Grange Guide to…Decorating Your House for a Sophisticated Christmas

Are you looking to make your home feel both luxurious and welcoming this Christmas?  At The Grange, we wanted to create an enchanting atmosphere for our guests; a space that felt warm, inviting, and effortlessly stylish. Our goal was to craft the ultimate setting for a magical creator studio, perfect for capturing that special Christmas content.  To bring this vision to life, we worked with Danielle Winship, the brilliant Creative Director at Acorn & Oak - Weddings & Events. Danielle’s expertise helped us transform The Grange into everything we hoped it would be.  We asked her to share her top 10 tips so you can bring this elevated, festive atmosphere into your own home  1. Choose a Refined Color Palette For a sophisticated look, stick to a cohesive palette. Start with one metallic base, like silver or gold and add a single accent color to keep things polished and elegant. Gold paired with rich red; or, silver paired with deep navy blue, creates a beautiful contrast for instance. At The Grange we’ve matched the decor of the rooms to the colour schemes with heritage red and gold in the Drawing Room and a sophisticated champagne and white for the Entrance Hall.  2. Focus on a Statement Piece Select one main feature, usually the Christmas tree, that will serve as your statement piece, then add smaller “vignettes” around the house. These could be styled clusters of candles, mini wreaths, or decorative bowls with ornaments such as baubles or pine cones. By scattering these accents strategically, you create a cohesive yet interesting look throughout your space. The WOW factor is most definitely in the Entrance Hall here with the 9ft statement tree surrounded by elegantly wrapped presents.  3. Invest Wisely in Quality Pieces Not every decoration needs to break the bank. Focus your budget on one or two key investment pieces, like a high-quality tree if you’re opting for an artificial one. We’ve gone with Balsam Hill who are renowned for their realistic look and longevity. Complement your main investment with well-chosen, budget-friendly items for a balanced and upscale effect.  4. Grow your collection gradually With the above in mind, remember that you don't have to have everything all at once. You can add to your collection every year with one or two key pieces, and build it up as time goes on. It’s also a lovely way to create memories for each Christmas. Dani and her family buy one new ornament each year and it has become a bit of a tradition in their household.  5. Master the Art of Fluffing “Fluffing” might seem minor, but it makes a world of difference to an artificial tree! Separate and angle the branches in various directions to create a fuller, more luxurious-looking tree. Many artificial trees have “fuzzy/filler” branches towards the centre. These should be fanned out at various angles to create depth within the tree. The detailed “tip” branches should be arranged to look as natural as possible, in an “out and downwards” direction.  This small step helps avoid a flat, artificial appearance, by giving your tree volume and depth. Just be prepared that this might take a VERY long time but it is most definitely worth it!  6. Add Depth with Ornaments and Lights Don’t just hang ornaments on the outer branches, push some towards the center of the tree. Positioning baubles and lights at varying depths creates a layered look and using different size baubles gives a lovely variation. Lights reflecting off mirrored ornaments that have been positioned deeper branches within the branches also adds a warm, inviting glow. Think about the colour of the lights you use as well, warm white creates exactly that, a warmer feeling which is what we’ve used here. Ice white creates a striking, crisp and modern look, but - as the name suggests, can feel quite cold.  7. Embrace Natural Elements Bring in elements from nature for an upscale, organic feel. Pinecones, eucalyptus branches, and sprigs of holly or fir and conifer add texture and a seasonal scent. Arrange them in decorative bowls or weave them into garlands.  In the Entrance Hall Dani hand wired foraged pine and fir branches into a 20m garland up the stairs to create a beautiful, natural base. She then intertwined a “real look" artificial garland and ‘glitter picks’ to add volume and visual interest.  We will probably need to refresh these natural elements as the weeks (and the heating) go on to keep it looking it’s best, but it creates a much more impressive finish and of course is better for the environment.  8. Add a luxurious touch with different textures Use different textures and fabrics to elevate your decor. At The Grange, Dani hand made velvet bows, and used lengths of pearls, silk flowers and ribbon to add richness on both the tree and the garlands. You can also use ribbons for wrapping gifts, adorning wreaths, or weaving throughout your tree. It’s these small touches that contribute to the high-end feel rather than sticking to baubles.  9. Style Your Entryway for a Grand First Impression Set the tone from the moment guests arrive with a thoughtfully styled entryway, front door or porch installation. First impressions really do count at this time of year. The brief here was think ‘WOW’ and so the majority of the budget went in the entryway area to achieve that look.  10. "The Kid’s Tree: No Parental Rearranging Required!" We all know that a sophisticated look and kids’ decorating don’t always go hand in hand—and we’ve all been guilty of a little post-bedtime ornament rearranging! To keep everyone happy (and your main tree polished), set up a smaller tree in a playroom or family room or even in their bedrooms where they can have free reign. Let them pick out their favorite ornaments, add their own garlands, and even create homemade decorations.  There are even reusable felt trees available that turn decorating the tree into a game that they can play over and over again.  As we prepare to welcome guests into our Christmas Creator studio at The Grange, we hope these tips from Danielle help you create a festive atmosphere that is both elegant and welcoming. If you have any questions or would like your home decorated too, feel free to drop Dani a message, she truly is a real life Christmas fairy!