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Dec 31, 2023

Holiday Decorating Like a True Maximalist: 8 Zany Ways to Deck the Halls This Season

By Lori Keong The holidays are right around the corner, which is when all the

By Lori Keong

The holidays are right around the corner, which is when all the fun really begins: namely, decorating the house. If you’re short on holiday decorating ideas this year and ready to start unpacking the same old boxes plus putting all the lights up in their usual places, may we suggest a bright idea? Kick it up a notch or two. Yes, you heard that right. Instead of leaning into traditions (yours or someone else's), thinking outside the box with a little maximalist flair can help you approach the coming weeks with a little more holiday spirit.

"When it comes to decorating for the holidays, I really think more is more," San Francisco–based designer Noz Nozawa of Noz Design tells us. "Going all-out with holiday decor and festooning with abandon amplifies the magic and warmth of the season in the best way."

For designer John McClain—whose studio has offices in LA and Orlando—it's also about fun and leaning into the design elements that make you happy. "These next few weeks go by quickly, so be bold and fearless with your choices," he says. "It's time to bring in what makes you smile and pull out all the stops. And just when you think you have gone too far, go a little further."

Below, we tapped a handful of designers for taking your holiday decorations over the top plus getting into the swing of the season with some daring more-is-more attitude.

Justina Blakeney mixes up her festive table settings with cheerful felted ornaments.

Loaded up with so many ornaments—whether collected or given as gifts over the years—that you hardly know what to do with them? Though holiday baubles and trinkets might seem like they belong strictly in the boughs of the Christmas tree, there are plenty of places to display them around the house rather than let them gather dust in the garage. Jungalow founder and LA-based designer Justina Blakeney loves using ornaments to decorate the tabletop, which adds a whimsical touch to dinner party spreads. "Plus they make cute keepsakes for guests at the end of a holiday meal," Blakeney adds.

Or as designer Emily Henderson previously suggested to AD, you can place them under glass cloches around the house and "group them in large trays or bowls with fake snow in your dining room to bring a bit of bling to your next holiday table setting."

Twigs and leaves are a low-effort, high-impact way to go big with your next arrangement or table display.

For ideas on how to decorate your home without even pulling out your wallet, look to the greenery outside your window. Blakeney recommends "thoughtfully gathering leaves, seed pods, and branches to place around your home," which she typically displays in vases or uses to add fun shapes and textures to floral arrangements.

A vintage holiday scene inside a family's home where a tinsel-covered tree is surrounded by presents.

The holidays are such a nostalgic time of year that it's comforting to let your most cherished memories influence your surroundings. One of Nozawa's favorite ways to decorate for the holidays is by filling her home with seasonal decor that reminds her of childhood pastimes or old-time movies. She explains that it "not only celebrates the warm memories and fuzzy feelings of holiday magic, but also frees us from any pressure to adorn our homes in a way that has to feel ‘stylish’ or ‘on-trend.’" Painted wooden tree ornaments, candy-wrapper-colored mercury glass, and incandescent string lights are what Nozawa reaches for to reimagine the good old times. "Sorry," she jokes, "but I work on my energy efficiency for 11 months so I can use old-school string lights in December!"

By Emil Wilbekin

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By Katherine McLaughlin

This nutcracker is in good company at this DIY cardboard Christmas village on a kitchen counter.

Too much of any one thing, even holiday decorations, can look cluttered, sure. Still, in the true maximalist spirit, more is more. And besides, when else can you really indulge in exhibiting your entire assortment of festive knickknacks, from dreidels to nativity miniatures to snowmen? "The holidays are such ripe subject matter for collections (in my case, nutcrackers), and I can think of few greater aesthetic joys than getting to boldly display your entire collection of festive things that don't get displayed year-round," Nozawa says. She recommends giving all your most beloved trinkets the attention they deserve this year and "temporarily displacing books or family photos or other tabletop heirlooms with dripping holiday cheer." If gathering them together in one place is too overwhelming, try scattering your bevy of knicknacks throughout the house and letting your littlest relatives seek and find them all.

Kelly Wearstler's tree hangs a couple feet off the ground, with poppy garlands trailing off on the floor.

There's even room to get creative with the placement of your Christmas tree. LA-based designer Kelly Wearstler turns tradition quite literally on its head by hanging her tree upside down or suspending it from the ceiling. "It's a simple, but really striking trick that brings a smile to everyone's face," she says. "Add some garland with dried poppy pods for the ultimate holiday moment."

By Emil Wilbekin

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By Katherine McLaughlin

Electric blue and green plus brassy red ornaments add some vibrant color to designer John McClain's Christmas tree.

Big picture, getting creative with your color schemes this winter—beyond the traditional blues and silvers or reds and greens of the season—can add some zany Whoville flair to your space and, at the very least, jazz up the decor that you already own. "Those hallmark collections of red and green can oftentimes appear out of place in most homes unless your finishes are 100% neutral," McClain says. Instead, he suggests enhancing your existing color palette by "incorporating bolder, more saturated shades of oranges, blues, and greens," from the ornaments on the tree to icicles and tinsel.

Interior designer Kat Bell—a principal at LA's Argyle Design—agrees, explaining that "pairing a color schematic with statement decor can go a long way." One of Bell's favorite ways to dial up the saturation during the holidays is a colorful flocked tree, which you can find in an array of candy colors online.

A broad turquoise ribbon pinned behind two holiday wreaths complements the trinkets displayed in designer John McClain's bookcase.

The same color ethos (don't be afraid to go bold!) applies to garlands and ribbons too. "When it comes to the minor details, you can still switch it up in a tasteful way," McClain says. He went with turquoise ribbons for his holiday decorations, pinned on big and small wreaths throughout the home.

By Emil Wilbekin

By Katie Schultz

By Katherine McLaughlin

This festive corner in a living room has a winter white theme with metallic ornaments and garlands on full display.

Instead of covering your entire home with holiday trimmings, Bell recommends pouring your creative energies into curating one area of the home–whether you’re one of the neighbors who goes all out with string light displays or the type to set up a realistic Charlie Brown tribute in the living room. "A traditional maximalist approach could have holiday decor covering every surface, but I tend to focus on more installation-like moments that are larger scale and can own a room," she says. Bell finds inspiration in department store window and floor displays plus dazzling set designs: "The staircase lighting moment in Eyes Wide Shut is absolutely timeless."