Whether your dream winter aesthetic is a cozy cottage, a snowy chalet or a sleek Scandinavian-style space we all want to find a way to bring that festive feeling into our homes when the weather starts to get colder and the nights longer. But where to start creating this festive atmosphere?
We talked with furniture and interior designer Victoria Maria Geyer to get you the best tips and tricks for perfecting your home decoration just in time for the festive season!
What comes to mind when you think of a festive atmosphere?
The festive period should be different from any ordinary time of year. So, your home and table decoration should feel unique and special. I usually try to decorate my home differently for every celebration during the year. I have these amazing boxes where I keep all of my decorations, which I gather year after year. There’s one for each season: one for winter, which covers Christmas and New Year’s Eve, one for the Easter period, one for summer, and one for fall, and I have a few special pieces for Halloween!
Set your decorations up for success by arranging them on a beautifully designed table!
How do you style your space for the festive season?
I usually start with the dining table. I have a special table centerpiece for every festive event, which stays on the dinner table for the whole season. When we have dinners with friends or special events, I add extra ornaments and details to this unchanging and seasonal core decoration. I like to emphasize the dining table, but I also use flowers to decorate. Having freshly cut seasonal flowers in my home is very important for me. I love that I can change the color palette according to each season.
For the winter season I’m taking more and more joy in decorating the outside of my house, as well as the little garden that we have, with strings of lights and wreaths. As I’m German, Christmas is extremely important. Our Christmas decorations are in place on the first day of advent, at the beginning of December. At my parents house they used to have a an enormous wreath, with four candles and gigantic satin red ribbons. One candle is lit each Sunday leading up to Christmas and I am trying to pass down this cultural tradition to my children.
Draw inspiration from the outside world with our festive plant paintings! We love Christina M Plichta’s bright poinsettias, Emily Ault’s dreamy mistletoe, and Elena Dmitrenko’s sparkling pine trees!
Which room is best to decorate for the holidays?
The dining room! The table setting and centerpiece gives you the opportunity to play around with different ideas and have fun. For example, in the fall, I use lots of small pumpkins, tiny wooden decorations and little nuts. For Christmas, of course, I have these little decorative items in the shapes of dears, bears, and Christmas trees. And I also add plenty of candles and glitter.
Perfect your dining room decoration with our selection of animal and nature themed sculptures.
What are your top 3 considerations when creating a festive atmosphere?
First and foremost, the decoration – the objects and furniture you decide to put in the room are very important. Secondly, the lighting – dimmed lights and a lots of candles creates a cozy atmosphere. Thirdly, flowers, which as I’ve said, I find extremely important. Flowers will always remain an important part of interior decoration. It’s a luxury to have fresh flowers. So, bringing them into your home, especially during the festive season in a way that pays tribute to the time of year really creates a statement.
Make the details designer with our unique and limited edition vases, candle holders and table lamps.
What small touches really add that festive sparkle?
Attention to detail is key. For example, I pay a lot of attention to detail when planning dinner parties. I love to buy these bread rolls with the names of my guests on them (which I get from a little bakery in Paris). It’s these tiny thoughtful details that make the evening feel extra special.
In terms of decoration, my mother gave me little stone animal name card holders which I place around the dining table. This is an important detail because having everything prepared beforehand, even where people are sitting, helps to keep the holiday season stress-free. Don’t forget to pay attention to and beautify every small detail, like using napkins with an interesting design or buying candles in festive colors.
Set the mood with our festive and party-themed paintings!
Which of your design pieces do you think would be a great addition to any space this holiday season?
Any of them, because we create furniture that you’ll want all year round! But for the festive period, an especially good fit would be one of our sofas, because the sofa is a piece for the living room where you sit together with your friends and family during gatherings, reunions, and parties. They help bring people together – which is what we are all hoping for this uncertain festive period.
Why not snuggle up this winter on Victoria Maria Geyer’s cozy couches? For an elegant interior, try the ‘Clarence Sofa’, or for those looking for something more playful, fall in love with the ‘Wenceslas Sofa’!
Any final tips?
Be creative! With a little bit of imagination you can turn anything into festive decoration, even dried fruits and nuts from the supermarket! Don’t be afraid to put some lights outside of your home. I come from a Nordic country where everything is extremely cozy, and so it really gets me into a festive mood to see all the lights twinkling from balconies when strolling through the streets. They just make your heart warm.
Bring that cozy feeling into your home with a winter-scene inspired artwork!
Thank you Victoria Maria for helping us to create a festive atmosphere!
