Tips on Decorating Window Sills For the Holidays

Looking at all the pretty holiday pictures of beautifully decorated mantels made me a little jealous of my friends who live up north. Living in Florida, not too many of us have fireplaces where we can hang our Christmas stockings, so I like to create the same effect using my large windows. Windows make the perfect place to decorate and bring attention to the holidays.

What I like to do when I am decorating my windows is mash a little coastal décor into the Christmas vibe. I think it is a great look and it says Florida, which is where my holidays are spent. Don’t be afraid to step out of the traditional holiday decoration box. As a designer, I have always put a twist to any style to make it my own signature and an original.

Windows offer a linear space and because of that, I like to create a balanced display. I achieved balance in my long kitchen window by starting with my hanging ornaments. Before committing to the placement, I laid them out on the floor for a visual review. I decided to use my star as the center focal point and then create the visual rhythm by taking identical ornaments, one on each side of the star and hanging them low. The outer ornaments were a different style and matched each other. I placed them by splitting the difference of space between the star and the low ornaments. This created a balance across the window that felt right and set up the space for a continuous balance of decorations.

This type of accessorizing is all about layering the décor in a balanced way. Because I had set the tone of rhythm with the ornaments, I started with the center placement on the sill. My Christmas tree has a twist to it, it is actually a rosemary bush and the aroma is to die for! The rosemary tree was the perfect height to place in the center, right below my star ornament. I followed this with the white starfish which were the perfect partners to the lower hanging ornaments. I framed the window with peach colored poinsettias carrying through my sunshine state theme. I think it is equally important to disrupt a bit of the balance by adding small character pieces, like the Santa and the Christmas bag to give a homey feel.

A holiday window, viewed from the outside, is so pretty!