holiday exteriors

If you decorate for the holidays, you probably start with the big three: tree, mantle, staircase. There is likely a lot of greenery involved. But once the tree is up and the garland is hung, how do you create a good, cozy holiday mood?

Start by turning down those overhead lights, and adding lots of ambient light, via candles, lamps and, you guessed it, string lights. We start with lots of candles *and* candlesticks. As soon as you dim the lights and light candles, you’re sending a message that it’s time to relax. In particular, there is something about brass candlesticks that instantly brings all the curl-up-by-candlelight vibes.

Get assertive with accessories. Look for holiday accessories made of mercury glass or natural fibers. The patina on mercury glass lends so much character, and, as an added bonus, bounces all that candlelight around beautifully. Rattan trees add warmth. Brass and other metals bring holiday glow.

Last, but not least, add blankets, stockings and pillows for the ultimate cozy holiday setup.

It’s only about a week until Thanksgiving, and that means it’s time to get our holiday decorating plans together. It feels like kismet that this topic was on the blog schedule for today, because here in the Midwest…it’s snowing. Kind of a lot. Is there anything better than snow to put you in the mood for holiday decorating??

We are particularly excited about holiday decorating this year, because we’ve carefully chosen all of our holiday favorites to share at Collected — in person, and online — and believe us when we say, these are all the trappings of the holidays that we use in our own homes, too. Today we’ll cover overall decorating, but stay tuned for holiday tables and tree decorating, as well!

The Park & Oak Collected team but together some tips for creating just the right holiday mood.

• Choose a colorway: are you going old school, with bright reds and kelly greens? Or traditional, with deep greens, plaids and faux fur? Glam, with lots of silver and gold? Work primarly with just one style — bring in just touches of the others — for a cohesive look that reads collected instead of cluttered. We’ve got plenty for you to choose from:

• Bring in the greenery: whether live or faux, wreaths, garland and spray bring life to holiday decorating. Don’t be afraid to mix and match here. If you have a fir tree, go for a magnolia or cedar wreath. When decorating with garland, think in layers. Start with a full pine swag, then layer a drapey cedar on top. Add velvet ribbon, pine cones or berries. Voilà!

• Gild the lily: the details make the difference. Vintage bells, jute reindeer, mercury glass trees… these all add texture and make pretty accompaniments to mantle swags, coffee tables or any little corner that could use some holiday magic. And as always, don’t be afraid to mix those metals! At the holiday season, a little extra shine never hurts.

Are you ready? Go ahead…spin some holiday tunes, make a cup of tea (or a bourbon — you do you!), and settle in for a long winter’s night…of decorating.