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Guest Post by Lisa Riva of Lisa Riva Art + Interiors.  She is a fabulous interior designer and artist that has done quite a bit of work in my own home.  She has some ideas on how to decorate for the holidays without creating clutter.

If time permits, here are a few steps Lisa takes to keep the decor fresh and simple while creating autumn ambiance.

  • Pack away all the seasonal decor you have out that will conflict with fall colors.  Make sure you group them by season and label the bins
  • Focus on one or two key areas to decorate rather scattering a few things here and there
  • For Thanksgiving, the best places to focus on are the dining room and entryway
  • Gather up your Thanksgiving decor items and see what’s grabbing your attention
  • Donate any pieces you don’t love anymore
  • Consider how you can adapt current decor or other holiday decor to work for Thanksgiving by trying these ideas:
  • Add in a few natural pieces from your yard, an heirloom pumpkin or a new table runner to freshen up what you have as you create a table scape or decorate the buffet
  • Hang your fall wreath and add a new ribbon
  • Add pheasant feathers, seed pods or curly branches to an existing year-round floral display or non season specific garland
  • Scatter beautiful leaves on the buffet
  • Incorporate beautiful serving dishes
  • Change out the flowers in your front porch pots, add fall florals, branches, hurricanes with candles or pumpkins
  • Once you’re created a couple of beautiful groupings, try adding a seasonal candle with a few fall leaves underneath in the powder room
  • After the grand dinner, consider which Thanksgiving pieces might work for Christmas with a little adaptation such as changing up fall garland by replacing featherlisa riva art + interiorss with berry sprigs
  • Pack away the Thanksgiving only items in a labeled bin!

Most importantly, Lisa emphasizes that enjoying the holiday and your  family is more important than perfect decor. If your life only allows for a catered meal and a single pumpkin as a centerpiece, that is wonderful too.  Be grateful for the friends and family that surround you.  You can find Lisa at her Houzz page.