Bright ideas for giving your home festive flair

TINSEL, baubles and LED lights, it’s the time of year to dust off the Christmas tree and haul out the decorations. Here are some fresh ideas to spruce up your decor.

Interior designer Noelle Ngobeni suggests keeping decor simple and tasteful. “You can create a magical space by sticking to festive colours and the latest Christmas decor and trends,” she said.

“Green, red and gold are the most popular. If you want to only use one colour, red is enough to make a statement,” she added.

Ngobeni is the chief executive designer at Quatre Saisons interior design and furniture. “By creating a relaxing design for your home this festive season, you can provide the ambience of purity and balance.”

In light of global warming, Ngobeni said sustainability was important. So use local plants for Christmas staples such as locally grown Cape or African holly or waterboom, acorns, pine or cedar branches and fir mistletoes which tie into a Christmas theme.

“This can especially be used at your doorway to make the front of your home welcoming.”

A Christmas wreath is non-negotiable, Ngobeni said.

“Make your own, using floral wire, tape pins and craft glue to attach decor items. To keep it in place, use a fishing line for a no-show look,” she said.

“Your creation can be hung on the front door, foyer, above a bed and as part of a gallery wall or in the window frame,” she continued.

Switch things up, Ngobeni said, don’t be afraid of colours.

“Think pink, blue, green or yellow – whatever puts a smile on your face. To avoid a circus, pick your colours before decorating,” she said.

“For instance, rich jewel tones of jade, amethyst and ruby make an opulent combination while pastels like duck egg, cotton candy and soft yellow create a youthful and soft look,” she added.

And for the star attraction, the Christmas tree, Ngobeni said fewer decorations could be more impactful than extravagant ones.

“Whichever style you prefer, modern Christmas tree ideas paired with perfect placement and décor tricks will certainly result in a pretty design,” she said.

“Drape lights over the tree first, then push them in slightly. Cluster different-sized tree ornaments and space them equally from other clusters. Layer ribbons and drape them around the Christmas tree. Finish the look with a tree skirt or place the tree in a basket or pot to hide its trunk.”

Bishop Tarambawamwe is the owner and director of Master Wire & Bead Craft, a stall set up in the Watershed at the V&A Waterfront.

Tarambawamwe has created festive decorations for the mall and creates designs he sells from his stall.

A typical design can be created in a day, but bigger and more detailed designs can take up to a month.

Tarambawamwe said he believed what set his brand apart was that many of his designs are functional.

“We have beaded mirrors and beaded bowls that can be used for fruit, your keys or any accessories,” he said.

“While many beaded designs are ornamental, we offer functional designs too.”

For the festive season, Master Wire & Bead Craft sells beaded bouquets in a beaded vase, various animals and custom-made items from wire and beads.

Ashanti Design has put a contemporary twist on its traditional craft creations. The Cape Town-based company has a strict made-to-order policy, as all of its items are hand-made and can be adjusted to each person’s taste and requirements.

The local brand has had the opportunity to form part of the festive decorations at the V&A Waterfront.

The brand, which has been around since 2001, uses various techniques for its Christmas decorations, including weaving techniques using beads and lampshade screens.

Ashanti Design manager and product developer Lizanne Burger said they used up-cycled materials.

“We use the waste from clothing manufacturing in Africa, using the offcuts,” she said.

Burger said an item could take anywhere from a day to a day-and-a-half to create, and the entire installation took about a month to piece together.

“We use 18 weavers and two welders for an installation which took four weeks from start to finish.”

Sales and marketing manager at Ashanti Design, Abigail Snyman, said they wanted to show the world that South Africa does not need to import its designs, and they could be made here.