The holiday season is the time to really allow your home to sparkle. For a few weeks every year, over-the-top is just what's called for. And it's so much fun to create the dazzle and then enjoy everyone's ohhhs and ahhhs.
My theme this year is Winter Wonderland, which combines the natural beauty of evergreen boughs, trees and plants, with many shades of snow white and the glitter of silver. It's dreamy, fresh and enchanting. The fireplace mantel is the focal point of my living room and this is where I start.
The base or backbone of the mantel's decorations is the green garland. Because the mantel will be set up for three or four weeks, I use artificial boughs. These come pre-lit and are easy to arrange anywhere, even window sills and buffets.
Add ornaments in clusters for greater impact. Fill a tall glass vase with silver balls, and set up candles (battery operated is safest) to give height and dimension to the scene. A silver reindeer and oversized snowflakes fit the theme.
Hanging stockings for Santa builds the excitement. I've borrowed from a traditional textured fabric that is popular again this year called matelass. It's a stitching technique that gives the effect of being quilted or padded, and is appearing in bedding coverlets and cushions.
Fill in any spaces with little gift boxes wrapped in silver and white.
For a party, a bowl of fresh white carnations or roses nestled into the gar-land would make a stunning finish.
Although most of my home is decked out in winter white, I do have a colour-theme tree in the family room that is funky fabulous purple. I'll show you the details in a later column.
Dear Debbie: We are considering buying a small home in the mountains and all the places we have looked at were decorated in heavy, dark furnishings. I suppose that makes everything feel warmer in the winter. My decorating style is traditional but light and bright. How can I decorate to have a cosy feel without it being so depressingly dark?
Alice
Dear Alice: Too much dark wood is gloomy in the winter. Why not create a white winter palace with different shades of white from stone to pearl to antique?
Choose a light wood for the furniture, or rich dark tones will look stunning against pale upholstery. Warm up the rooms with a variety of textures for cushions, draperies and blankets. Keep the flooring light, and look for carpets with plenty of depth and interest.
For contrast that will complement your style, throw in a splash of colour - lime green, navy or cherry red, whatever you love. Enjoy your mountain retreat.
Dear Debbie: I'm redoing my bathroom and working on a budget. Are small glass tiles still in vogue? I'm considering grey, black and white.
Elsie
Dear Elsie: Yes, small glass tiles are still very current. The range of colours and finishes keeps these versatile tiles popular. Your colour choice is timeless; look for different sheens, from matte to pearl and high gloss.
Keep costs down by applying a background of plain square tiles or subway tiles and use the decorative glass tiles as trim, or to form a geometric pattern.
Debbie Travis's House to Home column is produced by Debbie Travis and Barbara Dingle.
Email your questions to [email protected]. Follow Debbie on Twitter at twitter.com/debbie_travis, and visit Debbie's website, debbietravis.com.
