Originally posted on REALSIMPLE
Make your season bright with fun, modern decorations. Here are four ideas for updated plastic décor to let your holiday style sing.
It’s wonderful to honor your family’s long-standing holiday traditions, but it’s also important to decorate in a way that feels true to your own style. One of the simplest, most cost-effective ways to modernize your holiday home is to load up on both clear and brightly colored plastic items. Here, we show you how to use them to create an overall look that’s fun and photogenic. So you can capture the memories with a bright, pretty picture that you can frame and admire all year long.
Instead of… expected centerpieces
Try…twinkle lights in clear plastic bowls
There’s nothing wrong with flowers in a vase. But this trick achieves a more festive look. You might already have clear plastic bowls around the house; if not, they are inexpensive and easy to find. Place them along the holiday dinner table and mantel, and fill each one with a strand of battery-operated LED twinkle lights. The effect mimics a perfectly lit restaurant: romantic and flattering. You can add a few Christmas ornaments to the bowl as well.
Instead of… breakable china
Try… pretty melamine plates
Your antique or wedding china will never go out of style. And yet, there are years when you’d rather not trot it out. Maybe you have kids around (whose slippery little hands you would never trust with Grandma’s plates). Or perhaps you want to go for a more modern holiday tablescape this year. Melamine plastic plates are basically unbreakable and come in all kinds of beautiful colors and patterns. Bonus: They’ll double as sturdy outdoor plates come summertime.
Instead of… ugly folding chairs
Try… lucite chairs
You love hosting the entire family for the holidays, and more is definitely merrier. Buy or borrow a basic folding table to extend your dining room table, and it’s easy enough to cover it with a beautiful tablecloth. Scuffed folding chairs, however, are harder to mask. Seek out folding lucite plastic chairs, which will add a sleek, pretty look to your holiday table—and provide extra seating and style all year round.
Instead of… generic ornaments
Try… acrylic ornaments
The most prized Christmas ornaments have a story—painted by a niece, gifted by a godfather. Instead of supplementing those with the standard bulbs, go for a more modern look by stocking up on acrylic ornaments in jewel tones or clear plastic balls that you can actually fill with family mementos. Bonus: You don’t have to worry about them falling from the tree and breaking.
