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It’s that time of year. The string lights threading in every direction, Christmas trees big, small and enormous, Ol’ Saint Nick on every second street corner – it can all start to get overwhelming. And an interior space with a surfeit of wreaths, tinsel and winking lights can also make you feel like there’s a lack of oxygen. Frustration arising from Christmas decor overload is a real issue, and one that’s sadly getting ever more prevalent in developed countries. Is there no escape? Photo printing experts My-Picture.co.uk are exploring the different ways you can get back to the fundamentals of what Christmas is about and achieve more subtle, restrained Christmas decor.

Use Subtle Christmas References

2018 might have seen us wave goodbye to Scandinavian minimalism as the dominant interior design ethos, but that doesn’t mean you need to switch right back to the full-on Griswold Family tradition when decking out your home this season.

“Maximalism and the strict minimalist approach of the last few years are really two sides of the same coin; both judge on quantity, when what counts most is a certain special quality: true Christmas spirit.

A canny approach will mean you needn’t resort to excess. Try filling a couple of Christmas baubles with any loose substance that’s fittingly seasonal – even tea leaves will work a treat – and placing them artfully on a tabletop. Snowy-white wire draped with cardboard cutouts of silver firs or snowflakes will look perfect hanging above your sofa or fringing the window frames. That’s a fair bit of craftwork, you say? Embrace it, because modern Christmas decorating is all about, yup, Doing It Yourself.

DIY

OK, those three ubiquitous little letters can sap a bit of your festive enthusiasm. But a modern Christmas is about rejecting the old consumerist tropes and turning the holiday season into a festival of creativity. Why buy when you can craft something beautiful yourself?

For the last couple of years, the prevalent trend in DIY Christmas decor has been an emphasis on organic materials. Cinnamon sticks, dried-up tangerines, a vaseful of silvery tree branches groaning with home-baked biscuits.

“Yes, at times you might not be able to tell if you’re looking at the Christmas decorations or the refreshments.

But it’s a perfect way to get that authentic, effortlessly calming festive ambience. We’re talking scents, rustic elements and naturally disposable decor – all the hallmarks of the current catalogue look.

Decor With a Point of Focus

Another approach jettisons small details scattered here and there and introduces a striking focal point to your seasonal decor. This is where you might want to try out the magic of personalised canvas prints. This perfect wallet-friendly solution lets you print any Christmas motif you desire.

“A wall decor piece with no visual counterpart anywhere in the world.

Printing your Christmas-themed photo using My-Picture.co.uk gives you a couple more benefits. The manufacturing process involves strictly zero solvents. Your image is reproduced using state-of-the-art printing technology, while the result is stretched over a hand-crafted spruce wood frame. It’s a beautifully crafted decor piece which never loses touch with that essential organic quality.

Keep A Unified Theme

The good old chuck-it-all-up style of Christmas decorating lacks harmony and coherence. Fairy lights of every different hue criss-cross each other, gold faces off with red and green, there’s a riot of colour breaking out everywhere you look. The way to solve this couldn’t be more simple – keep it tight, keep it one colour.

If you go for lights, choose white or a soft yellow. If you go for the organic approach, stick to the branches, rowan bunches, wreaths with a restrained palette.

“Before you know it, conflicting visual patterns build up to something that can only be described as the Christmas decor saturation point.

Few areas of design justify the philosophy of “less is more” more than Christmas decoration. Achieving a style that’s not too brazen but still provides that festive atmosphere is a challenge, but always a rewarding one.

The Triumph of Light Over Dark

Since time immemorial, this time of year has produced a special mood as the days get shorter and we inch towards the romantic gloom of the winter equinox.

“With the nights at their longest, it only makes sense to bring as much light as possible into our living spaces.

Home-made decorative lanterns (regular jam jars will do), pale wooden ornaments, lights enveloped in translucent paper – you can make your home luminous with a few elegantly simple touches. Even if your personality is better expressed by all the colours of the rainbow, for these few weeks hold back – keeping it light and clear will provide the right atmosphere of purity and wonder.

At Christmastime it’s easy to say the words “don’t overdo it”, not so easy to live by them. And that goes for the decor too. The temptation to buy new Christmas lights could strike on any shopping trip. But resisting that urge can pay off big-time!

In order to take your first steps in contemporary Christmas decoration, visit My-Picture.co.uk and create your Christmas canvas print. In case you need any added motivation, you’ll get an 80% discount for your purchase! Because exceptional quality doesn’t have to break the bank. To order your new Christmas canvas print, click here: http://bit.ly/2RCy2tl.