How to Decorate with Garland

Todays post has ideas for how to decorate with garland.

Garland is hands-down my favorite Christmas decor item. I love that it adds instant charm wherever you put it. And it’s really adaptable. Throw it here, throw it there—it works! Don’t worry; I’ll be discussing some of those places in a minute.

I write a lot about garland on this blog. I wrote about the most realistic garlands and how to hang garland. So, it seems fitting that now I talk about where to put this garland!

This post inspires incorporating Christmas garlands into your home.

How to Decorate with Garland

There are the obvious places for hanging garlands, and some are not so obvious, or oh, I didn’t think of that!? Hopefully, you’ll learn something new here. Let’s start with the obvious ones.

Mantel

An obvious one. There are so many ways to drape garland over a mantel. You can take a couple of garlands together to beef up the look and make it look really full and lush. I tend to like simple – so I stick with one garland, casually draped over the side of the mantel – to leave room for other Holiday decor.

Staircase

Another obvious one. If you have a really long, grand staircase, Afloral makes a very long, beautiful garland. It sells out super quickly, though! But even if you have a shorter staircase railing – you can drape some greenery over the top. I tie the garland to the banisters with a little jute twine and ribbon.

Mirrors

Mirrors make the perfect area for draping garland. It’s so easy because you literally throw it up there—no need to secure anything. It’s such a beautiful way to decorate with garland.

Picture Frames

If you can throw a garland over a mirror, why not over one of your favorite pieces of artwork? Whether you have a large piece of artwork or a small one, you can adjust the garland to work. I especially love it with a little velvet bow on top!

Table Runner

I usually prefer a low table arrangement so you can see and speak to everyone at the dining table. A garland is perfect for this! You can lay down a pretty table runner with a garland on top and nestle in some taper candles and pinecones or festive faux fruit – like pomegranates and artichokes. Why not?

Sideboards and Consoles

A flat surface screams for some garland. If you have a TV console, a garland is a non-intrusive way to decorate. It’s low enough not to block the TV! Same with a sideboard, it still leaves room to decorate or add a buffet of food.

Headboards

Of course, you need a headboard to bring some holiday magic into your rooms. If you are expecting guests this holiday – what a welcoming room it would be with a little festive garland draped over their bed. You don’t want this to be disruptive to their sleep – not sure how guests would feel if a garland fell on them in the middle of the night – so make sure it’s secure with hooks or twine!

Peg Rails

A peg rail is a perfect place to hang garland. Fish it through the pegs, drape it over the top, or hang it vertically with some antique bells.

Light Fixtures and Chandeliers

Any light fixture or chandelier can hold garland. I think it’s best to go with a lighter garland here (nobody wants to hear a light fixture crashing to the ground at 2 a.m.). Adorn the garland with ribbon or berry sprigs.

Windows

This photo is from last year. I used some of my favorite garland to casually drape it over our window. It created the perfect Christmas scene in our eat in kitchen area.

Kitchen Cabinets

If you have Kitchen cabinets that run all the way to the top of your ceiling (lucky!), this probably won’t work. We have a space between the ceiling and the top of our cabinets, and throwing the garland over the top creates a beautiful Christmas scene in your kitchen.

You can do this all the way across or drape a smaller garland over the middle cabinet, as I did here. We don’t really open the cabinet above our microwave anyway, so I don’t secure the garland up there; I just arrange it on top—it won’t go anywhere for the season!

Openings

I’m referring to either a cased opening, a wall opening, or an arched opening into another room. Sometimes, a foyer has an opening like this into a living room. It can basically be any opening that you want to frame and highlight with some fresh or faux greenery. And it’s so pretty and festive.

Here’s how to hang it.

Armoires and Other Furniture

I love a garland draped over a tall piece of furniture, like a hutch or armoire. What a beautiful way to highlight a pretty piece of furniture! Add some lights or velvet ribbons to really draw attention there.

I hope this gave you guys some good tips and inspiration. Thanks so much for visiting my little corner of the internet today.

Xo Karen