Nothing puts you in the holiday spirit more than a beautifully decked home.
But, honestly, with all of the shopping, cooking, figuring out childcare during winter break and planning for visiting family, who has time to revamp the house?
We don't.
So, we spoke with Jenni Pagano, a Tucson interior designer and owner of Riveted, a home store and design studio downtown, to get a few ideas on how to add some holiday flair without spending tons of time or money.
Grab your Christmas ornaments and throw them in a silver or shimmery bowl for a beautiful holiday centerpiece on the dining room table or end tables throughout the living room. If you don't have ornaments, you can get these vintage ones for $5 each at Riveted.
Buy multi-use dishes
"I have these red glasses that were originally designed as champagne glasses, but they're beautiful for desserts," Pagano said. "Red glasses can be used for all of the holidays. Pair it with brown and orange for Thanksgiving. You could use them for fruit salad or dessert stuff. Or, even cut up carrots that you could carry around at a party. Things like that are awesome."
These red glasses can be used for champagne, dessert or even veggies at a party. Plus they work for Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Year's and Valentine's Day. Pair them with plain white china and brass or gold. This particular vintage (1970s) set of five by Luminarc Cavalier can be purchased at Riveted for $25.
Go for seasonal, not thematic
Getting items that can be used for more than one holiday will get you more bang for your buck.
Pagano is loving sparkly throw pillows right now because they can be used for the entire holiday season.
"I try to do decor that's not too thematic, that's more seasonal, so instead of Thanksgiving, Christmas and Valentine's Day, sparkly stuff sort of spans it," Pagano said. "Or a fun color that works in your house but it's special, so you only bring it out for those months. You can use it longer."
Plain white dishes are Pagano's go-to for her holiday table. She dresses them up with a set of pretty bowls, salad plates or colored napkins to make it fancy.
This gold shimmery throw pillow can be purchased at Riveted for $28 and can set the tone for the entire holiday season.
Repurpose decorations
A go-to decoration should be Christmas ornaments. You can put them in bowls on your table.
"So, maybe wood bowls through Thanksgiving and then sparkly silver or glass bowls more towards Christmas," Pagano said. "And they may even stay out past New Year's because I take them off the tree and put them in the bowl until I put them all away."
Putting ornaments in different style bowls for the different holidays is a cheap and easy way to add some flair to your tables.
Mix up the sizes of your bowls to add interest:
Ornaments in brown or fall colored bowls are a great time and money saver when it comes to decorating around Thanksgiving. When Christmas and New Year's rolls around, simply change bowls.
Riveted is located at 40 W. Broadway. The store features vintage and new items for you and your home. Pagano also offers design services and workshops through her shop. Click here for more info.
