Our modern Christmas decor ideas are here to inspire you to add a dose of contemporary Christmas magic to your home this season.
Christmas decor seems to get bigger, better and undeniably more unique with each passing year, with many of us adopting more modern festive decorating ideas that reflect our personality and coordinate beautifully with our existing interior scheme.
Modern Christmas decor doesn’t necessarily mean replacing classic Christmas colors with bright neon lights, or traditional decorations with new designs, it can be as simple as adding a more subtle, personal touch to a much-loved Christmas tradition, making it feel more in keeping with your personality and the style of your home. .
7 modern Christmas decor ideas for spaces of all ages and styles
“Successfully creating a modern look for Christmas decor is all about going beyond the traditional with a twist. “A new twist, a delightful surprise, and even something playful while keeping it calm and simple with other elements of the overall look,” says luxury floral designer, Margot St. Ledger. .
For some beautiful inspiration, we’ve rounded up our favorite ideas for modern Christmas decor and asked a group of design and Christmas experts to share their best tips for embracing a more modern Christmas scheme.
Margo St. Ledger is a luxury floral designer based in Philadelphia. Before establishing herself as a freelance designer, Margot was mentored by award-winning floral designers to the stars in Beverly Hills and has had the honor of designing special displays for brands including Tiffany & Co, Zegna and Bulgari.
1. Choose a simpler look
(Image credit: Classes Lounge)
An easy way to embrace modern Christmas decor is to choose to dress your home for the holidays in a more simple, relaxed style.
Stop decorating your entire home and enhance a few key spaces with decor, like the front door and living room, instead, or opt for a more subtle, Scandinavian-inspired scheme, which is beautifully showcased for the Christmas table decor ideas above by Layered Lounge.
When embracing minimalist Christmas decor, decorating using neutrals and earth tones often works well, as well as taking a more eclectic approach to decorating your home with ornaments and decorations – as the old saying goes, sometimes less is more.
2. Prioritize sustainable designs
(Image credit: Sarah Kay)
In recent years, many of us have been swapping extravagant Christmas displays for a more sustainable and simple approach to help do our bit for the environment and reduce waste.
From embracing DIY Christmas decor, like beautiful paper chains and homemade tree ornaments, like beautiful bows for Christmas tree ribbon ideas, to foraging for Christmas leaves and flowers to create beautiful Christmas wreaths, using what you already have in your home is in Heart modern and sustainable Christmas decor.
“There are so many ways to decorate sustainably and affordably over Christmas,” says Harriet Pringle, founder of second-hand homewares and interiors market NARCHI. “It’s a misconception that you need to buy festive items specifically for decoration. Instead, incorporate pieces into your Christmas scheme.” You can use them all year round and simply add festive touches. For example, use candles as they create a wonderful atmosphere and a beautiful glow. Brass or gold candlesticks always look great at this time of year, and you can find stunning antique candlesticks and candlesticks at really affordable prices. Also Fresh pine, clementine, pomegranate, and fig leaves work well as table or mantelpiece decor. Additionally, they can be eaten or composted after use.
Harriet is the founder Narshia social marketplace for used homewares and interiors.
3. Embrace a contemporary color scheme
(Image credit: Future)
“The easiest way to achieve a modern Christmas design is to choose a modern color palette. Instead of using traditional red, green and gold, try decorating your home in non-traditional colors. Bright yellows and pinks are a great choice for a modern scheme; says Emily Piepenbrink of Made Merry: “Create a lively and elegant look.”
‘When in doubt, add a little black. Black has come into its own as the color of Christmas. Adding black to your holiday decor instantly updates your look and adds great visual depth. To avoid going for a moody Christmas look, balance black with metallics, white or bright colours.
Since 2023 has been the year of dopamine and barbicore decor, why not celebrate these colorful interior design trends with your own festive decorating? They will be sure to create a sense of sophistication in your home during the cold and dark days of winter.
Of course, many of us will already have homes decorated with colours, so simply coordinate with your existing room color ideas and choose festive decor that complements them.
Emily Piepenbrink is the founder of Made Merry, a boutique that specializes in creating and selling all things Christmas decor. In addition to running her business, she works with interior designers to decorate clients’ homes for Christmas, and has had her work published in multiple magazines.
4. Decorate your home with more unique decorations
(Image credit: Lulu and Georgia)
From uniquely creative ornaments for your Christmas tree ideas, we love Anthropologie’s picks, to more subtle and elegant pieces, like these beautiful candles, candle holders and tree ornaments from Lulu and Georgia, there are no rules when it comes to Christmas decor, just decorate your space. Welcome to designs that bring you happiness and reflect your style.
5. Choose an alternative Christmas tree
(Image credit: John Day Photography)
The beauty of a traditional Christmas tree, whether real or fake, is non-negotiable for many when it comes to festive decor, but for the more adventurous, there are a whole host of alternative Christmas tree ideas to explore that can create a more modern look. .
From standout displays of festive flowers and foliage, we adore the sculptural statement created by the berries and branches vase in this living room, to trees made of paper, wood, metal and ornaments, rethink your festive focal point with a contemporary alternative.
6. Add a contemporary touch to flowers and foliage
(Image credit: Robert and Courtney Novogratz)
“For modern Christmas decor, rethink your Christmas wreath ideas,” say interior designers, Robert and Courtney Novogratz. “Instead of just one wreath for Christmas door ideas, you can use multiple wreaths as decor inside your home and create a unique gallery wall – Or make a stunning statement with an oversized wreath design.
From oversized wreaths used to decorate Christmas windows, shown above at the Novogratz family home, to wreaths used to decorate your Christmas table, remember that wreaths aren’t just for outdoor Christmas decor ideas.
This year, Anthropologie Christmas wreaths are on their A-game, and this wreath is absolutely timeless. Faux pine adds a homey feel offset by bursts of color from the red berries.
Red leaf christmas wreath
Add a beautiful touch of the season to your interior space with this Christmas leaf wreath. This unlit artificial wreath is covered in red leaves and winter berries to add a colorful, natural touch to your holiday decor.
With various textures and colors, this faux maple and pine wreath is an upscale twist on classic holiday essentials. Made with high quality faux foliage and flowers, we love the pretty pink accents.
7. Embrace decorations in more unique places
(Image credit: Classes Lounge)
From Christmas living room ideas to Christmas porch ideas, there are many areas inside and outside the home that are traditionally decorated for Christmas, so for a more modern feel, bring beautiful decorations to the most unexpected places in your home.
From the bathroom – it can be as easy as decorating the space with a festive candle, like this Nordic wood design from The White Company, to placing mini Christmas trees in home offices and bedrooms, there’s nothing stopping you from getting creative with Christmas decor around the house .
This kitchen from Layered Lounge features its own Christmas tree and wreath — perfect for those who plan to do a lot of entertaining and festive eating.
common questions
What’s the trend in Christmas decorating in 2023?
As well as many of us embracing more modern Christmas decorating ideas, there has been a huge rise in paying homage to traditional and retro Christmas schemes as well.
From rustic Christmas decor that celebrates the beauty of nature with plenty of natural, festive accents and primary color schemes, creating a wonderful indoor-outdoor feel, to vintage decorations like paper chains, bows and handmade ornaments, it’s a beautiful mix of old and new. New will always create an eclectic and eye-catching space.
So, no matter your style or Christmas scheme, there’s something for everyone in 2023 Christmas trends.
For more Christmas design inspiration from knowledgeable experts, we explore Christmas decor trends, as chosen by interior designers in our dedicated feature.