Tuesday, December 6th, 2016
As cliché as it may sound, Christmas is literally just around the corner and it’s that time of the year to clean up and prepare the different rooms and areas in your home. You have to know how to divide the tasks among the family members and to make it a fun project rather than a dull one.
Prepare the Guest Room
Christmas also means hosting parties. This means welcoming guests to your home so you also have to prepare the guest bedrooms. Even when you’re not expecting guests, it is best to always expect the unexpected during the holidays. It is common for relatives or friends to suddenly show up so they could celebrate the festive season with you. It may also become impossible to drive home every single guest who will go to your place so, at times, it becomes necessary for some people to spend the night with you. This, all the more, makes guest bedroom prepping a must.
It is also imperative to change the sheets to make sure that the beds smell fresh and clean. Use a gentle detergent in washing duvet covers and sheets. Wash them separately from your other pieces of clothing; this is to avoid having small items caught among the sheets.
Another step in preparing the guest room is to vacuum and polish. This becomes doubly important if the guest room is not used most times of the year. Rooms that are unoccupied for longer periods tend to gather dust so be sure to check them and clean up.
Put a potted houseplant in the room to increase the level of serenity inside that room.
Make space also for a wardrobe, a drawer or two, and a nightstand where the guest can place his keys, coins or some reading materials. Be sure to check the wardrobes as these become the home for mold when moisture somehow seeps in.
Learn to Prioritize
The perfect time to clean up is not hours before your guests arrive. Clean up the guest room drawers, linen closets, the dining room and the den days before the guests are expected to arrive. Remove any unnecessary items from coffee tables, countertops, ottomans, and other furniture. Should you run out of time, just bag the unwanted items and store them temporarily in the basement or in the attic.
The time to sort and arrange is when your guests say their farewells.
Consider Safety
An important part of preparing your home for your holiday guests is to invest in ample lighting. Exterior lighting should be working just as well as the interior lights. If you can, add motion-activated lights in bathrooms, hallways and bedrooms to ensure a zero accident holiday.
Prepare your home further by child proofing it. You might not have kids at home but your guests might bring theirs with them. Ask the parents to bring cabinet locks and baby gates if you’re not willing to invest in these items. Put all medicines and toxic cleaners inside cabinets. Be sure to hide lighters and matches.
Freshen also the smoke detector batteries. Run a fire drill when your guests arrive so that they know where to exit should fire ensue.
Prepare the Kitchen
The kitchen is going to be a busy room this season so increase the storage and place a pot rack where hot, cooked foods can be placed before being brought to the dining room. Move the coffeemaker to the family room in order to avoid guests crowding the kitchen.
Place extra chairs and stools for people who love to chat even while you’re cooking.
Other Upgrades
Apart from these preparations, you can also upgrade the foyer by repainting old doors. Polish metal door hardware and hinges. Erase the scratches on stairs, hardwood floors and wood railings. Have a welcome rug placed at your home entrance. Lastly, add a storage bench where the guests can place their shoes and boots.
Tags: Christmas interior design, McCreerys, McCreerys Home Furnishings, preparing for winter, winter decor, winter decoration
Posted in Home Maintenance, Interior Design 101, Special Rooms In Your Home | No Comments »
Tuesday, November 29th, 2016
The Christmas season is just around the corner so it’s no surprise that fairy lights and trees evoke warm, fuzzy feelings once again. As early as now, decide on the theme that you would like to have for your home. You can go traditional with the red and white decorative theme or you can go distinctive and allow your home to stand out.
Everyone loves to bring out the decorative items for Christmas so why not ask the help of your family in setting up your home? Get ready with your wreaths and garlands, prep the mantel and the front door, clean the mailbox, prepare the card holders, ribbons and Christmas balls. It’s surely that wonderful time of the year once more.
So, go ahead, grab a mug of hot chocolate and start being inspired by these decorating ideas for Christmas –
Lustrous Table Toppers
Decorating your home for the holidays needn’t be stressful, what it should be is beautiful. Why not give your holiday table a little glimmer by buying metallic toppers or table runners? The more colorful and shimmery, the better.
Christmas Card Spectacular
Create a Christmas display by using wintry branches. On their own, they are actually beautiful but when you arrange them in a vessel or large vase, they become even more charming and festive. Scour through the Christmas cards that your loved ones gave you and find the ones that you will use as display during this merry season.
Let the Garden Inspire
Display ornaments right under the garden cloche. Find a bell-shaped glass cover which will serve as the mini greenhouse for the outdoor plants. These can be bought in many garden supply shops. You can also fill these with sparkling trimmings which can add radiance atop the dining table.
To fill, have the cloche turned upside down then balance then balance in a teacup. Put in the ornaments, invert the plate right on the open end. Turn the cloche carefully with the plate, right side up, then display.
Christmas and Mistletoes
What is Christmas without the traditional mistletoe? This is referred to as the kissing ball and it should be one of your decorative items this season. These will encourage your visitors to show a bit of love.
You can also turn the walkway to your home into a winter wonderland by lining up embellished urns that overflow with greenery and Christmas ornaments.
Pinecone Still Life
Another simple arrangement that you can use is to fill your home with the aroma of having that walk in the woods. Find a branch with unique, sculptural lines, fresh needles then find some pinecones which you can use as frog to keep the branch from tipping over.
Woody plants look good as ornaments just make sure to cut the end parts which will be dipped with pruning shears. This should allow the water to seep through more easily. Find a wide-mouthed glass vase to show the pinecones inside, fill it up with water then put the branch right among the cones.
Some Wreath Ideas
Tags: Christmas decor, Christmas interior design, McCreerys, McCreerys Home Furnishings, preparing for winter, winter decor, winter decoration, winter design, winter interior design, winter interiors
Posted in Interior Design 101, Interior Design Themes, Winter Season | No Comments »
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