As you begin to pull those holiday decorations out of your attic or basement, and you realize that your hodge-podge may more resemble a flea market booth rather than a page torn from House Beautiful, it may be time for a little binging and purging with your holiday décor (not necessarily in that order).
As with any decorating project, the key to success is taking the time to plan and put a little thought into your designs. We hope this installment of the Interiority Complex Guide to Inspired and Meaningful Spaces will help you work through any design dilemmas which may be plaguing you this holiday season. So, first things first, let’s start with your colors…
Unique & Creative Hues for the Holidays: Christmas Red & Holiday Green? There are so many hues in between!
As you prepare for sugar plums to dance through your head this holiday season, don’t get stuck in the doldrums of the traditional holiday hues. Taking just a few moments to plan can mean the difference between a Griswoldian home a la National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation or an HGTV-worthy holiday abode.
Here are a few key things to remember when planning YOUR very own unique, creative and inspired holiday color scheme:
As you gather your samples & swatches, you’ll find (hopefully) some consistencies. If you need help in paring down your palette and deciding upon which holiday hues to use, simply upload your inspiration photos (or scan a picture of your fabric or wrapping paper swatch) to http://kuler.adobe.com. Move your cursor around to hover over the colors that speak to you and Presto! This amazing tool will display a 5-color scheme at the bottom of the screen.
Congratulations! You’ve got your very own recipe for a holiday color scheme!
Note: If you’ve pulled together your color scheme and have a feeling that it’s not so festive, there’s no need to worry. Any color within your new holiday palette can be transformed with a sparkly, glittery or metallic finish. Gray’s can become silvers, yellows & creams can become golds, and just about every hue imaginable can be found in a fanciful finish. If you’re going for a more natural or rustic look, candles, bows, natural greenery, nuts, popcorn, buttons, berries and fruits can be used to create a jubilant sentiment for your designs while staying consistent with your style and color scheme.
Create a Holiday Design File. Now that you’ve done your homework, gather up your swatches, your photos & pieces of inspiration and put them in an accordion file, a binder, a basket, a gift sack or a 
recyclable grocery bag. The next step is key, so listen closely
Take your Design File with you everywhere as you shop for your holiday décor. This is where most people mess up. It’s easy to make impulse purchases or deviate from your established color palette if you don’t follow your plan. As you place items in your shopping cart, hold it up to your color scheme and design file and ask yourself, “Would this item fit into this file? Would it work in this picture? Or would it stand out like Santa in a grass skirt and coconut bra?” Your answers to these questions will help guide you through your holiday design decisions.
Know what colors to shop for but wondering exactly WHAT items to buy? Stay tuned for more as we share tips in our upcoming entries: Hatching a Holiday Theme, Accessorizing Your Home for the Holidays, O’ Creative and Trendy Tannenbaums and Setting a Memorable Holiday Table.
If you are decoratively perplexed and have a question or need a design prescription from Dr. Dotty, our resident Certified Design Therapist, click here to Ask Dr. Dotty OR click here to post your questions on our Facebook Fan Page and see what others are saying!
Photo Credits: Robin Stubbert from Southern Living.Com.
