Your Life

Thursday, Nov. 05, 2009

Doubly decked out

Make your holiday decor pull double duty

Thanksgiving and Christmas are two holidays that always evoke thoughts of home. Decorating for the holidays is part of the fun, but acquiring a lot of “stuff” can get expensive — and then, there’s the issue of storing it for most of the year. How can you make your decor do double duty?

Lifestyle expert Susie Coehlo says it’s easy to transition from harvest to Christmas with little investment. It just takes some planning.

“Always start with style,” said the host of HGTV’s prime time series “Outer Spaces.” She’s also an author and has designed a line of indoor and outdoor décor for the catalog Grandin Road. Your holiday style should reflect your home’s design style, she said, “not only in choosing items, but how they’re arranged.

“Contemporary is simplified. It’s simple, not cluttered, and sparse. One item can make a statement,” she said. “Traditional style calls for layers of items. All styles are great, they’re just different, so know what yours is first.”

Coelho suggests looking for items that can be used in multiple ways to morph through the seasons. That includes something as simple and inexpensive as burlap. The rustic, open-weave fabric can be dressed up or down with accessories. Coelho has designed collections for Grandin Road catalog, and in one photo for folding wooden tables, burlap is used as a topper for a more refined linen runner in a Thanksgiving setting.

She also suggested using burlap as a base-layer, floor-length harvest tablecloth with a simple warm-toned topper which later acquires finery via an elegant brocade topper in red and gold.

“This is not holiday, but if you want to keep the burlap base, you can combine that with a lime-green vase and flowers which can go into Easter,” she said.

Candles are another inexpensive way to add warmth to a holiday display.

“Candles create an ambiance, but I get nervous. I have a 9-year-old, a teen and two dogs, so I’m very big on safety,” Coelho said. She recommends battery-operated candles which emit a realistic flickering glow without the dangers of an open flame or hot wax. Coelho’s own collection includes scented LED candles made of wax with flickering interiors.

Because they’re safer, battery-operated candles can also dress up dark nooks in bookcases, mantels decorated with dried elements or open windows, she said. Use a neutral color, and a candle can also morph through the seasons; just change its accompanying elements.