Deck your halls!

Published: 02/12/2024

Your home is on the market, Christmas is coming, and it's almost time for decorations to go up, but how do you unleash your festive fervour while keeping your rooms clutter-free and ready for viewings?

Well, as luck would have it, Christmas decorations can showcase the best of your home without stealing the limelight, casting a magical spell over buyers with a heady mix of seasonal joy.

From many festive seasons of getting people sold, we’ve put together a guide on how to decorate for Christmas when your home is for sale, including tips and tricks on how to:

• Curb Christmas clutter.
• Try a trimmer tree.
• Seduce with Scandi style.
• Add some glimmer and glow.
• Put on a festive frontage.

As you’ll quickly discover, it's all about the materials you use and how you combine them to strike the perfect balance of shimmering seasonal sparkle and seductive sales appeal. So, let's deck your halls!


CURB CHRISTMAS CLUTTER
Clutter is a beast to be tamed whenever you’re selling your home, and Christmas can add a whole other layer. Fortunately, you can keep the spirit of the season in check with the following tips.

• Avoid hanging large amounts of tinsel, lanterns, or garlands overhead, as they can make rooms feel lower and smaller. Think dinkier, cuter decorations on shelves, tables and window sills.
• Instead of filling multiple surfaces or walls with Christmas cards, string them vertically in cosy corners or dedicate a single shelf for a concentrated display of seasonal joy in one place.
• Wrap family gifts in matching or complementing paper for some calm and cohesive Christmas chic, and keep additional presents tucked out of sight until the 24th.

To sum up, a clutter-free Christmas ensures your home is the star of the show and organised for viewings, while keeping things fun and festive along the way.


TRY A TRIMMER TREE
A tree is a classic Christmas feature, but when it’s oversized or over-decorated, it can dwarf the room it's in. That’s all part of the fun when you aren’t selling, but it can cramp your home’s style if you are.

• Instead of filling a bay window or blocking the view with a massive full-height tree, opt for a smaller size that can sit in a corner or on a table to free up your floor.
• Tinsel adds bulk, so focus on fairy lights and delicate hanging decorations in sparkling silver, glimmering gold, and earthy wood and seagrass that let you see through the branches.
• Alternatively, consider a carved wooden tree model or a wall-mounted decoration to save space while maintaining the Christmassy vibes.

In short, keeping your tree simple and streamlined gives your room more space to breathe with a lighter and brighter festive feel.


SEDUCE WITH SCANDI STYLE
The Scandinavians do Christmas really well, and their simple, stylish and thoughtful decorations are perfect for enhancing your viewings with winter magic.

And there’s good news: you don’t need to live in a hut on the edge of a fjord to capture the essence of Scandi Christmas style. Here are some ideas.

• Table decorations like a natural branch adorned with delicate baubles and lights, or an alternating row of pine sprigs in jars and assorted height candles.
• Groups of little wooden figurines (known as Nisse in Denmark) dotted around your home on sideboards, shelves or window sills for a touch of whimsical enchantment.
• A leafy garland woven around a staircase handrail is a classic seasonal custom that quite literally decks your hall without taking up any floor, wall or ceiling space.

To recap: by using a palette of silver and gold paired with greenery and woody tones, you can create an elegant and neutral festive feel that works in any room without overshadowing its features.


ADD SOME GLIMMER AND GLOW
Whether it’s a bulb or a flame, lighting has the power to completely recast the mood of a room, not least in setting a luminous and laidback seasonal style.

• Fairy lights aren’t just for trees. Try placing them in a glass vase, draping them over mirrors or headboards, or wrapping them around a fallen branch collected on a woodland walk.
• Use metal cocktail trays to group botanical candles infused with ginger root, cinnamon sticks, and orange slices for a deliciously aromatic glow.
• Wooden candle bridges on window ledges radiate with an inviting welcome on the outside, and a comfy cosiness indoors.

Even without Christmas decorations, soft-toned lighting is the perfect way to add some instant touches of mellow magic and treat your buyers to warm and wonderful viewings on a cold winter’s night.


PUT ON A FESTIVE FRONTAGE
If you like to decorate the outside of your home for Christmas, a touch of festive cheer at the front can set a seasonal scene for viewings before buyers even step through the door.
 

• A single tree outside with its trunk or branches wrapped in fairy lights creates a captivating and understated beacon of arrival.
• Illuminated reindeer-shaped frames in warm white add elegance and light the pathway to guide visitors to your door.
• A simple wreath with natural elements like pine cones, white lilies, and subtle greenery is a quintessential Christmas totem.

Remember: first impressions matter, so make sure your choice of outdoor decorations lets your home’s best features stay visible through all the seasonal sparkle.


Is your home for sale this Christmas?
Having your home on the market in December doesn’t mean ditching the festive cheer.  If you’d like to chat about your plans for an upcoming move, why not get in touch? We'd love to hear from you.

Berkhamsted sales: 01442 863000
Tring sales: 01442 820420
Rural & country sales: 01296 711111