10 Holiday Décor Tips From a Professional Decorator

Start your holiday decorating journey with a color story.

Before you get started, look at your space and see what you’re working with.

For example, my mom and I have noticed that modern mountain hotels often feature a lot of natural woods and have intimate nooks draped with plush fabrics. For these kinds of spaces, we’ll often add champagne tones, copper, and ivory tones to complement the space.

You can find your home’s best complementary colors by using the easiest free tool imaginable: the good old color wheel. To do this, you’ll simply need to figure out your home’s main color, then its complementary color, aka its opposite hue—this principle is why classic Christmas colors like red and green work so well together. If you’re going for a more elevated look, consider using subtler shades of these colors. For example, a deep olive against warm cranberry, or sage green paired with soft gold.

As a rule of thumb, we like to work with four to five colors max: two neutrals, two main tones, and one hero color. The most luxurious décor isn’t complicated. It’s cohesive.

Prep your tree like a professional.

For those who would like a real tree, we recommend Fraser firs. They smell amazing, hold ornaments beautifully with their stiff branches, and their needles are soft to the touch, making them easy to work with (the needles are also smaller than usual, so they won’t clog the vacuum). Fun fact: Frasers are typically the type of tree that the White House uses. 

When you bring your tree home with a fresh cut, get it into water ASAP. It will drink the most water in the first 48 hours. Then, give it plenty of time to warm up and open. If you work with it while it’s cold, you risk snapping the branches.

For an artificial tree, don’t be afraid to fluff it. Truly, we spend as much time fluffing branches as we do decorating them. Open up every single branch and add as much volume to the tree as possible. This will make all the difference when you’re placing ornaments.

Go for a candlelight glow, not stadium lighting.

5,000 Kelvin, pure white Christmas lights are the opposite of festive, in my humble opinion. We exclusively use warm-white LEDs because they give the soft, warm lighting you want during the holidays. Aim for 2,700 Kelvin to create a cozy atmosphere.

Light from the inside out.

Don’t just drape your lights around the outer branches. Start at the bottom of the tree (and keep your lights plugged in so you can see as you go), and wrap every few branches, weaving the lights into the inner and outer parts of the tree to create a layered effect. Keep it loose so the branches can still breathe.

Add a ribbon to anchor the design.

One of our best-kept secrets? Simply adding a ribbon to a tree. A single, continuous ribbon helps guide viewers’ eyes through the entire design, creating an effortlessly professional look. With the ribbon “tying” everything together, the tree feels like a single piece rather than isolated clusters of ornaments. We used this technique at the Grand Hyatt Vail Resort and Spa, and it helped the lobby feel like one big Christmas wonderland.

Don’t hang your ornaments—layer them.

Being strategic with your ornaments is one of the best ways to give your tree a “designer” look. Start with the biggest ornaments first and place them deeper inside the branches to fill natural gaps. Then, build outward with smaller pieces to create texture and depth. Alternate colors and textures, so the eye naturally moves around the tree.

While you’re decorating, take a step back every so often. Look for spots where color or shape feels concentrated, and balance it by placing a similar ornament on an opposite, diagonal side.

Don’t be afraid to mix textures.

The most elegant holiday displays are dimensional. By mixing soft natural elements, like a satin ribbon or a burlap garland, with “harder” materials, like glass and metallic ornaments, you add visual intrigue. This layering of textures can create an interesting depth that you can see in resort lobbies, such as The Ritz-Carlton, Bachelor Gulch.

It’s all about the element of surprise.

Even in the most sophisticated spaces, a hint of something unexpected is often what makes holiday décor unforgettable. Sometimes that means reimagining the classic tree topper by swapping a traditional star for a sculptural cluster of branches. Or maybe it’s an unusual color: think blush pink, emerald, or even a refined leopard print. The goal isn’t whimsy for whimsy’s sake; it’s a thoughtful twist that gives the tree character and a sense of delight.

Automate the holiday glow.

One of the best ways to feel like you’re at a luxury resort? Put your lights on a timer. It’s a secret weapon that every hotel uses. The tree comes on just as dusk settles and turns off automatically by morning. It’s a small touch, but it can help make the entire room feel enchanted with little effort.

Don’t forget the little things.

Our favorite and most memorable décor doesn’t contain the magic in a single corner; it carries it through the entire room. Mantle garland decorated with the same colors as the tree, seasonal floral on the table tops, plus a few well-placed accents can make the entire room feel warm, connected, and truly magical.