Distinctive Ideas for Non-Traditional Holiday Decorating
by Jessica Ackerman

Description: Ideas for decorating for the holidays with non-traditional themes.

Many people chose a traditional path when decorating for the holidays. Red and green, plaid, Santa and snowmen are ubiquitous at this time of year. What if your style doesn’t mesh with traditional holiday décor? If you have your own style, there’s nothing saying you can’t extend the style you love to your holiday decorations. If you are a mid-century modern fan or a vintage fanatic, you can find a way to express your holiday joy in your surroundings without sacrificing your personal taste. This article will give you a few ideas and inspirations for creating your own one-of-a-kind holiday.

Modern

Modern design does not mean new. Modern design was a movement in the middle of the twentieth century, roughly from the late 1950’s until the very early 1970’s. Modern design celebrated futuristic elements, synthetic materials and mass production, combined with clean lines, simple color palettes and some natural materials like metal and glass.

For an authentically modern Christmas, stick to basic elements in simple shapes to convey your holiday spirit. Consider an aluminum or white holiday tree with simple glass ornaments in one color. Additionally, you could fill a glass bowl with glass ornaments to use as a centerpiece.

Contemporary

Contemporary, unlike modern, does mean new or of-the-moment. Contemporary design is many things, and it is not a style that is easily defined in simple terms. Many contemporary styles rely on some of the same elements as modern design, including clean lines, minimalism and solid colors.

Contemporary Christmas design is as eclectic as the style itself, but keeping your holiday décor in a simple, monochromatic color scheme (consider navy blue, silver or even pink for something different than red and green.) that matches the overall style of your home will likely be very striking, no matter the particulars of your individual tastes.

Shabby Chic

Shabby chic is actually an extension of cottage style, which is somewhat of a mash-up between country and beach house design styles. Shabby chic style uses many floral fabrics, distressed pieces and plenty of white to create a style that is comfortable, fresh and very pretty. If you have a shabby chic home, you can do many wonderful things with your holiday decorating for a shabby chic Christmas theme.

Consider using a white holiday tree and decorating with fabric bows, trinkets and tiny framed dried flowers. Add a patchwork quilt as a tree skirt, and surround the base with presents wrapped in crisp white paper and floral ribbon and bows.

Eclectic

Eclectic, by its very definition, means a little bit of this and a little bit of that. If your style is eclectic, you probably decorated your home with things you love, but not necessarily because they fit any particular style or decorating era. Eclectic decorating is often very cozy, with a bit of a bohemian flavor.

An eclectic holiday decorating plan can mean the same thing – a little bit of a lot of the things you love best about Christmas. Mix and match styles and ideas, but keep one or two features (like a color or pattern) consistent throughout your entire design to bring a bit of unity and cohesion to your plan.

Vintage

Vintage can also mean many things. Vintage has become a catchall term for anything popular before 1990, so you have a wide range of acceptable styles available to you if you are a vintage fan. Vintage Christmas fans might create an authentic Victorian Christmas or a fun, kitschy, style inspired by “A Christmas Story” complete with a tacky leg lamp and a Red Ryder bb gun.

No matter your style, there’s a way to integrate it into your holiday décor without sacrificing your tastes or the festive spirit of the season.

Online contributing editor for WallDecorandHomeAccents.com, Jessica Ackerman has over 20 years of design experience, from decorative wall plaques to nautical metal wall art.