Designer Tricks to Decorate For Holidays & Still Look Chic |

(Image credit: izusek/Getty Images)

published 5 December 2023

When it comes to holiday colors, red and green have the market cornered. It's a Christmas tale as old as time, a love story for the ages, one that has informed nearly every piece of festive decor for decades. Of course, other shades and hues — like this year's bright pinks and deep purples — often peek their heads through now and then, adding a surprise third element to an otherwise expected annual pairing. But, for the most part, red and green prevail.

Enter: neutrals, the perfect Christmas decorating solution for the minimalist and bright color-averse. Rather than leaning on the traditional (and at times artificial) holiday tones, why not experiment with a clean, design-minded, but nonetheless festive palette inspired by timeless shades that endure year-round and never go out of style? Of course, you can still work in those reds and greens — but the shades should be a bit different. Deeper, richer, and more organic.

Neutral holiday decor is great because "you won't feel like you have to take it down by January 1st!" designer Dan Mazzarini, creative director at ARCHIVE, tells Livingetc. It can also "make your entire space feel curated with just a few touches. Buffalo plaid can feel jarring in your bedroom, but woven blankets and natural garland are an extension of your everyday decor."

Dan Mazzarini

Designer Dan Mazzarini has over 20 years experience of creating award-wining decor - he is the principle and creative director at BHDM Design. His studio works on projects in California, New York and everywhere in between. He also runs Archive by Dan Mazzarini, a portal for incredible interiors inspiration.

How can I decorate with neutrals while still feeling festive?

We get it — at first blush, neutral holiday decor + peak festivity might feel somewhat mutually exclusive. Of course, that's where you're wrong.

"Think natural and neutral when you shop for your decor," Dan suggests. "Pick out colors you’d see in pine trees, for instance – hints of deep forest green and wood tones rather than some of the brighter, more artificial-leaning options."

And you can even work hints of traditional red into the mix, as well. Just be cognizant of how you're doing so. "Yes to red berries, no to red ribbon," Dan advises.

Otherwise, "warm jewel tones – think merlots and plum – are great to pair with a cozy neutral palette," he adds. "I also love a copper, double-face satin ribbon on wreaths. Still neutral, but festive and sophisticated."

So if you're feeling ready to dive headfirst into the neutral decor, Dan's fabulous advice in mind ... shop our official Livingetc edit from the best home decor stores below, which even includes a few selections endorsed by Dan himself.

The Livingetc edit of neutral holiday decor

40% off

Noelle Floral Wreath

Price: $47.40

This handcrafted iron Christmas wreath features a distressed brass finish that compliments ANY modern holiday motif. This would even work as an accent piece in early fall given the gold tones.

30% off

Decorative Sisal Tree

Price: $14

Charming and festive, this teeny brown tree warms up your mantle with its organic brown color and fulsome brush branches.

DESIGNER PICK

Danna Wood Garland

Price: $78

A wooden Christmas garland adds a rustic and natural edge that matches nearly any color, pattern, or vibe. Dan even highlighted this one from Lulu and Georgia as one of his favorite neutral holiday pieces of the season.

20% off

Faux LED Champagne Pine Christmas Tree

Price: $559.20

While almost explicitly a piece of holiday decor, this champagne-colored faux tree from CB2 keeps with the neutral theme. Golden flocked branches and festive white lights add a luxurious glow.

30% off

Capri Blue Fir & Firewood Reed Diffuser

Price: $30.80

Scent can change the way a room is perceived — it's that important. This Capri Blue reed diffuser will surely leave a lasting impression, but it's the dark green container, festive yet versatile, that steals the show.

Bronze Sculpted Reindeer Candleholder Centerpiece

Price: $99

A fantastical take on a commonly memorialized creature, this striking candleholder plays triple-duty as both a piece of decor, a centerpiece, and a source of light.

Tree Mango Wood Tray

Price: $69

Serve up festive snacks and cocktails for years to come with this versatile tray, crafted from durable mango wood. And though it might be fashioned in the shape of a pine tree, it would still work year-round as part of the serving arsenal at your cabin or lakehouse. Maybe.

DESIGNER PICK

Faux Cypress With Pinecones + Berries Garland

Price: $138

The best part of this faux cypress garland (also selected by Dan) is that it almost looks as though you harvested the whole thing yourself. Adorned with rustic pinecones and bountiful stems of berries, it's the perfect touch of greenery for a neutral holiday scene.

30% off

Premium Flickering Flameless Wax Pillar Candles - Textured Birch

Price: $48 (3"x3.5")

Fear not when "lighting" this flickering flameless candle "fashioned" out of natural birch. For times when you'd like the glow to last well into the night (but not all night, of course), a timer option lets you control the situation even when asleep.

Fresh Evergreen + Dried Citrus Wreath

Price: $128

Branches of fresh Western Noble Fir and Golden Thread Juniper are finished with wheels of dried lime and orange in this fragrant wreath from Anthropologie. Even on the dreariest of winter days, such a beautifully-adorned arrangement should certainly add a little sun.

The Softest Throw Blanket

Price: $49

It's not the holidays without a plush throw, but it isn't winter without one, either. Kill two birds with one stone with the self-proclaimed softest throw blanket, lush enough to curl up with and neutral enough to leave out through the holidays and into January.

Cast Iron Match Striker

Price: $34

It's almost 2023 — treat your match striker like the decor it is! This modern vessel would compliment any and all holiday candles (what doesn't go with black?!), and the brilliant minds at Schoolhouse were quick-thinking enough to include a built-in rim for hot matches to cool before they're discarded.

Love this edit but still not sure where to buy Christmas decorations? The Livingetc team has you covered.

Brigid Kennedy is a freelance writer and former style editor for Livingetc.com, where she scoured the internet for the best and most stylish deals on home decor and more. She also served as the website's in-house sofa expert, completely revamping and reworking Livingetc's expansive sofa buying guide by interviewing a total of 17 interior designers and sofa experts at top brands like Article and Benchmade Modern; sitting on upwards of 50 sofas across both Pittsburgh and New York City; extensively polling her friends and family for their own sofa-buying anecdotes and product recommendations; and traveling to Dallas, Texas, to tour the floor of a couch factory. In total, she estimates she has spent 40+ hours (and counting!) reading, writing, and talking about couches with accredited sofa connoisseurs o then pass that knowledge on to you. She describes her personal design style as colorful and clean, and in her free time enjoys reading, watching movies, and curating impossibly niche playlists on Spotify. She recently relocated from Manhattan to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, where she's decorating and DIYing a new home downtown.