When it comes to decorating with a little extra flair, Kristin Jackson is an expert – last year, her holiday accent color was pink! In her blog Hunted Interior, Kristin shares inspiring tips for those looking to add their own style to home décor, making the process easy on any budget
As a former international hotel designer, Kristin specializes in bringing the luxury spaces often seen in five-star hotels to a more intimate setting at home. We met up with Kristin to learn how she gets ready each holiday season. Lucky for us, she shared a few design tips for homeowners looking to decorate outside the box this holiday season.
How would you describe your style?
I would say my décor style is “trad-chic”. I love the history of traditional pieces, but I also love jazzing up a room with modern elements. I really like eclectic pairings.
How do you remain inspired and find new ways to decorate each holiday season?
Rather than going for standard Christmas colors, I’m typically inspired by the space itself. So even if a room is mostly blues and greens, who’s to say you can’t have a blue and green Christmas tree? I try to work with existing décor—it helps bring even more life to the area.
What’s your favorite area of the home to decorate for the season?
It has to be the tree—it’s the center of the décor. We have a classic living room tree, and then we have a smaller tree in my daughter’s room. She’s only five years old, so it’s fun to switch up the decorations on her tree based on what she’s interested in each year.
How do you recommend trying untraditional holiday colors for the first time?
A front door wreath is a fun way to test new colors and styles. It’s not permanent and it is something you can play with year after year. Once you get more comfortable doing this one piece, you can start incorporating elements into the rest of the home. Ribbon is another great way to incorporate new colors or patterns, and bring freshness into your space.
What’s an easy, personalized DIY holiday project?
Gift wrapping. I love brown craft paper for gift wrapping simply because it can be used for any holiday or event. One of my favorite things to do with my daughter is getting out markers and paint, and letting her draw on the paper. After it dries, we use her paper to wrap the present, putting a beautiful bow on top. Though it may have looked like a mess on the floor, once wrapped, it becomes this abstract painting that transforms a present into something beautiful and unique.
Last year, I put black paint on a paintbrush, made some quick brush strokes on paper and it looked really chic. See the details of the project here.
Any other project favorites?
I recently made an indoor marquee sign. I feel like marquee lights are everywhere right now, but letters have been done before, so I switched it around and designed a geometric object instead. The snowflake is a fresh take that is a bit more modern than traditional red and green décor.
Want more holiday décor ideas? Get more inspiration in our Holiday Style Challenge!
