How to prepare your home for the festive season (and entertaining guests).
Trees on display
“To prepare for the festive season, my number one rule is to display Christmas trees. While decorating them, I put on my favourites Christmas songs to bring a festive spirit into my home. I also make sure I set my dining tables. Fairy lights and candles are must-have accessories during the festive season.” – Christelle Afana Fonkem, interior designer and owner of Christelle & Co
A bar cart
“If you love entertaining guests at home, a home bar – or bar cart – is a must-have. With a good beverage selection and well-placed decorations, your bar cart can be a boozy beauty. Choose sleek decanters and ice buckets to add sparkle to your set-up and let your drinks shine in elegant glassware with metallic tones. To complete your cart, incorporate striking bowls for garnish for that ultimate festive look.” – Johann De Waal, marketing manager at KARE Johannesburg
A foosball table
“A foosball table is an ideal addition to any games room this holiday and a great excuse to embark on a little festive competition between family and friends. It’s the perfect way to up everyone’s spirits and keep the kids entertained for hours.” – Johann De Waal, marketing manager at KARE Johannesburg
Consider lighting
“Do not underestimate the use of lighting as decoration. Soft lighting immediately creates a cosy, inviting atmosphere and is easily achieved by stringing lights around objects, in trees, and across your dinner table. Candles are another effective way to add ambience and elegance to any space in your home.” – Ruelle Pretorius, interior designer at Carné Interiors
Indulge the senses
“Engage your guests’ senses. Fresh flowers on bedside tables and other spaces in your home will make guests feel special and valued. Placing bowls with treats in entertainment areas as well as diffusers and scented candles create a homely atmosphere. Although not a visual element, music can make a big impact. Curate a holiday playlist that feels festive and cheerful.” – Ruelle Pretorius, interior designer at Carné Interiors
Don’t forget the décor
A great way to get your house Christmas-ready is to create a collection or composition of different decorative elements on a table, fireplace or side board. Group colours in a similar colour range and similar genre. What works really well is small decorative trees in different materials such as glass, wood, trees; and add some candles and a reindeer or other Christmas element.” – Claire Robinson, head of trend and design at Woolworths Homeware
Add your Christmas lights
“Some people think you should add Christmas lights before the decorations and some people add them at the end. It’s up to you. Woollies has a large range of string lighting that is all battery-operated, which helps to keep the festive lights on when power-outs dampen our Christmas cheer.” – Claire Robinson, head of trend and design at Woolworths Homeware
Mugs of coffee
“Wake the family and guests up this festive season with freshly brewed coffee. You cannot beat the Smeg Bean-to-cup automatic coffee machine. It is compact, easy to use, and the end result is a smooth, wonderful cup of your favourite beverage. From the freshly ground beans, you can source different beverages according to your taste – including Americano, espresso, ristretto and black. It comes with a milk frother and a steaming function so is also ideal for cappuccinos, lattes and flat whites. A huge plus is that, with its removable parts, it is very easy to maintain and clean.” – Margaret Hirsch, executive director of Hirsch’s Homestores
Add delicious aromas
“Make your home scent-sational this festive season with all your favourite holiday scents that smell like Christmas. Whether you prefer the fresh woody notes of pine needles and fir trees, cedarwood, winter spice, cinnamon or citrus, festive fragrances hit a sweet spot for the majority of us. Decorating with layers of holiday scents can conjure warmth, comfort, and Christmas cheer. Luxury candles in stylish vessels make for the perfect festive gift or simply bring a sparkle to your tabletop.” – Leanne Van Niekerk, designer and owner of LVN interiors
A warm welcome
“Decorate your front entrance and bring some extra holiday cheer to you, your guests, and those lucky ones going past by hanging a Christmas wreath on your front door. Whatever your preference or style – ornaments, rosemary, pine cones or berries, and everything in between – wreaths are beautifully versatile with many options to bring the warmth of holidays outside. To keep the look classic, play with shades of red, white and green and add hints of gold for a truly traditional feel.” – Leanne Van Niekerk, designer and owner of LVN interiors
Multifunctional spaces
“With entertainment high on the agenda during the festive season, family living spaces work overtime to accommodate the varying needs of family, friends and colleagues. Ensure spaces are versatile and multifunctional, make the most of ventilation and shade, and maximise natural lighting with big, open windows, whites and reflective surfaces.” – The Olala Interiors Team
Bring the outdoors in!
“Blur the boundaries between the two with wild and large-scale indoor plants, floor-to-ceiling sliding glass doors that blend interior and exterior spaces, and consider extending your interior design, such as with a fabulously elegant wall treatment, through to the exterior patio/veranda/entertainment area. This will further enhance the merge of the interior and exterior.” – The Olala Interiors Team
Be ready for holiday sleep-overs
“As the holidays approach, consider installing a space-saving daybed in a spare room or liminal space. These space-saving sleep stations are more stylish and comfortable than ever and are a great solution for accommodating unexpected or occasional visitors over the holidays. Daybeds instantly turn a spare room or home office into a convenient bedroom for visiting guests at any time of the year.” – Cheryl Du Preez, visual merchandising coordinator at Cielo
Add portable accent tables and ottomans
“At this time of year, food and drinks are a big part of the holiday festivities. Small, portable accent tables and ottomans will come in handy for serving drinks and appetizers while providing a surface for accent lamps, candles and decorations. Leather poufs, ottomans and coffee tables can double up for seating and serving.” – Cheryl Du Preez, visual merchandising coordinator at Cielo
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