5 Fast Ways… to style up your front room this Christmas

This Christmas is going to be a very different one for us. This year for the first time in my whole life I am going to be away on holiday over the festive season.

This is due to a number of reasons (from grief, illness and generally trying to find some balance) – and a decision I didn’t make lightly. I love Christmas. I mean, really LOVE Christmas. So, the thought of spending it away and not with my family has been a heart wrenching one.

But, this year I just really needed too get away. So, once all was booked I wondered how we were going to celebrate Christmas at home. Pulling out the big tree and filling the house with decorations seemed a daunting task and to be honest not much point when we’ll be away for most of it.

But, I couldn’t ignore it totally. Plus it wouldn’t be easy to explain to a toddler why mummy is not ‘feeling’ in the spirit this year.

So, when Debenhams got in touch and gave me a £100 challenge to style-up my living room from its Christmas Decorations section – I thought that it might just be the answer. A quick-fix festive look that would be effective, inexpensive – and most of all simple.

This is what I selected:

All available at Debenhams

Here’s my 5 ways to create a festive feeling room 

with minimal fuss…

* Wonder Wall

A few choice wall decorations can take the place of hanging decs from the ceiling. Especially if you can just pop something where you have a picture hook already. A simple switch – that causes little stress and mess. This stag head wouldn’t look out of place if it did stay up well into January either.

* Cozy Up

For a fast fix swap your usual throws and cushions for some more festive ones. They don’t have to be overly ‘Christmasy’ to give the right effect. A simple Nordic print or bold motif may be all you need to give your sofa a new lease of life.

* To Tree or Not To Tree

If pulling out the 6ft tree from the loft or hunting for the perfect real one isn’t your thing this year – you can still have some foliage fun. A small artificial tree with a few tasteful decorations can still give your home the right feel – with minimum effort. Smaller tress are perfect on a side table or sideboard.

* Dress it Up

A few choice accessories can make all the difference. A stack of festive books or magazines, a Christmas plant, a bowl of clementines, chocolates or nuts, a few wrapped gifts or even some festive mugs can give  of the right feel. Especially if you only want to style up a small area – as I have. Deciding to keep most of my look around the side table meant I had to be selective and keep it simple.

* Scent of Christmas

If you do nothing else a few candles and some room spray will give off a Christmas vibe in seconds. Not only do candles always look great stacked in a little group – they will give off a subtle and warming glow. A room spray with evoke the smell of Christmas in an instant and the perfect hit before any last minute guests arrive.

V. I. BE HONEST: This post was in collaboration with Debenhams but all words and images are my own.