30 Can't-Miss Maximalist Holiday Decorating Ideas From Designers

Max out your Christmas with these tips for more-is-more holiday decor from budget-friendly to luxe.

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December 02, 2020

By: Lauren Oster

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Photo By: Shining Light Photography

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Photo By: Balsam Hill

Photo By: Marcella Landreth

Let There Be (Lots and Lots of) Lights

Given that holiday "gatherings" look very different this year, it’s tempting to throw in the (reindeer-printed) towel on decorating for the season. Frontgate Brand Manager Kate Beebe — whose love of Christmas decor runs so deep that she decked the halls in her Cincinnati loft back in August this year — couldn’t disagree more.

“I’d say this year is the year — of all years — to decorate,” she says. “We all need a little joy right now. I can’t tell you how happy it’s made me to look at my tree when I wake up in the morning. There’s a reason I put it up in August this year!”

Learn More : Top Designers Share What's Trending in Holiday Decor This Year

Make It Personal (and Make It Yourself)

The one-of-a-kind rainbow wreath adorning Kate’s bar happens to be very on-trend, but it has very particular meaning for her. “I made it!” she exclaims. “I inherited a lot of antique costume jewelry and baubles from my Nonnie, and couldn’t quite find the right thing to do with all of it. I was inspired by Parker Kennedy Living’s custom wreaths, and decided to make my own, while incorporating all her jewelry. That way, I could enjoy the beauty of her treasures always — instead of having them tucked away in boxes.“

Broadcast Cheer

If Kate’s symmetrical, glitzy-garlanded display of antique plates strikes you as the sort of arrangement that would look lovely in the background of a video chat, you’re not wrong. “While not a soul has stepped through my apartment door since February, my space has been loved and enjoyed by all my friends and family via Instagram posts and virtual happy hours,” Kate says. “Joy is not cancelled. We just need to accept the challenge to find different ways to spread it.”

Don’t Be Shy — Customize

Decorating with a lot of things doesn’t mean settling for any old thing. Kate’s flamingo-focused tropical holiday aesthetic calls for some very specific touches, like the accent pillow on her sofa that features three Santa-clad birds. It suits her space perfectly because, well, she commissioned it. “A majority of my pillows are from Henry Dry Goods — an artisan-owned business, specializing in custom textile goods,” she says. “I approached the owner, Sherri, about my love of flamingos, and she understood what I wanted/needed instantly.”

Celebrate Every Day

Kate does have a small basement storage space for major items like her tree and ornaments, but much of what you see here will be here in January and beyond. “Holiday decor should be celebrated all the time! The tinsel, the pompoms, the ribbon — they’re my everyday. They never get packed away.” That works the other way around, too: “I don’t store items as soon as the Christmas decor comes out,” she says. “Instead, I look for new ways to layer. I love a good challenge.”

Display in Tiers

This array of disco balls and gold-rimmed champagne flutes would be festive in any context, but it’s perfectly over-the-top when displayed on a three-level mirrored stand (a perfect candidate, as it happens, for year-round placement in the kitchen).

Keep On Going

Don’t ask Kate how she knows when a look is complete: “It’s never finished! Never for a maximalist! As soon as I find that ‘finishing touch,’ it’s time to switch something out and change it up.” She confesses that by the time HGTV shares her photos, “I will likely have found new pillows for the sofa, or a different garland for the tree.”

Develop Your Hunting Skills

Etsy designer Erika Kikola is a maximalist with a penchant for color and unique vintage wares — but a glimpse of either the gorgeously kaleidoscopic wreaths she creates and sells or the elegant riot of holiday hues in her Pennsylvania home would tell you that. “I hunt for vintage ornaments year round,” she explains. "My main honey hole is Facebook Marketplace. I’ve purchased hundreds via contact-free pickup. Pre-2020, I would find them at estate sales and thrift stores, too.”

Get Smart

Going big with holiday decor can be intimidating and expensive — but, as Erika explains, it doesn’t have to be that way. “Purchase a cheap Christmas tree: as long as you fluff it out correctly, you really cannot tell once it’s decorated. This is actually the first year that I purchased a Christmas tree; I used one that I’d gotten for free for several years.”

