How to Bring Colour into Your Space for the Holidays

Interior designer Karin Bohn shares her tips for creating a modern, colourful holiday look.

While white on white on white is a timeless holiday look, colour is back in a big way. We’re not talking primary tones of red and green, though: modern holiday colour is all about jewel tones and sophisticated, saturated hues.”Gone are the days of neutral palettes and white Christmases,” says designer Karin Bohn of House of Bohn. “We’re seeing a re-emergence of pattern, texture and bold splashes of colour.” For a recent project with Mosaic, Bohn embraced this luxe look head on with a palette of deep emerald, blue-green blues and dusty rose, layering in some metallics for a hit of glam. Here, the designer shares her tips for bringing this lush look home for the holidays.

Bring on-trend colours into a seasonal setting

>We’ve seen deep greens everywhere in 2018, so don’t hold back come Christmas time. “On the heels of the tropical explosion, rich tones of emerald green have been the colour of the season and so fitting for holiday as well,” says Bohn. Other hot colours (moody blue-green tones, dusty pinks, and Millennial pink) can be celebrated too with key decor pieces. It may be an unconventional palette, but as long is it brings the glamour, you’ll find that festive feel.

Everything in moderation…

“While decorating with colour can go in a multitude of directions, it’s important to choose wisely to create a cohesive palette,” advises Bohn. “Pick two to four hues and repeat these hues throughout your décor so that there’s a sense of rhythm and restraint to your décor theme.”In this project, Bohn chose to focus on the emerald green and dusty rose tones by repeating the tones throughout the table décor, tree ornaments, gift wrap, and even the napkins. “By repeating only a few hues, the deliberate repetition created a finished look that feels polished, sophisticated and a little playful,” she explains.

Don’t forget the texture

The key to creating an interesting décor scheme that has depth with a limited colour palette is to layer: that means incorporating different materials, textures and patterns throughout the space.”The variation in texture creates visual interest and a dynamic layered effect,” says Bohn. This home’s deep blue-greens, for example, are layered in the beautiful greenery, the silk table runner, the glossy dinner plates, the rippled ribbons on the gift wrap and the matte party napkins.

Add a pinch (or two) of sparkle

“What holiday décor scheme wouldn’t be complete without sparkle?” laughs Bohn.”A little sparkle goes a long way in making a holiday statement and ensuring that even the most unexpected colour pallet still feel like Christmas.” Here, she and her team added “a little frosting” throughout in both gold and silver tones: “you’ll find it in the cake toppers, the martini garnish, the disco snowman…” Bohn says. 

Pull it together with gift wrap

While the tree is a key focal point for any Christmas look, what’s under the tree can make just as much of an impact. “When I’m thinking about holiday décor I have to include gift wrap,” says Bohn. “Gift wrap is one of the best ways to pull your scheme together and really show it off.”In this home, Bohn incorporated the dusty rose tones with a rich metallic paper, added texture with rippled emerald green ribbons, and finished in off with pattern. “Gift wrap is such an inexpensive way to ensure that your colour palette is repeated and the options with gift wrap are almost limitless,” she adds.

Invest in pieces you can use year-’round

These blue Cb2 plates work perfectly for a holiday cocktail party, as do the gold candle holders, but these versatile pieces could easily be reused out of season. “By investing on your splurge on items that can be used over and over again, and shopping wisely for items that are very specific and seasonal only, you can feel great about all your holiday purchases this season,” says Bohn. “Even though this look was pulled together for our ‘modern holiday décor’ scheme, I always like to purchase décor items with colours that can be re-used and recycled for different occasions.”

For more inspiring holiday home decor, explore our other holiday features!