During the holidays, numerous homeowners seek to make their properties look more festive and attractive by strategically placing Christmas decor throughout. When performed with a measure of tasteful reservation, this can create a sense of holiday spirit while adding a touch of warmth. That said, when they are overdone, holiday decorations can be overwhelming or even gaudy. Usually, when decorating the interior of a home, it’s best to pinpoint specific key areas, including entryway tables, shelves, mantles and staircase banisters or balusters.

This same sort of reservation is also essential when it comes to decorating the exterior of a home. Let’s face it: while children may love the look of a yard full of brightly lit snowmen and reindeer, these sorts of decorations don’t add much class to a home. On the other hand, some smart, conservative decorating ideas can enhance the overall beauty of a house by accentuating its existing qualities.

The Front Door

Because a home’s threshold is the primary point of access, it represents the ideal place for some tasteful extravagance. You can really bring out the beauty of your entryway door by positioning a tasteful garland border along the door jamb. This is especially effective if you already have an attractive First Impression ornamental metal security door. That said, the key to smart decorating is moderation. You don’t want to eclipse the existing beauty of your home by overwhelming the eyes with too much glitter and gloss. For example, if your home boasts a beautiful Barcelona, Florentine or Tuscany iron entry door; you don’t want to hide it behind an immense, obtrusive wreath. Instead, focus on decorations that compliment your existing decor and avoid those that will clash and conflict.

Lighting
When properly executed, decorative exterior Christmas lighting can add significant curbside appeal to a home while also adding warmth and seasonal ambiance. Unfortunately, all too often, enthusiastic homeowners go overboard by covering their houses with too many light bulbs of varying colors that don’t complement one another very well.

Tasteful decorating centers on restraint. More often than not, you will get better results when you limit your exterior holiday lighting to a single horizontal line that runs along the trim of your house. Invariably, horizontal lighting is much more pleasing to the eye than is vertical lighting. Again, decorating isn’t about overwhelming the senses; it’s about accenting what’s already in place. If you have a beautiful home, you shouldn’t be looking to hide it behind gaudy decorations. In the vast majority of cases, homeowners get better results when they hang just a single strip of horizontal lighting consisting of one color, such as white, green, red or blue.

Windows

While some homeowners opt to leave their windows free and uncluttered, others see them as ideal spots of seasonal decor. Much like doors, windows offer a good opportunity for strategic decorating. That said, for best results, you should work from the inside of the home. A small handful of vertically hanging icicle-style white lights can be effective provided that they don’t clash with your exterior lighting. Likewise, you can add a sense of daytime beauty by hanging three to five unique and glossy Christmas tree ornaments just inside the window that others will be able to see from outside. A little creativity helps to attract attention to your home’s existing beauty. This is especially true if your house is already accented with Grenada, Santa Fe or Sienna ornamental window guards from First Impression.

Larger Properties

People who own large properties tend to have difficulty decorating, because their homes are often positioned relatively far from public roads. Obviously, it won’t matter how well you decorate your house if no one ever sees it. Fortunately, if you have a security gate, you also have an ideal area to place some tasteful Christmas decor. A thick bow of garland looks great, especially when it’s arranged in low looping bows with high points which are accented with large red ribbons. This type of decorating strategy can help make an ordinary drab-looking security gate look festive. It can also accentuate the amazing beauty of First Impression’s ornamental security gates, which look good all year long.

Taking a Deep Breath

Once possessed by the holiday spirit, many homeowners go overboard trying to make their homes stand out from the rest. In reality, this type of enthusiasm tends to result in tacky-looking houses that make the neighbors roll their eyes. In the end, the best decorations don’t overwhelm; they accentuate existing beauty. No matter how you choose to decorate your home for the holiday season, you’d be well-advised to adhere to at least one rule of thumb: less is more.