Koala’s guide to Christmas home décor
No matter when you decide it’s time to dust off the Bublé album and start wondering, how many sleeps until Christmas, we’ve got you covered with our guide to Christmas decorating.
Christmas home décor is a fun way to achieve that comfy, cosy vibe that Koala is all about. But, as it turns out, sprinkling that seasonal feeling around your home takes a bit of work. So, like the good scouts we are, we wanna be prepared.
Bella Vie Interiors principal interior designer Lisa Alward has joined Koala to share some wisdom on how to decorate for Christmas. Plus, she takes us through how you can use natural materials and sustainable practices to get your home looking all spruced up for Santa.
A Christmas dream theme
One of the golden rules of home décor is knowing your theme. And the same goes at Chrissy time.
With an idea in mind, choosing Christmas home décor and the other bits and bobs that are needed is easy. Even the random kids’ decorations you collect over the years will still match, says Lisa, as long as you follow an underlying colour scheme or theme.
“If you’ve got a theme and stick to it, you’ll have a more cohesive look,” she says. “Try to find a theme that suits your house and entertaining style. From there, choose the key colours.”
Still unsure of what theme to go with? You can stick to the vibe of your existing home décor or opt for one of the other popular interior design styles.
“The classic reds and greens can look great in a traditional sense. But if you’re trying to match the theme of your home, you might be looking at golds, bronzes and neutrals for a more casual aesthetic,” says Lisa.
“Otherwise, base it on your favourite colour or a monochrome palette. Lovers of pink, for example, can mix in some metallics to make a shiny statement.”
But what if you can’t decide on just one Christmas theme that you love? Take the advice from the little girl in the Old El Paso taco ad — have both.
“If you really can’t decide, have two trees,” says Lisa. “You could put a more traditional one in the formal living area and maybe a coastal or relaxed-style tree in an everyday area like the kitchen.” We gotta say — that’s a tree-mendous idea.
Tips for Christmas home décor that sleighs
While we can’t stop the kids, dog or cat from ruining the decorations once they’re up, we can still try to make them nice. These tips will guarantee that Santa slides into your chimney — and your DMs — this holiday season.
🎄 Deck the whole house. Chrissy lovers know that it’s not just about focusing on living room-cozy Christmas decorations. Lisa suggests taking it into the bedroom as well. “Throw some Christmas cushions on your bed to take the festive feel through the house.” And to amp it up even more, Christmas zhuzhing can also occur in the kitchen, laundry and entryway.
🎄 Create a talking point. A memorable centrepiece can add a festive feel to the home and double as a pleasant distraction from awkward dinner convos. Make one yourself with things like ribbons, twigs, flowers and candles if you’re feeling crafty, and change it around each week to keep things fresh. If they look good, they also make for great gift ideas at Christmas.
🎄 KISS (keep it simple, Santa). Sure, we might have changed that acronym up a bit, but at the moment, Santa rules the roost. Simplicity is the name of the game when it comes to thoughtful home décor. Because what you don’t want is for it to look as though the elves threw up all over the good room. Instead, a few carefully chosen pieces will make a bigger and better impact.
🎄 Put your furniture to work. Incorporate non-traditional things in your decorating — like on the furniture. Think a cheerful throw on your Koala sofa, Christmas desk decorations for a bit of working-from-home joy or a Koala organic cotton sheet set in Sea Foam for that modern festive-green touch.
How to decorate your home for Christmas in a planet-friendly way
Koala has a major crush on the planet. And we wanna ensure that everything we do — even when it’s just giving advice about hanging Christmas deccies — shows it. Whether it’s recycling, re-using or making stuff out of sustainable materials, this is how to decorate your home for Christmas the Koala way.
🎄Create your own stuff. Making DIY Christmas crafts is like doing Christmas on steroids. You’ll have the carols playing, the hot glue gun burning and the kids busy and out of trouble. Even if the crafts turn out dodgy, you’ll still have gotten some alone time in the pantry to have a breather and swallow that rocky road whole. Thanks, Mariah.
🎄Go natural. We’re not sure if you’ve heard, but plastics are out and earthy materials are in. You can either shop consciously when choosing decorations or pinch them straight out of the garden. Branches, hessian, jute, twigs, linen, shells, flowers and leaves make for top-notch Christmas decorations.
🎄Re-use decorations. Some of us have a bad habit of binning the Christmas home décor and getting new stuff every year. But it’s better for the planet and your efforts to minimise household waste if you re-use them. Shuffle through some of the old favourites each year to keep things fresh, or work them in with an assortment of handmade ornaments.
🎄Potted plants as trees. Did you know that Koala partnered with WWF to help plant and protect 2 billion trees in 10 years? And what better place to start nursing those saplings than right at home? Grab your favourite potted plant, chuck on some tinsel, hang an ornament from its leaves, and you’ve got yourself a bloody awesome Christmas tree.
🎄Source second-hand. You’d be surprised at how many perfectly good decorations end up at op shops every year. If you want to help the planet and save some dosh while you’re at it, scoop them up when you can. Hint, hint: the best time to shop for these little gems is way before Christmas when nobody else is thinking about it. Tell ’em Koala sent ya.
It’s never too early for Christmas with Koala
How many sleeps until Christmas? We don’t really know. But Koala is feeling festive already. Check out our line-up of home décor and furniture that would be right at home at an Aussie Christmas, and get it on your wishlist.
