Deck the halls: How to embrace this season’s Christmas decor trends without looking tacky, according to an interior design expert

Deck the halls: How to embrace this season’s Christmas decor trends without looking tacky, according to an interior design expert

It’s that time of year again when Brits are getting ready to dig out the Christmas decorations and pick out their tree, preparing to transform their homes for the most magical time of year.

If you’re the Pinterest type, you may have started to conceptualise the Christmas vibe you’d like your home to emulate, whether it’s festival-inspired brights or Scandi chic. Whatever your chosen theme, it can be hard to avoid the “tacky” look around Christmas, particularly if you’re looking to reuse old decorations, most likely involving garish plastic baubles.

James Mellan-Matulewicz, Creative Director and Designer at Bobbi Beck, has provided five expert tips on how to incorporate Christmas decor into your home without going down the tacky tinsel route.

“If you’re someone who prides yourself on a classic and design-led interior, Christmas could be your worst nightmare. Most of the decorations available to buy will likely involve plastic, garish colours and cheap-looking fairy lights, which can make your home look tacky and inharmonious.”

“But never fear! There are simple ways to master a number of Christmas looks in your home, doing “tacky”, tastefully. Classic red and gold is a Christmas staple and will always look good, but if you want to try something new this year without getting it wrong, there are a few simple ways to keep it tasteful no matter what your theme.”

Pick a theme

“When it comes to decorating your home, choose an aesthetic and stick to it. Mixing genres will lead to a mish-mash of decorations (and not in a kitsch and cool way). There are lots of new themes on the rise this year to consider, including Great Gatsby-inspired art deco and vibrant festival brights. Even if you’re going all out with the multi colour festival theme, it can still look curated and classy if you stick to it closely. Throwing in some Scandi chic silver owls and icicles will throw the theme off completely and look ill-thought-out so stay in a lane and enjoy the ride.”

Complement don’t clash

“When you are choosing how to decorate your home, consider the decor you already have and work with this. If your home is already an eclectic treasure trove, then coloured glass candelabras and paper bunting will look fabulous. However, if your home is a tranquil sea of neutrals, you should decorate in similar tones. You can go as over-the-top with the amount of decorations as you want but making sure they complement your existing style drops in that touch of tastefulness.”

Give a nod to nostalgia

“This season has seen a hark back to some of the Christmas decorations of past times, such as retro garlands, chintzy tree decorations and velvet tree bows. Pretty bows can be mixed into traditional red and gold displays, retro garlands can be a focal point on a mantel and a smattering of shiny baubles are a respectful wink to trends gone by. However, avoid reaching for the tinsel or foil bunting as these are outdated and not very eco-friendly. A subtle nod to nostalgia is all that’s needed to keep it stylish.”

Avoid ‘too much of a good thing’

“There are lots of fun decorations available to buy this year, like Christmas gonks, coloured candles and pop culture based baubles. These can all add a quirky touch to your Christmas decor but, to keep it tasteful, use them sparingly. Adorning your tree solely in pink giraffes and cheese board baubles will mean your decorations don’t stand out. Only including a few of these carefully selected styles will make them really pop and be a focal point for your display rather than an assault on the eyes.”

Be sustainable

“No matter how wild you choose to go with your decorations this year, choosing sustainable options will always make things more refined. Wooden tree decorations, paper garlands and reusable crackers are all on offer this year. Choosing to be more eco-friendly with your Christmas theme shows thoughtfulness, which is always classy and very on-trend. No matter how tacky you end up going, your sustainability efforts will make it tasteful.”

These tips were released by James Mellan-Matulewicz, CEO of luxury, sustainable wallpaper brand Bobbi Beck, which provides a number of wallpaper designs to suit a range of tastes and personalities.

