FOR BREAKING NEWS VISIT WWW.QNS.COM DECEMBER 12, 2019 • HOLIDAY GUIDE • THE QUEENS COURIER 53
holiday guide
Decorate your home for the holidays
Chances are good that at some point
during the holiday season, you’ll welcome
guests into your home. Whether you lease
or own your home, creating a cozy, festive
setting for holiday gatherings can actually
be quite simple, especially if you take on
the project one room at a time.
One advantage of seasonal decorating
is that it is, by defi nition, temporary. Th is
gives you plenty of freedom to experiment
with new ideas and completely transform
your living space on a short-term basis.
It’s also an opportunity to get creative with
your home’s decor to create warm, inviting
places for family and friends to gather.
Get started decking the halls this holiday
season with these room-by-room
decorating tips from the design experts at
Invitation Homes, one of the nation’s premier
home leasing companies with more
than 80,000 single-family homes for lease
in the United States.
Exterior
Curb appeal isn’t a concept reserved
for buying and selling; set the festive
mood from the moment guests arrive by
enhancing your home’s outdoor space.
Bold or twinkling, strings of lights add
instant holiday appeal, and the possibilities
for creating a custom look are nearly
endless when you use weather-resistant
removable hooks. You can embellish the
design with fun, whimsical infl atables or
go more traditional with stylish wreaths
and garland to accent the door. Make the
look your own with unexpected touches
like an old sled propped against the
porch railing. Th e beauty of outdoor decorating
is that virtually all of it can be easily
removed to make way for a new season
or event.
Kitchen
In most homes, the kitchen is an entertaining
hub. While platters of food may
occupy many of the available surfaces,
you can still incorporate a holiday theme.
Set the table with a festive yuletide log
with faux berries, pinecones and candles
artfully placed nearby. Seasonal candles,
festive seat cushions and a cheerful table
runner all add subtle touches of holiday
fl air. Other ideas include dangling lights
from the chandelier or stacking pinecones
with string lights in a bowl or vase
to accent the buff et line or to use as a table
centerpiece. Holiday desserts can be artwork
in their own right, so get creative
to make the dessert table a stand-out element
of the decor.
Living Room
A comfy, cozy environment that invites
guests to make themselves at home as
they catch up with loved ones is a holiday
entertaining must. Extend the holiday
happiness into this space with little touches
like a lantern fi lled with pinecones, faux
gift s by the mantle, stockings hung from
stocking holders that refl ect your decorative
theme, seasonal throw pillows and
evergreen arrangements on the end tables
and coff ee table.
Bathrooms
It may be a smaller space, but the bathroom
is a room every guest is likely to
visit. Incorporate fl ameless candles and
seasonal metallic accents that complement
the fi xtures. Hang holiday items
from shower curtain rings and replace
your standard curtain with a festive or
candy-cane striped alternative. Be sure
to fi nish the look with seasonal decorative
towels.
Guest Rooms
Traveling during the holidays can be
stressful, but you can do your part to
make guests feel comfortable by adding
some cheerful touches to the area they’ll
call home. A miniature evergreen tree in
a planter or pot makes a fun addition to
a nightstand. You can adorn headboards
with garland or delicate lights and add
festive throw pillows and blankets or even
swap out linens entirely for a full-blown
holiday welcome.
Find more lease-friendly holiday tips at
invitationhomes.com.
— Courtesy of Family Features
/WWW.QNS.COM
/invitationhomes.com
