Decorating & Design
From The Archives: 20+ Ways To Add Holiday Style To Your Exterior
Updated on November 28, 2024
Outdoor holiday decorating is a unique way to demonstrate your style and celebrate traditions. Dressing up your home’s exterior not only accents the architecture, but brings cheer to guests — or anyone passing by. Whether you’re decorating a quaint cottage, sophisticated Georgian home, or a sprawling, repurposed barn, these festive exteriors create a warm welcome with illuminated garlands and lush wreaths.
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The Cabbagetown, Toronto home of Colin Baird and Chris Bell is a former workers’ cottage, and the homeowners have played up its humble heritage charm with simple decorations. A line of wreaths plays up the rhythm of the windows, while a garland and two urns filled with evergreens dusted with snow make the door a focal point.
This newly built barn (it served as a home base while a new home was being built) is designed in the traditional Prairie style. An oversized wreath dresses up the hayloft doors. Two large pines are set in large baskets. A sled filled with firewood is a rustic touch.
“I keep it simple and all-green with very little other color except for the chartreuse velvet ribbon; the ribbon color varies from year to year,” says Lynda Reeves of her former home’s front exterior. “I don’t like too much going on with exterior lights or decorations. Archie, our bearded collie, seems to agree!”
A garland with oversized pine cones envelope the front door of designer Nam Dang-Mitchell‘s 1912 home. Plus, urns stuffed with Norfolk Island pines make a merry first impression on the porch.
Designer Sydney Carlaw forages for most of her holiday decorating on the property surrounding her rustic farmhouse. “I love the look of berries and holly, and they already smell like Christmas,” she says.
Florist Alison Westlake dressed up her Prince Edward County farmhouse with a wreath made of dried grapevines, evergreen clippings, dried berries, and a ribbon, while the white porch is flanked with a natural-hued garland.
The homeowner of this circa-1840 clapboard biscuit box house adorned the exterior with fresh evergreen boughs, red ribbons and clear twinkle lights.
Designer Alison Milne‘s Scandi-style decor is winter chic and will last well beyond the holidays. Her urban Toronto porch is styled with distressed planters filled with mini trees and lanterns. A small festive wreath hangs on the original front door.
If your exterior reads more modern, try incorporating subtle touches of holiday, like tall birch logs casually leaning against one wall and plenty of fresh greenery.
Luscious layers of magnolia bring a chic dose of seasonal cheer to the face of designer Colette van den Thillart‘s neo-Georgian Toronto home.
“I would have loved to have hung a wreath on each of the narrow double doors, but it felt too cramped,” says designer James Davie of the festive front door in his former home. “Hanging one on the street lantern was a better choice.”
Designer Sarah Richardson doubled up on reusable birch bark door wreaths for her holiday exterior. “I wanted a simple yet modern look that would complement our contemporary home,” she says.
Designer Philip Mitchell dresses up his historic Nova Scotia home with classic evergreen garlands, boxwood planters and hints of red for a festive feel.
Designer Anne Hepfer embraced her front door’s high-gloss blue hue with a lush wreath.
In this weekend escape in Collingwood, Ontario, swags of evergreen garlands woven with string lights lead guests toward the festive entertaining zone. “It pulls people toward the backyard,” says homeowner Tracey Gerschwiler. Metal sap buckets filled with branches and pinecones are a whimsical touch to the fence.
The owners of this charming cabin played up a rustic, natural effect. Twin trees are planted in box planters, while feathery garlands and swags over the open porch.
Corrine Isherwood, founder of Botany Living, added succulents to the wreath on her front door. “They’re not too fussy, but they’re nice accent pieces, plus they work in modern and traditional homes,” she says.
Two planted urns overflowing with evergreen boughs and a pinecone wreath on the door give designer Grace Castaneda’s weekend home a Christmas-in-the-country feel.
Magnolia garlands in rich evergreen, brown and burnt orange hues create a harmonious look. Homeowner Bryn Currie “likes clean and simple, nothing fussy or overly embellished,” says floral designer Gisele Sterling, who designed the garlands.
This walkway has all of the holiday trimmings, from boughs of greenery to old-fashioned lanterns and a dusting of snow. Bright plaid bows add a pop of color and pattern.
Matte black urns overflowing with seasonal greenery and branches pair perfectly with the dark double doors of this home’s grand entrance.
Don’t overlook the backyard as a scenic spot for adding holiday sparkle: dusted with snow and decorated with evergreens, outdoor tables and chairs transform into artful still lifes. Arrange furniture to encourage open-air mingling when the weather allows, then trim patio doors with garlands strung with white lights. Complete the scene by dressing up footed antique urns with greenery and ornaments.
Large potted urns filled with evergreen sprigs and berries look extra festive when dusted with snow, and emphasize the pleasing symmetry of the lanterns.