As a kid I was nothing short of obsessed with tinsel garland. I would drape the stuff across every inch of our house, and in my opinion it added a touch of Christmas glamour that could only be rivaled by the holiday windows at Marshall Fields.

A few years ago I asked my grandmother if it drove her and my mom crazy when I would turn our house into a tinsel covered fire hazard. She replied, “Of course not… I thought it was beautiful!” Oh Granny, I love ya! I know she’s telling the truth too, because she has reached the age in life that earns one the God-given right to say whatever the heck you want.

Bye-Bye Tinsel Town!

To avoid another tinsel covered Christmas, Matt and I enlisted the help of New England Designer Anne Furey to help update our holiday decor. Anne is the kind of person who makes a space more beautiful just by walking into it! Her company, PLACELIFT specializes in everything from one day room transformations to total renovation projects.

It’s not always easy to pin Anne down since she is often jet-setting around the country tending to her long list of loyal clients. So, I was thrilled that she and her sister Patty were able to help bring the Christmas spirit to the Light House. We had an absolute blast working on this post, and I am so excited to share some of her holiday decorating tips with you!

1. Do what you’re inspired to do, not what you think you should do. 

   This is my favorite piece of advice, and the older I get the more I understand why it’s so important. When we overspend ourselves, we can often become too stressed to even enjoy the holidays! Anne says the best way to not overwhelm yourself is by focusing on the areas that are most important to you. For her, it’s a wreath on the front door, her outdoor urns, and her tree. For me, it’s my trees and kitchen (where I spend the most time). If the holiday spirit moves you, add little touches to other areas of the house like decorative hand towels in the bathrooms, or holiday pillows to the beds.

   

2. Tree Logic

   Anne is serious about her trees! She suggests coordinating your ornaments, ribbon, and lights to your space. If you have collectible ornaments from childhood or handmade ones from your children, stick with a color theme like gold, silver, red, or white. Large ornaments and faux flowers (hydrangeas, poinsettias, or magnolias) are also a great way to create color unification. Tree by numbers: As a rule of thumb Anne suggests 100 lights per foot of tree (never skimping here), 9′ of garland/ribbon per foot of tree, and about 20 ornaments per foot of tree (depending of size of the ornaments).

   

   

   

   

   

3. Use fresh cut greens wherever you can. 

   Anne taught me this trick the first time we decorated the house for Christmas over a decade ago, and I have done it every year since! She sticks the stuff everywhere… into the faux garland along the banister, on the mantle, in floral arrangements, and even on Christmas gifts. However, keep in mind that if you are like me and like to decorate around Thanksgiving, you may need to refresh them before Christmas since they tend to shed like a real tree.

   

   

   

4. Use French wired ribbon for wreaths and trees and learn how to make a great bow.

   3-5 inch ribbon is the foundation for Anne’s tree, wreath, and garland decorating. The wiring makes it easy to work with, but if you don’t have wired ribbon on hand, she suggests using pipe cleaners to help secure ribbon in place. Don’t know how to make your own bows? Take a tutorial on YouTube! It’s actually a lot easier than you would think and the skill will come in handy for adding special touches to packages and wreaths.

   

   

5. Holiday Pillows

   I love throw pillows!! They are the easiest way to change up the look and feel of a room (a trick I learned from you know who). This year Anne grabbed some adorable Christmas ones that I had been eyeing from Pottery Barn.

   

   

   

6. Not Every Surface Needs a Holiday Touch 

   It’s definitely easy to get carried away and overdo it, so make sure to avoid a cluttered look by knowing when enough is enough. In years past I have definitely been guilty of doing this which resulted in a pure distance for anything Christmas by the morning of the 26th! But, if you do it right, you will be sad to see your decorations go.

   

Next week we’ll be heading into the kitchen so Anne can show us how to set a festive holiday table. She does such a great job mixing her sophisticated style with our casual and laid back personalities.

Also, a big thank you to my talented and hysterical friend/photographer Enid Ricci! Couldn’t have done it without you lady. XO