Design Lesson

10 tips to create a white winter wonderland

10 tips to create a white winter wonderland

Image: Tracey Ayton

Design Lesson

10 tips to create a white winter wonderland

This whimsical white set-up brings nature and winter indoors for a Christmas look so muted, it could stay until spring.

Sleigh bells ring. Are you listening? Lifestyle blogger Monika Hibbs is. But bells aren’t the only hallmarks of the holiday invited into the Port Coquitlam, B.C., Mosaic Homes showhouse that she styled for the season. There are also natural materials, muted colours, a woodland menagerie and a dramatic flocked tree. (It’s a beautiful sight, we’re happy tonight....) Here are 10 decor tips Monika uses to capture the spirit of the snow-covered sylvan landscape Santa calls home.

 

 

 

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10 tips to create a white winter wonderland

Creating the look

It may seem like this Christmas palette is quite neutral, but paired with natural materials comes a classic Christmas decor. It's truly the most wonderful time to decorate.

Image by: Style at Home By: Sara Cation Source: Tracey Ayton

10 tips to create a white winter wonderland

Aim for the top

1 Aim for the top: When you spend so much time and effort (and money!) collecting ornaments, why let the tree topper steal the show? This muted vintage-look star complements the tree without overpowering it.   2 Splurge on drama: One of Monika Hibbs’s top holiday indulgences is a real flocked tree. “If you use the same ornaments year to year, you can justify this little luxury,” she says. Have the lights strung on first, so they get dusted with that frosting, too – your tree will radiate with a golden glow.

Image by: Style at Home By: Sara Cation Source: Tracey Ayton

10 tips to create a white winter wonderland

Have animal instincts

What’s more fitting for a flocked tree than the animals commonly associated with a snowy forest? Monika doesn’t pinch her pennies when it comes to picking out unique ornaments with intricate details, but she balances out costs by filling in the tree with big-box store baubles as well.

Image by: Style at Home By: Sara Cation Source: Tracey Ayton

10 tips to create a white winter wonderland

Get functional

Even the mud room gets a dose of Christmas cheer with a faux tree, a wispy faux pine wreath and tall baskets holding decorative branches and gift wrap.

Image by: Style at Home By: Sara Cation Source: Tracey Ayton

10 tips to create a white winter wonderland

Make it meaningful

“Invest in ornaments that mark life’s many milestones,” suggests Monika, “so your Christmas tree tells your own personal story, from adopting a pet to buying your first house to having a baby.”

Image by: Style at Home By: Sara Cation Source: Tracey Ayton

10 tips to create a white winter wonderland

Keep it simple, Santa

You don’t have to go over the top – quiet touches often sing the loudest. On the coffee table, a glass cloche over a sparkly faux pinecone, an elegant white felt ball garland and a white deer figurine strike a note in perfect holiday harmony.

Image by: Style at Home By: Sara Cation Source: Tracey Ayton

10 tips to create a white winter wonderland

Sprinkle with twinkle

Elevate your holiday dining table with twinkle lights. Reflected in the glass vessels and silver accents, they create an elegant display that echoes the look of the tree.

Image by: Style at Home By: Sara Cation Source: Tracey Ayton

10 tips to create a white winter wonderland

Add ambiance candles

Cast a glow that makes for magical holiday lighting. They set the mood for sipping mulled wine by the fire or watching It’s a Wonderful Life with the family. Monika chose wood-look candles, which, with the faux fir garland, amplify the foresty feel.

Image by: Style at Home By: Sara Cation Source: Tracey Ayton

10 tips to create a white winter wonderland

Create contrast

Blend old with new, refined with rustic. Here, the juxtaposition of the copper napkin ring and fringed linen table runner with the fine linen napkin and simple white plates makes for a stunning place setting that’s fitting for meals both formal and casual.

Image by: Style at Home By: Sara Cation Source: Tracey Ayton

10 tips to create a white winter wonderland

Dress the part

Just as your wardrobe changes from season to season so, too, should your decorative pieces: Trade out toss cushions that say summer for those that welcome winter.

Image by: Style at Home By: Sara Cation Source: Tracey Ayton

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Design Lesson

10 tips to create a white winter wonderland