Personalize Your Pieces

While Erika’s ornament wreaths call for a pro’s touch, a handsome pair like these is a beginner’s dream DIY. “I make the most of my decor: dried orange slices are gorgeous and you can personalize any wreath or garland with them.” Once you’ve branched out a bit, get even more creative. “Don’t be afraid to mix decor styles,” she says. “I have a mix of kitschy vintage Christmas [items], dried flowers and greenery and DIY tassels throughout my home.”

You Do You

“I like to have a visual balance and I want my statement pieces to make the most impact,” Erika says. “However, if you are someone who loves to fill every nook and cranny, then by all means go for it. Do what feels good and what makes you happy — that’s the point!”

Channel the Greats

Silent film star Harold Lloyd was known for both his comedy chops and wiring together multiple trees to create gargantuan Christmas displays that he’d leave up all year long. Erika used him as visual inspiration for her exquisite main tree this year — and she cultivates a bit of his spirit, too. “I cannot think of any year that humanity could collectively use a bit more magic than 2020,” she says. “If decorating for the holidays evokes joy and happiness, then do it for yourself. I most certainly do.”

Begin With the Tree

If you’re developing a maximalist look for the first time, “Keep a broad theme in mind without going over-the-top theme-y,” says Veronica Solomon, a Houston designer who creates maximalist looks for her clients all year long. Spread the colors from the tree around the rest of the room to unify the decorations.” (If baby blue happens to be your base hue of choice, Treetopia’s got you covered.)

Aim Low

Don’t forget to stuff the space beneath the tree with eye candy. Don’t worry about using actual gifts in spaces like these — just grab a roll of paper and get busy with boxes you’ve got on hand. For a touch of Veronica’s style, “wrap the gifts under the tree in fun colors, with luscious bows in gold and animal prints. The tree skirt is a great way to bring in a fun color as well, like a fresh green or teal or even a texture like fur.”

Go Tone-on-Tone

This high-concept, monochromatic room puts a sophisticated and eclectic spin on traditional winter hues. There’s a lot going on here, but because the palette is tightly controlled, the overall effect is opulent rather than overwhelming. “The tree is one focused area to go bold, whimsical and unique,” Veronica says.

Share the Table

Draw inspiration from a filled-to-the-brim tablescape like this one (at Atlanta’s Home for the Holidays Designer Showhouse) and go all in on place settings — both in person and virtually. “There are so many ways to share your beautiful decor,” Veronica says. “Even if you won’t have a family over, take to social media or even video chat and make decorating a family event just like it always was. Do it for you and your immediate family as well. This time more than ever we should bring out our holiday spirits and have fun together.”

Get Formal

As this intricate table setting from Atlanta's Home for the Holidays Designer Showhouse demonstrates, it’s possible to get fancy at any (and every) table. Dallas event planner Erica J. wouldn’t have it any other way: “I was raised on the principle that ‘The Party Is Here At Home First’! So many memories can be created at your own dining table. When [diners] arrive at your table and see that they have their own place setting with a seating card with their name on it in calligraphy, a personalized menu, a personalized napkin and different plates and flatware for different courses, it’s exciting!”

Cultivate a Collection...

A decor blogger and maximalist extraordinaire, Ariel of PMQ for two shares vignettes from her home in New Brunswick, Canada, that could function as a more-is-more mood board. Her fantastic array of vintage ceramic trees didn’t happen all at once: “They’re hard to come by, and I refused to pay a lot for them, so I’m adding to [my collection] slowly,” she says. “I’ve seen lots of newer versions, but I like the idea of acquiring one that’s seen many Christmases and has some character, so I’m often trolling the classifieds for them.”

...Or Several Collections

Ariel’s array of nutcrackers is growing slowly as well. “I started collecting them, one for each year that my husband and I have been married, in our first year together. Technically I bought two in one go from The Bay (because they had a heritage collection, so I got the fur trader and the beaver), but I’ve added one each year since. I don’t know if I’ll want a collection of 30-plus, but I may eventually start swapping out the generic ones for more special ones.”