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Typically thought of as being an easy to clean area of the home, hard floors have risen in popularity in recent decades. Globally, hard floors are the most common floor type,2 and research released today by Dyson has uncovered poor cleaning habits that mean hard floors are likely to be harbouring an array of hidden nasties.     This comes as 32% of Brits – equating to 21.6 million people in the UK – will use the same dirty mop head for six months or more before replacing it. What’s more, one in 20 also admit to keeping the same mop for a year or longer, and one in 10 think it is acceptable to use the same mop 100 times, spreading dirt around their floors every time they use it.   Cross contamination is a primary issue for most common and traditional mopping methods with germs and bacteria further being unknowingly spread around homes as Brits use dirty water to clean floors.3 45% only change the water to new water between rooms, whereas 41% wait even longer until it looks dirty. This could mean that floors are being washed with dirty water, adding more dirt rather than taking it away. Surprisingly, almost one in 10 (9%) even admit to not changing the dirty water at all when mopping.   Over a quarter (28%) admit to mopping their floors once a fortnight or less while over half (53%) admit they don’t regularly clean behind appliances and leave dirt to build up for as long as six months at a time.   image002.jpg   On how to achieve a perfect barefoot clean feel after mopping, Geli Lee, Dyson Engineer and Home Cleaning Expert offers their top tips for eliminating dirt around the home:   1.     Create a cleaning schedule to stay on top of dirt build-up. In the last year, there has been a 15% global reduction in the number of people who maintain regular cleaning schedules. 47% of the British public admitted to only being motivated to clean when they spot visible dirt or dust.4 Regular floor cleaning with a wet hard floor cleaner like the Dyson WashG1™ removes more stubborn dirt than vacuuming alone.    It is important to have a debris free surface, clear any clutter from the floor or other surfaces.      Choose the right machine: Different vacuums are designed for different floor types and home sizes. Some machines will be engineered with hard floors in mind and will struggle on thick pile carpets, for example. Choosing the right machine for your home will make a big difference to the ease and speed with which you’re able to clean your home.      Clean your floors ‘little and often’. Washing your floors frequently in areas that receive more foot fall will help to stop dirt building up and getting trodden into your floor. Using a dedicated wet floor cleaner on hard flooring such as the Dyson WashG1 is helpful for this, as the versatile format means it vacuums and washes the floor simultaneously.   Cleaning schedules have also become less regimented. In recent years only 41% of people claim to have a regular cleaning schedule, and 60% admit to cleaning reactively; being motivated to clean only when there is visible dirt or dust5. It’s perhaps not surprising, that a fifth of people are still concerned their floors are dirty after they’ve mopped them (22%) and one in four6 feel extremely worried about indoor dust at home.  Geli Lee, Dyson Engineer and Home Cleaning Expert reveals why it is important to change the way we mop: “Cleaning your hard floors properly and regularly is important for maintaining a healthy environment around your home. Without a proper cleaning routine, dirt may unknowingly build up and spread around your home. It is evident from our research that current mopping habits mean British households aren’t cleaning their floors as effectively as they should.   “From ignoring problem areas where dust and debris build up, cross contamination with dirty water to not replacing mop heads or inconsistent cleaning, current mopping behaviours may be making floors dirtier as opposed to cleaner. Moving away from traditional methods, wet floor cleaners like the Dyson WashG1 simplify the floor cleaning experience and provide a modern efficient and hygienic solution”  To help take the guesswork out of mopping, the brand new WashG1 is Dyson’s first dedicated wet floor cleaner that tackles wet and dry debris in one go. Engineered for hygienic cleaning and maintenance, the WashG1 is revolutionising wet floor cleaning, removing the need for multi-products and multi-steps to achieve a barefoot clean feel around the home.   To put the product to the test, Dyson have cleaned one of London’s most iconic landmarks The Victoria and Albert Museum. From cleaning the grand marble floors housing the most prestigious exhibits, to cleaning up leftover food in the Gamble Room Cafe, the WashG1 had a dirt busting tour of the museum leaving it spotless. Images can be found here.    The WashG1 introduces Dyson’s engineering expertise to cleaning hard floors. With a 1 litre clean-water tank to cover flooring up to 290m2, the Dyson WashG1 uses a combination of hydration, absorption, and extraction technologies to remove wet and dry spills and stains simultaneously.   The Dyson WashG1 is available to purchase now from Dyson.co.uk, retailing at £599.99.

