Last minute decorating (you can do before Christmas)

Christmas: a time of giving (far too much), receiving (a ton of beautiful goodies for your bathroom cabinet) and welcoming lots of (often uninvited) guests. If you haven’t had a chance to give the house a proper once over, it can feel just a little bit terrifying. However, while we wouldn’t recommend ripping the kitchen out and starting again over the next few weeks (you can’t cook a turkey in a microwave after all), there are plenty of other DIY tricks and activities you can do in time for the big day.

Here’s just a couple to kickstart your creativity…

Buy a new piece of furniture

Easy, peasy, done. Even the smallest of changes in a room can make a huge difference and there’s nothing easier to flip around than furniture. For example, using a different coffee table or rug in the living room can make a difference to the dullest of rooms, while a new bathroom cabinet (especially a statement piece) can make the whitest of tiles a little more interesting. If you’re a fan of bright hues, our colour changing cabinets can even double as Christmas lights – savings galore!

Bring on the gold

Forget the reds and greens, gold is the most luxurious Christmas shade and it’s easy to transform everyday items with a splash of the colour. Spray-paint old (unimportant) odds and ends like magnets, plant pots and picture frames for a glistening festival feel. Or, for something less permanent, take some gold lace and wrap it around plain white lampshades – it adds a subtle glow to the room and can always be removed if you’re not sure.

Frosty glass

One of the speediest ways to transform an entire room is focussing on the doors. It can be risky changing them if you don’t have it all planned (let’s face it, if something’s going to go wrong it will be at Christmas). However, a quicksand or paint can be just the ticket or, if you have doors with glass in,  getting the stick-on film (especially if it’s patterned) for the panels allows for a touch of privacy without losing out on light.

Create a ribbon bulletin board

Especially useful at Christmas for all the cards but equally as usable for the rest of the year, a handmade memo board is a super-duper craft that can make a big difference to a room. Simply get a canvas board, some lightweight cotton fabric and ribbon, and throw it together with some glue and staples – there are lots of tutorials online (take inspiration from Pinterest) to guide you on your way.

Decorating done

While Christmas is only a couple of weeks away (we’re not sure how that happened), there’s plenty that can be done to take the sparkle of your tree to the rest of your room.  Remember, it’s sometimes the most simple things that can make the largest difference. So, grab a mug of mulled wine and remember – it’s not just your tree that can be decorated before Santa visits…