I absolutely love Christmas. This year over any other, I think it is important to make an effort to enjoy this Christmas with family and friends. While there may not be as much budget for decorating as there may have been in previous years it is still important to decorate your home and get your family into the Christmas spirit. I am going to talk about two of my personal favourite ways of dressing your home for Christmas this year.

The first style is simply called ‘Traditional’ and would suit a conventional home with a lot of wood features as well as period or cottage homes.  If your walls are mostly neutral colours including shades such as Monaco Pale, Kenya Strong and Almost Sage, this style will suit your home best. While this scheme is used often, if you use your creativity and go for strong colours,you can create a glamourus scene in your home this Christmas.

This style is all based around greenery and festive reds and golds. Make simple garlands from holly and winter leaves to decorate your fireplace and window sills. Decorate these arrangements with various bows, pine cones and simple gold decorations. You can also try using gold spray paint to add another layer of colour to these arrangements.

Carry this theme throughout your home by using the same colour scheme on your tree and door wreath. Traditional festive decorations bode well with this design so stick to traditional decorations and even handmade ones where possible. Light the room with plenty of candles to create that cosy, jolly atmosphere that defines Christmas with your family.

The second style is what I like to call ‘Modern Christmas’ this particular style is all about using colours that are not always associated with Christmas to create a truly striking look in your home. If your home is very simple with a Scandinavian design this look will work well and introduce some fabulous colour into your home. Wall colours such as Lupin, Azure and Sail White are the type of shades that will go especially well with this approach.

Look for clashing colours such as lime, fuchsia, bright blue, emerald green and silvery white to base your design around. Baubles and Christmas accessories are available in many department stores in these colours so look out for cheaper alternatives to bring this look to your home.

Begin by decorating your tree with a multitude of the jewel colours. Keep it simple by using a variety of sizes of baubles rather than ornaments to prevent the look from appearing too cluttered. Use blue lights if you prefer your tree to be lit up and continue this use of blue light throughout your home. Avoid using too much traditional Christmas greenery in your design as this reduces the impact of the vibrant colours.

Incorporate this style throughout the rest of your home by using alternative Christmas decorations. Your door wreath can be made up primarily of bright blue lights or look to filling vases with the various coloured baubles for added features throughout the room. This design can create an impact on the dinner table by incorporating the colour into your place settings. If your budget is low look to the simpler elements such as napkins that can be bought in the above mentioned colours to tie your table in to the overall scheme.

Finally whatever your design plans are for Christmas this year I would like to take this opportunity to wish every single one of you a very Merry Christmas and the Happiest New Year. I am looking forward to letting you know about Crown’s exciting new trends for 2011.

As always Happy Decorating,

Neville