Decorating your home for the holidays is an age-old tradition.  As another festive season approaches, it may seem as if many holiday decor ideas are a little tired, so this year, why not come up with a fresh take on some tried-and-true classics?  Sally Morse, Director of Creative Services for Hunter Douglas, the leading name in custom window fashions, and the design expert featured on “Ask Sally & Jen” at hunterdouglas.com, offers the five following tips to expand your concept of seasonal décor:

1.    Updated Natural Elements

Rustic, natural touches make your home feel warmer and more inviting.  Wreaths and poinsettias have been holiday décor staples for generations.  This year, update these basics in your space.  Try making over your wreath by monogramming it.  Add a cardboard stencil letter to the middle of the wreath that can be easily made or found at your nearby craft store.

Hang it from your front door for a personal and festive entrance.  For another innovative approach to a classic, remove poinsettias from the standard foil-lined pots and place them in a turquoise, pink or orange vase for a fresh, colorful look.

2.    Novel Table Toppings

The dining room table is the focal point of holiday gatherings, so it’s important not to neglect your holiday table decorations.  Rather than use the traditional holiday tablecloth with the same floral centerpiece, go for something inventive for the all-new upcoming holiday season.  Add a cheerful, sunshine color to cold winter months with clementines.

Place a bunch in glass hurricane lamps.  Normally used as candleholders, the hurricanes are tall and large enough to work as a centerpiece.  Line several down the middle of the table or use varying heights for a visually interesting multi-level look.  Another option is to create a lemon-and-clementine leaf garland that can also run down the middle of a table.

The garland can be made with lemon leaves, floral wire and a small rope with real lemons and clementines placed on top of the leaf runner.  An additional idea, layer clementines in a glass cake stand with sprigs of mint or cranberries for a festive, upbeat space.

3.    Enchanting Light

As the temperature drops and the daylight begins to recede, it’s a good time to start thinking about investing in new window fashions that will make the most of this light to create the ambiance of a room. Hunter Douglas Silhouette® window shadings, which feature soft fabric vanes suspended between sheer fabric facings, work to draw light deep into the room, thus maximizing daylighting efficiency.

Also try Luminette® Privacy Sheers, a similar product on the vertical, that provides the same benefits.  Nothing makes a room feel more welcoming than a warm pool of natural light softly filtering in through the window dressings.

4.    Reworked Art

One sure way to keep your family and friends on their toes this holiday season is to re-dress your wall art.  Whether with one frame or with a wall of prints, swap your everyday art with holiday images.  You can also try incorporating a punch of color and pattern by framing various holiday prints.  The finished effect is a chic, very “now” look that’s just for the holidays.

5.    Unique Metallic Accents

There is no better season to go to the extreme with our love of metallic and shimmer than during the holidays.  There are limitless ways to introduce this decorative element into your home décor.  For a new, polished idea, try incorporating a little sparkle into interiors with a glittering string of gold or silver beads hung around the Christmas tree.

Also, in place of the usual holiday metallic candleholders, add some style to your celebrations by lining a variety of shimmery mercury glass urns or vases along a mantel or tabletop.

With these easy tips, you will have everything you need to make your home unique and festive for the season ahead.