Typically thought of as being an easy to clean area of the home, hard floors have risen in popularity in recent decades. Globally, hard floors are the most common floor type,2 and research released today by Dyson has uncovered poor cleaning habits that mean hard floors are likely to be harbouring an array of hidden nasties. This comes as 32% of Brits – equating to 21.6 million people in the UK – will use the same dirty mop head for six months or more before replacing it. What’s more, one in 20 also admit to keeping the same mop for a year or longer, and one in 10 think it is acceptable to use the same mop 100 times, spreading dirt around their floors every time they use it. Cross contamination is a primary issue for most common and traditional mopping methods with germs and bacteria further being unknowingly spread around homes as Brits use dirty water to clean floors.3 45% only change the water to new water between rooms, whereas 41% wait even longer until it looks dirty. This could mean that floors are being washed with dirty water, adding more dirt rather than taking it away. Surprisingly, almost one in 10 (9%) even admit to not changing the dirty water at all when mopping. Over a quarter (28%) admit to mopping their floors once a fortnight or less while over half (53%) admit they don’t regularly clean behind appliances and leave dirt to build up for as long as six months at a time. image002.jpg On how to achieve a perfect barefoot clean feel after mopping, Geli Lee, Dyson Engineer and Home Cleaning Expert offers their top tips for eliminating dirt around the home: 1. Create a cleaning schedule to stay on top of dirt build-up. In the last year, there has been a 15% global reduction in the number of people who maintain regular cleaning schedules. 47% of the British public admitted to only being motivated to clean when they spot visible dirt or dust.4 Regular floor cleaning with a wet hard floor cleaner like the Dyson WashG1™ removes more stubborn dirt than vacuuming alone. It is important to have a debris free surface, clear any clutter from the floor or other surfaces. Choose the right machine: Different vacuums are designed for different floor types and home sizes. Some machines will be engineered with hard floors in mind and will struggle on thick pile carpets, for example. Choosing the right machine for your home will make a big difference to the ease and speed with which you’re able to clean your home. Clean your floors ‘little and often’. Washing your floors frequently in areas that receive more foot fall will help to stop dirt building up and getting trodden into your floor. Using a dedicated wet floor cleaner on hard flooring such as the Dyson WashG1 is helpful for this, as the versatile format means it vacuums and washes the floor simultaneously. Cleaning schedules have also become less regimented. In recent years only 41% of people claim to have a regular cleaning schedule, and 60% admit to cleaning reactively; being motivated to clean only when there is visible dirt or dust5. It’s perhaps not surprising, that a fifth of people are still concerned their floors are dirty after they’ve mopped them (22%) and one in four6 feel extremely worried about indoor dust at home. Geli Lee, Dyson Engineer and Home Cleaning Expert reveals why it is important to change the way we mop: “Cleaning your hard floors properly and regularly is important for maintaining a healthy environment around your home. Without a proper cleaning routine, dirt may unknowingly build up and spread around your home. It is evident from our research that current mopping habits mean British households aren’t cleaning their floors as effectively as they should. “From ignoring problem areas where dust and debris build up, cross contamination with dirty water to not replacing mop heads or inconsistent cleaning, current mopping behaviours may be making floors dirtier as opposed to cleaner. Moving away from traditional methods, wet floor cleaners like the Dyson WashG1 simplify the floor cleaning experience and provide a modern efficient and hygienic solution” To help take the guesswork out of mopping, the brand new WashG1 is Dyson’s first dedicated wet floor cleaner that tackles wet and dry debris in one go. Engineered for hygienic cleaning and maintenance, the WashG1 is revolutionising wet floor cleaning, removing the need for multi-products and multi-steps to achieve a barefoot clean feel around the home. To put the product to the test, Dyson have cleaned one of London’s most iconic landmarks The Victoria and Albert Museum. From cleaning the grand marble floors housing the most prestigious exhibits, to cleaning up leftover food in the Gamble Room Cafe, the WashG1 had a dirt busting tour of the museum leaving it spotless. Images can be found here. The WashG1 introduces Dyson’s engineering expertise to cleaning hard floors. With a 1 litre clean-water tank to cover flooring up to 290m2, the Dyson WashG1 uses a combination of hydration, absorption, and extraction technologies to remove wet and dry spills and stains simultaneously. The Dyson WashG1 is available to purchase now from Dyson.co.uk, retailing at £599.99.