How To Decorate For The Holidays When You DON'T Have a Christmas Tree
This year we decided to forgo the Christmas tree. The decision is based on the simple facts that 1) it's a pain to set up, and 2) our cats love to chew on the branches.
Every year it's a battle to keep Marvin and Theo out of the tree.
Trust me when I say that we've resorted to everything from spraying them with water to wrapping the tree up in a blanket when we're not around to supervise them.
I'm well aware that wrapping a Christmas tree in a blanket is ridiculous and yes, it's a total eye-sore but what else can we do?
Without fail, they always manage their way under the blanket and it's not until we hear little munching sounds that we realize what they're up to.
Between the cat's weird fixation on eating plastic trees and our sheer desire not to want to deal with it, I jumped onto Pinterest in search of alternative Holiday decor inspiration that's minimal and chic.
Sure, it feels a little weird not having a tree this year but the truth is I don't miss it one bit.
TIPS ON DECORATING WITHOUT A CHRISTMAS TREE
Start by gathering inspiration. I love PINTEREST for this.
Find commonalities in the photos you’re drawn to.
Start decorating. Store anything you don’t need to make room for anything holiday-themed.
Keep it simple and minimal. Set up will be easier and so will clean up when the holidays are over.
Have a focal point. Mine is the bookshelf where I put two large paper trees (from INDIGO $28-$33), a couple of cermaic houses (also from INDIGO), some garland, and holiday scented candles.
This leads me to the next tip - incorporating garland, fresh cedar, and spruce branches into your decor will automatically transform your home into the festive spirit. I got mine at my local grocery store for $8/ bundle. Cheap, cheerful, and impactful.
Try incorporating more candles into your decor. My favorites for the holidays are by NEST NEW YORK. They come in amazing scents like HOLIDAY and BIRCHWOOD PINE.
If candles aren’t for your thing but you want to add the scent of the holidays to your home, check out the NEST collaboration with PURA Smart Home Fragrance Diffuser Device ($120 CAD at Sephora). I have one and love being able to control the intensity of the fragrance through my iPhone.
Finally, if room sprays are more your thing, check out 13 DESSERTS from L'OCCITANE ($34 CAD). It's a warm scent with notes of Sweet Orange, Thyme, Cassia, Cinnamon, Patchouli, and Whisky Accord. Very festive and sophisticated.
SUGGESTED READS: 3 HOLIDAY TABLE SETTING IDEAS TO TRY THIS SEASON
This post features affiliate links. f you choose to buy something, I will get a small commission from the sale. This doesn’t impact the price you pay. Affiliate links are just another way to monetize my blog.
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How to Create a Minimalist Bookshelf
The bookshelf in my living room has been in desperate need of a makeover for some time now.
Slowly over time, it had turned into a dumping ground for all of my random nicknacks and as you can see from the before picture below, it was looking very disorganized and unappealing.
Just like when I need outfit inspiration, I jumped onto Pinterest (@woahstyle) in search of "minimal bookshelf decor ideas" and started putting together a mood board.
Based on the type of photos I was drawn to, I knew I had to scale back the amount of stuff on the shelves in order to achieve a minimal aesthetic.
I had also chosen a black and white color palette which meant I had to scale back color.
This was going to be hard considering, 1) how much stuff I have, and 2) that I'm inherently not a minimalistic type of person.
BEFORE
As you can see from the before photo, I already have a lot of stuff so my goal was to work with what I have.
A couple of things I should mention - in this redecorating challenge, I didn't want to go out and unnecessarily buy anything new.
2020 has been my low-buy year and my goal has been to shop more mindfully. It started with my closet but I've since applied the principal to every aspect of my life.
With that in mind, I went around each room of my house and gathered up as many black and white accessories that I could find and started working on my minimal, Scandinavian inspired bookshelf.
Here's how I did it.
STARTING OVER
HOW TO DECORATE A SCANDINAVIAN INSPIRED BOOKSHELF
MAKE A MOODBOARD - It's no secret that Pinterest is my favorite place to gather inspiration. I pay attention to the commonalities in the types of images that I'm pinning so I can incorporate them into my own space. For my bookshelf, I was drawn to a clean and minimal aesthetic in a monochrome color palette.
START FRESH - With my mood board in tow, the next step would be to tackle the cluttered bookshelf. I started by removing everything, including wall art. This gave me a chance to curate what items would now be living on the shelves, but also to clean and dust.
CREATE A DESIGNATED YES AND NO PILE - When removing everything off the shelf I sorted items into yes and no piles. Colorful items automatically went into the no pile, while all black, white, and neutral decor went into the yes pile.
START DECORATING - Working on one shelf at a time, I laid down a couple of statement pieces and kept the surrounding pieces pretty neutral. I also referred to my mood board along the way, which I found to be incredibly helpful.
STEP BACK & ASSESS - The first few shelves came together surprisingly easily but then I got stuck on the middle shelves. I stepped away from everything and came back to it the next day with a fresh set of eyes, and after tackling it for another hour I realized that I didn't have anything in my collection to create the visual interest I was after. With that, I headed over to Indigo with a budget in mind and ended up finding a couple of vessels and candleholders with interesting shapes (in my monochromatic color palette of course), and go figure, those pieces brought everything together.
Overall I love the finished look of my bookshelf and even Geoff mentioned that he's digging the minimal decor.
The cohesive black and white color gives the space a more sophisticated air and overall elevates the look of our living room.
With that done, I think I'm ready to tackle the next project. Decorating for Christmas!
SHOP MY FAVES HOME DECOR PIECES & COFFEE TABLE BOOKS
Terracotta Vase with Glaze, Indigo $22.50
Handmade pleated stoneware vase, Indigo $54.50
An Entertaining Story by India Hicks, Indigo $67.50
Teak Wood and Black Resin Bowl, CB2 $50
Helix Wall Shelf, CB2 $219
Limestone Knot, Target $20
Pancha Tantra (updated edition) by Walton Ford, Indigo $105
Marshall Bluetooth Speaker, Best Buy $245
Terracotta Vase with White Glaze, Indigo $22.50
Paddywax Tealigh/ Taper Candle Holder, Indigo $12.50
Paddywax U Shaped Candle Holder, Indigo $19.50
Architectural Digest at 100, A Century of Style, Indigo $113
Lula Abstract Print, Minted $197 (framed)
Black Pedestal Bowl, CB2 $60
This post features affiliate links. f you choose to buy something, I will get a small commission from the sale. This doesn’t impact the price you pay. Affiliate links are just another way to monetize my blog.
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ANNOUNCEMENT: New Series + HOW TO Style Statement Shoes
When I think about the hours wasted binge-watching YouTube, I'm embarrassed. It's actually so shameful. Just one more video I always tell myself! *Clicks into the next one and feels disdain.*
Our attention spans are getting shorter and shorter. This is a fact and I for one can admit that mine sure as hell is. (Anyone still reading?)
I should start a series! I should do a HOW TO series to cover everything from fashion styling to beauty and lifestyle stuff. I've always wanted to do something like this but I always thought it would live on the blog. It took me this long to realize my HOW TO series should live on YouTube!
When I presented it to my team, everyone was excited and on board. Even the hypercritical ones like my husband and Diana were all YES, do it!
STATEMENT SHOES
In the first episode I'll be talking about how to style statement shoes. From the likes of pink sparkly boots to fabulous glam rock-inspired Saint Laurent platform sandals, and leopard print booties, there's a whole gamut of footwear styling ideas for you guys.
I really hope you guys enjoy the first episode! Thanks for watching and always supporting WoahStyle!
xx,
Nathalie
