4 Elegant Christmas Decorating Ideas that WOW!

Creating an elegant look around your home at Christmas is easier than you think! Here are 4 easy ideas to try.

Trust me when I tell you that it really is easy to create Christmas decor that is elegant.

I’ve am a single working mom and created all of these looks while working full time and writing this blog.

All it takes is a little planning and inspiration to create elegant Christmas decor.

I’m happy to share my time tested tips with you. They led to my home being on the cover plus 10 page spread in a Christmas magazine!

So you can trust me when I say I can help you achieve a similar look at your home.

Contains hand selected products, with affiliate marketing links where I may earn a small commission if a purchase is made. {full disclosure here}

What is elegant Christmas decor?

That’s a subjective opinion isn’t it? There are some tried and true Christmas decor elements that say “sophistication” and evoke elegance.

It really comes down to the simplistic elements of decor and especially color that evokes a feeling.

Here is a general guide to what has an elegant feel when you look at a home decorated for Christmas.

Defining elegant Christmas Decor

1. Layered textures that bring a cozy warmth.
2. Wreaths and garlands that soften hard edges.
3. Gold and silver based color palettes.
4. Simple patterns.
5. White lights.
6. Simple Christmas tree color schemes.

It’s not to say that traditional red and green aren’t elegant because they ARE!

It’s just how you approach it…my home just happens to be more neutral.

Here’s photo of one end of the family room to show you some of the ideas listed.

My christmas pillows are in soft colors and a vintage pattern.

Then you can see pops of silver and gold around the room, with hints of greens.

Does this room feel elegant and cozy? That’s the goal!

Need help deciding where to start decorating this year?

Sophisticated Christmas Decor Ideas: Creating Elegance

Let’s now go into specifics of things I did around my home to create an elegant look at Christmas that may inspire you.

At a minimum, they will be a good visual guide of how to tackle decorating at Christmastime.

Here are all of the ideas we will be covering in this post:

1. Christmas tree color schemes.
2. Pre-decorated present boxes.
3. Creative wreath and garland uses.
4. How to group and display Christmas decor.

Everyone has at least a Christmas tree, so let’s start with that!

Elegant Christmas Decor Idea 1:

Choose a simple Christmas tree color scheme

An easy rule to follow as you plan out decorating your Christmas tree is to stick to a core of 3 basic colors.

Gold, silver and white are elegant combined alone. If you love color, then pick two of these colors and add a pop of another color that works with your decor.

These ornaments are “anchor” colors and you can fill in between with special family ornaments.

On the family room tree, I mixed gold and silver mercury glass ornaments with a pop of medium blue ornaments.

It creates a very sophisticated look even with all of the family ornaments in between.

This can easily be done with red and green plus gold or silver.

Or maybe you like more of a “designer” tree that doesn’t contain a mix of family ornaments.

Here’s an example from my dining room where I did the same mix of silver and gold with pops of dark navy blue ornaments.

Adding wired ribbon in white and gold glitter traded up this look even more for an extremely elegant Christmas tree.

I LOVE this narrow flocked 7.5 ft. tree that tucks neatly into the corner to make the dining room more festive at Christmas.

Adding a Christmas tree collar at the bottom completes the sophisticated look even before all of the presents are placed!

Elegant Christmas Decor Idea 2:

Create beautifully wrapped reusable present boxes

OK, I know this one may seem like a hassle but I have to tell you it is the biggest TIME saver!

One Christmas I took the time to decorate plain white and gold boxes with beautiful ribbons for all of our presents.

Each year I store the pre-decorated boxes with the tissue paper inside and reuse them.

We just simply tie on a name tag and fill with presents.

My out-of-town family LOVES to use these boxes, which don’t have to be wrapped.

Then only a few gifts have to be wrapped each Christmas.

You could also wrap the lids and bases separately, so they can be reused as well 😉

Use the same rules and look for elegant wrapping paper in simple color combinations.

Elegant Christmas Decor Idea 3:

Use garland and wreaths in unexpected ways

An easy trick is to use greens as decor, without any ornaments and just white lights.

It’s the quickest way to add a touch of Christmas in a wide variety of rooms…even the bedroom!

Decorate artwork or cabinet doors with simple wreaths.

Here you can see how I incorporated my not so Christmas looking artwork and added little wreaths to make the wall between the windows look more festive!

Another elegant and easy idea is to clip green garland to a mirror to soften it and even make it look like a wreath!

This only takes a few minutes and creates an elegant look a whole lot less expensively than buying a supersized wreath.

Click the button below to learn how to do this!

We can’t forget about the kitchen and adding wreaths plus garland.

I love adding homemade mini-wreaths to the backs of the counter stools and dining chairs each Christmas.

You can see I practice what I preach and added greens EVERYWHERE in the kitchen.

It softens all of the edges and brings Christmas into the room in unexpected ways.

The best find are these mini candle wreaths to add a little elegance to the kitchen island pendants.

Don’t forget about the bedroom too!

Since I started blogging, I have embraced the “go big or go home” mentality when it comes to Christmas.

Before having this website I skipped the bedroom, but now it’s the first room I decorate!

It feels so cozy at night and just makes me smile.

The wreath about the bed gives the room an understated elegance plus the greens on the nightstand.

Oh and then of course Mick the Maltese steals the show with the wreath around his neck 🙂

Elegant Christmas Decor Idea 3:

Group simple home decor items for visual interest

To make your Christmas decor look sophisticated group common items together.

Vary the heights of objects from trees, to candles, and even reindeer.

I’ve got a nice collection of mercury glass christmas trees and reindeer in gold.

Here are some pretty silver reindeer too I am considering!

Every year I find new and interesting ways to display them mixing various gold and silver candle holders in between.

Experiment with what you have before buying anything!

Remember to group things in odd numbers for the most visual interest or even symmetrical arrangements that soothe the senses.

I hope you’ve enjoyed learning about the four easy ways to add more elegance and sophistication to your Christmas decor!

Want to know how I store all of my holiday decor??

• Creative Solution to Store Christmas Wreaths
• Create a Gift Wrap Station and Home Decor Storage
• Strategies to Organize and Store Christmas Decor

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Until next time…

Porch Daydreamer

Tracey