a small living room for Christmas:
Choose a small tree – When it comes to choosing your Christmas tree, size really does matter. Getting a large tree for a smaller room can suffocate the rest of the room, making it look smaller than it actually is. By opting for a smaller tree, you can save valuable space and keep that festive feel. They also tend to be a little cheaper too so it’s a saving on space and money!
With smaller trees, placing them on a table or side unit can give the illusion of them being bigger than they are, and will be in keeping of the flow of the room’s furnishings.
They also need minimal décor. Avoid things like tinsel that will bulk the tree out; stick to dainty fairy lights and smaller tree decorations.
Opt for minimal decorations – It can be hard not to go over the top with decorations when possessed by the Christmas spirit, but this is key in smaller living spaces. Go for one or two centre pieces that can be festive focal points, with smaller additions like lights or small wall decorations ensuring the room doesn’t look too busy and minimises overcrowding.
Play with lighting – Lighting can create the illusion of space in a room, especially if your room is low on natural light. Placing Christmas lights in the corners of your rooms can illuminate dark areas that close in a room and create zones within smaller spaces. Being in a smaller room can also have benefits of feeling cosier, so opting for soft, low-level lighting can enhance this and make those chilling winter nights all the more enjoyable.
How to decorate a larger living room for Christmas:
Divide up the room – The sofa is always the focal point of a living room and using it as an anchor for statement pieces is crucial in keeping the room cosy. Dividing your space up into zones can also help with this. Think about having an area for your tree and presents separate to the space where you sit down and relax. This helps create distinctive spaces within a larger room, whilst keeping a festive feel.
Don’t overfill – Just because there’s space it doesn’t mean it should all be used up. Let the decorations breathe and give each enough room to shine through. The same goes for any extra pieces of furniture you may add during the festive season- the recommended distance between pieces of furniture is around 18 inches, but it can be slightly more depending on the size of the area.
Don’t stop at just decorations – Decorations do not have to be the be all and end all of your festive spruce up. Look to soft furnishings to pull the room together. You can swap out cushion covers and blankets for more festive colours and patterns, or even switch up your choice of rug. Taking this extra step will make your decorations feel like part of the furniture – literally – and will enhance the festive feel within in your living space.
How to decorate open plan living rooms for Christmas:
Choose a theme – Having a cohesive theme running throughout your living space helps link up zones and make open living spaces feel more whole. During the festive period, this could be things like having foliage in each space that matches your tree, a colour theme that spans your decorations, or Christmas lights that can be carried through the space, creating a natural flow through the room.
Consider tree location – For maximum visual impact of your tree, you need to consider its positioning in the room. Find somewhere that works for everyday living but also creates a wow factor for people when they first enter, and as there is plenty of space to play around with you will normally have more than one option to choose from.
Keep it cosy – Having so much space can be a blessing and a curse. It’s easy for open plan rooms to feel empty and cold, so investing in seasonal decorations that bring warmth to your home can be useful. Things like soft lighting, festive candles, and warm colours that draw a room in can all create a cosier feel. Warmer yellow lights are also good for this, instead of harsher LED white lights.
For more ideas on how to set your living room out, visit the ScS website: