Last-minute holiday home decorating ideas

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Top interior designer Rima Martinez, of Rima Martinez Design, offers her expert advice for creating a stylish, festive home this holiday season.

Make an entrance

A welcoming entrance sets the tone. Martinez loves a wreath or garland for the front door, highlighting local favourites like Leis de buds and Nogori Flowers. Add a holiday-themed candle or planter to complete the look, she says.

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Light up the tree

A well-lit tree is essential, and placement is key, says Martinez. Make it visible from the front of the house or as you enter.

“For my own tree I hauled out every single ornament that my family has had since my mom was a child, and I covered our entire tree with them. There is no theme aside from family memories. We buy one or more ornaments every year and it’s wonderful to go through them and see the dates and remember where we were, who we were with and what we were doing. It’s a tradition I have kept all my life,” she says.

Martinez says she’s seen quite a number of vintage-inspired trees this year with loads of colourful mercury glass ornaments.

Put a bow on it

“Bows are huge this year,” says Martinez. She recommends DIY options to keep costs low.

Jewel tones reign supreme

For this holiday season, Martinez sees rich jewel tones — claret, gold, emerald — paired with light taupe and creams.

“We are moving away from grey, finally!”

Rethink the tree

Martinez says she used to be an “only natural tree person,” because she loves the smell and look of a real Christmas tree. But due to recent busy years, she says she’s collected a few fake trees and is now hooked.

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“They are easier to decorate, require no watering or vacuuming, and I don’t have to keep re-buying a tree year after year,” she says.

Go-to suppliers

Martinez says her go-to Christmas decor spots are At Home in North Vancouver, Da Vinci’s in West Vancouver, and HomeSense if she needs a lot of decor quickly.

For trees, she says she loves Balsam Hill.

“They have the best trees in terms of quality and storage for the rest of the year. Simply the best trees, garlands and wreaths you can buy, worth the investment.”

Make it easy

You want your home to be comfortable for all your guests — young, old and four legged. If you have precious items, place them out of reach for the season to avoid accidents.

Keep your guest bathroom clean and tidy with a room diffuser and lots of fresh hand towels and extra tissue. And try to keep a space at your entry for coats and shoes as clear as possible to avoid the inevitable stack of coats, she says.

Keep it simple

Martinez says her biggest hack for holiday entertaining is for party hosts to have the meal catered.

For dinner, she says some personal favourites are Notch8, the Lazy Gourmet, Whole Foods, and a new startup they were “lucky enough” to try earlier this month, Table Friend (@table_friend_) who do full dinners and dessert.
Many people are choosing to go alcohol-free these days, so make sure to include some non-alcoholic beverages, she says.

“Either mix your own or buy some pre-made such as Duchess, which you can get at Everything Wine. And always check with your guests for dietary restrictions so that everyone can be accommodated and feel welcome.”

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