With the uncertainty that is so rife at the moment and everything that is going on around us, being optimistic is so important. And as uncomfortable as it may feel to many, pushing ourselves to be hopeful about the future while this pandemic continues may be a crucial way for us to maintain some semblance of mental well-being.
During these unpredictable times I believe it is even more important than before to make our homes a sanctuary to the best of our abilities. Our homes should be an anchor, a port in a storm, a refuge, a happy place to dwell and a place where we are loved and where we can love.
As an enthusiastic homemaker I wanted to create an extra special, festive atmosphere at home this December. And I decided to do just that with the words Golden Optimism as the overall theme. I went all out and couldn’t be happier with the end result! Here is how I incorporated the theme into our décor for the festive season:
The Front Door
Since we are surrounded by such a beautiful landscape in Stellenbosch I opted for a green, white and brown colour scheme to complement our garden and chose gold as the accent colour for our Christmas decorations.
Metallics have been a popular trend in the design world for a while now, offering a timeless look of sophistication. I love using gold as a top metal for decorating our home in general since it goes so well with the rest of our colour scheme. And if done right I believe this majestic hue is sure to coordinate effortlessly with most classic colour pairs.
I also added wreaths to our front door which sets the tone for the festive feeling that awaits inside. Flowers in the Foyer created these for me and added gold ornaments to complement the black, white and greenery outside.
The Foyer
The entrance of a home is the very first thing anyone sees when they visit you, which is why it’s so important that it reflects your style and feels welcoming. To carry through our Christmas theme I added these naturally dried golden artichokes paired with ferns that greet our guests when they reach our home’s entrance. Optimistic and positive, gold adds richness and warmth to everything with which it is associated and illuminates/enhances whatever is around it.
The Fireplace
To tie in the colour scheme and spread the festive feeling throughout the house, we adorned our fireplace area in the living room with this quality garland complete with subtle golden accents, specially customized by Flowers in the Foyer. I know that fireplace garlands are associated with a winter Christmas but I like doing things a bit different and think this is something we will continue with when it comes to our seasonal decor changes going forward. It creates the loveliest feeling and simply looks wonderful!
The Fragrance
As you know, I love a good home fragrance. So, to enhance the overall Christmas theme I’ve opted for Trudon’s Josephine Floral Garden candle – it’s the perfect summer scent to bring that garden feeling indoors. It encapsulates the beautiful scents of roses, jasmine, camellias and irises to create a dazzling garden-inspired fragrance inside the home and boy it doesn’t disappoint!
The Final Touches
For the final touches I added smaller flower arrangements with the naturally dried golden artichokes throughout the house and for our Christmas tree I popped a beautiful white velvet ribbon at the top and used a few glass baubles to glam it up! Et Voilà!
Head over to @TheStellenboschMom on Instagram for more lovely images.
Happy holidays!