Mind the Gaps

Ariel creates a cohesive look in spaces like this reading nook by sprinkling smaller seasonal objects in among other accessories. “In spaces where there’s already a significant amount of decor (books, tchotchkes, etc.), I try to make my decor additions festive and timely, but less central,” she says. “Think: ornaments, candy canes and bows, instead of full-blown villages.”

Mix in Perennial Patterns

These pillows and table linens aren’t holiday-specific, but the tablescape they anchor is utterly Christmas-ready. To create the look, “I knew I wanted a rich deep purple to anchor the reds and pinks of the season,” Ariel says, “so I started there and just mixed and matched until it felt right. I get asked about pattern mixing a lot, and it comes down to scale and diversity of print.” The bottle brush trees and reindeer figurines are just enough to complete the seasonal display.

Embrace Après-Ski Chic

As glamorous sub-themes go, it’s hard to outshine a bar that reflects the decadence of old-school winter cocktail parties at ritzy lodges. Aside from the actual skis propped beside the desk, the heavy hitter in this design is also the simplest: create an impossibly cute miniature-ski-equipment garland with Ariel’s tutorial.

Know When to Say When

“I love a maximalist and collected look, but that can’t get in the way of the utility of a space,” Ariel says. “So technically, a space is done when I can’t use the counters anymore! But really, I don’t want so much stuff that I feel like I’m drowning.” She’s also practical about the pieces she chooses. “Fun fact: those are all faux poinsettias! I didn’t want to deal with caring for real ones.”

Mix It Up

Master thrifter Lilly Ortiz celebrates the holidays in her Orlando home by putting a new spin on old favorites each year. “I always try to use what I already have in my Christmas bins and reinvent the decorations with new DIYs using pieces that I already have in my everyday decor,” she says. “For example, the ornament garland is a new decor item made from vintage ornaments I’ve been collecting for years.”

Create Classics

If you aim to go all out on decor, Lilly advises beginning with what you’ve already got — “those meaningful and vintage pieces that are full of charm and magic.” Don’t have a cache or heirlooms on hand? “Make new pieces extra special by making them your own: rethink their intended use.” (Case in point: the fabulous bowl of ornaments on her coffee table.) Secondhand finds are Lilly’s specialty, but she supplements her treasures with velvet ribbon and novelties from craft stores.

Get Crafty

Lilly wasn’t kidding about those DIYs: look closely at her kitchen supplies and consider how deftly she’s mixed vintage kitsch with contemporary decorations, then pulled everything together with liberal applications of tinsel and pompoms. “This year will be extra special in my home, as we will concentrate on being with one another, and cherish life in the comfort and security of our own space,” she says.

Color Outside the Lines

Golden twinkle lights are unquestionably delightful, but 2020 could be the year you give the local holiday parade a run for its money. “Stepping out of the box with color is becoming more popular,” notes holiday design expert Brad Schmidt. “Adding bright or neon-colored lights sets the mood for the room. LED lights with timers that slowly change color are a great addition to trees and garlands.” Find your own light show among Balsam Hill’s pro-level offerings.

Start With the Basics

Marcella Landreth has been a go-to holiday decor whiz in Bloomington, Indiana, for years (she’s already taken reservations for next Christmas), but she still doesn’t know just what she’s going to do in a space until she actually gets started. “Start with the tree, and it doesn’t matter how big it is! Add lots of lights to have that magic twinkle, and ribbon makes a tree, in my opinion — and it’s not so expensive.”

Let It Snow

Marcella recommends creating a winter wonderland by making liberal use of pillowy (and infinitely reusable) artificial snow both between boughs and as an ethereal, underlit carpet. Tailor additional elements of seasonal decor to elements that are already in your space: “With my daughter’s home, I started with a picture on the wall behind the tree and drew colors from there,” she explains.

Make Your Own Magic

The temptation to scale down or forgo Christmas decorations when visitors won’t be able to enjoy them is certainly understandable, but it’s worth reconsidering.

Though Marcella now decorates for the holidays in others’ homes, “I’ve always done it for me because I love it — it puts you in a magical space,” she says. I think it’s important to do it for yourself. It warms your heart and it gives you hope.”