Christmas is just days away, but it’s not too late to make your small apartment feel Christmasy this holiday season. The best part? You won’t need a lot of decorations to do so and even better, you won’t break the bank.
Despite what we’ve been taught, you don’t have to decorate like Martha Stewart or have a luxury apartment to give your tiny space a big Christmas vibe. You just need to do a little cleaning, reorganise a bit and add a few interesting pieces that will make your space sparkle.
I live in an apartment that is a little over 500 sq ft. So, I know all too well the challenge of decorating a tiny space.
Here are seven quick tips to make your small apartment feel Christmasy this holiday season.
1. Make an entrance
The first thing you’re going to want to focus on is the main entrance. For me, it all starts at the front door with a wreath.
A lot of apartment dwellers have gotten savvy with their decorations and have bucked the traditional wreath in favour of ribbons and other ornate decorations. You can certainly do that, but I like to keep things simple and I think an elegant wreath is the way to go. It lets passersby know that you’re celebrating, but not in a gaudy way.
The entrance doesn’t stop at the front door. The entryway also sets the tone for what people are going to see. So, this is the time to really make an impression by placing garland above doors or putting Christmas decorations on display on bookshelves or ladder displays.
2. Pick a colour scheme to make your space look cohesive
I’m an island gyal, so it goes without saying that I absolutely love colour. Like, it was made just for me.
But, this year, I wanted to tone down my colours to give my space a more muted Bohemian vibe. So, incorporated a lot of browns, golds, blacks and greens into my decor. While you might see pops of red in my bathroom or on my Santa, the majority of my home is light and toned down.
You can also temporarily remove wall decor and other items from the space that don’t go with your Christmas theme. Don’t worry, you can always pull them back out later.
If you’re going to go with a more colourful theme, make sure that everything compliments everything. Festive, yes! Gaudy, no!
3. Add twinkle lights to regular household plants
Not everyone can afford, nor do they want to buy a Christmas tree. But, they want to have the traditional twinkle lights in their home, I mean, what’s Christmas without them?
This year, I chose to drape my faux fiddle leaf tree with LED twinkle lights and I placed it in my entryway so that it’s the first thing you see when you enter my apartment.
You can do the same to create a wow-factor. And don’t think twinkle lights are limited to the living room. You can add them to the headboard in your bedroom and even in your bathroom.
4. Burn, baby, burn . . . candles
Who doesn’t love that quintessential pine smell during Christmastime? But, unless you live in a pine forrest, you’re going to have to invest in a few candles to give your apartment that true Christmas smell. This is especially crucial if you’re not getting a real pine tree this year.
If you hate the smell of pine, and I get it, because I used to as well, then you can opt for whatever fragrance reminds you of Christmas.
But, to me, nothing screams Christmas like walking in a room and smelling the scent of pine.
I have pine-scented Glade plug-ins, in addition to my candles. And for those days when I want a calmer, more muted fragrance, I opt for Hearth & Hand’s Meadow candle. The smell is heavenly.
5. Throw away those throw pillows and get Christmasy ones
Well, you don’t really have to throw them away, but put them away for now and invest in some Christmas-themed throw pillows.
You don’t have to buy pillows that are overtly Christmas. There are pillows that give the holiday vibe in a subdued way. But, they are so worth the investment. If you don’t want to buy new pillows, consider buying covers.
6. Add fun Christmas accents to your space
I’ve got to give it to Target. This year, they had some of the cutest – and most inexpensive – accents this year. I bought a black Merry Christmas sign from the store for about $7 and couldn’t be happier. I also bought a $25 green Noel Threshold sign for my wall and I love how it has such a rustic vibe.
I also went into HomeGoods and Homesense and bought a few accents for my dresser and computer desk. They were very inexpensive.
7. Oh Christmas tree, oh, Christmas tree
In case you didn’t know, the Christmas tree is the star of the show. At least in my house.
If you want your small apartment to feel Christmasy, you’re going to need to invest in a Christmas tree. I happen to have high ceilings, so I have tons of vertical space, but I still opted for a midsize tree – 6.5′.
I got an artificial flocked tree from Macy’s. I had no idea how it would look in person and took a chance buying it, but I was extremely pleased when I opened the box. The snowy element really gives my space a nice wintry vibe.
Because this is my first Christmas tree since relocating to the US, I had to buy ornaments for the tree.
As I mentioned earlier, I opted for brown, bronze, black and cream-coloured ornaments. I got some dark brown beaded garland for the tree, Happy Holiday signs and added a rustic-looking star at the tippy top.
Because I’m not big on tree skirts, I decided to add a tree collar this year. But, they left such a huge gap in the tree that it made it look unsightly.
I went back to HomeGoods and bought a huge wicker basket and put my tree in there. It pulled the look together and best of all, when the holidays are over, I can use it for blankets.
The only thing you’ll have to do is add presents underneath the tree and ta-da! Done.
XOXO,
This Bahamian Gyal
