landscape

Deck the yard

Top landscape looks for the holiday season

By Julie Young

You don’t have to have the most elaborate light show to have the best-dressed house on the block this holiday season. From landscape to lighting ideas, understated to over-the-top, we have the top tips to help homeowners outfit their exteriors with plenty of holiday cheer.

Keep it simple.

Jim Brubaker, owner of Jim Brubaker Designs, Inc., says when creating your home’s outdoor holiday look, it is important to have a theme, a color scheme and not to overdo it.

“That’s the worst,” he said. “I always say do it well, do it right, and a little is better than too much.”

Brubaker encourages customers to incorporate fresh greens and simple lighting into an elegant and understated look. A potted tree with metallic ornaments, a great wreath and a festive doormat will welcome your guests warmly. An old sleigh or wooden skis can add to the holiday ambiance and can remain in place all winter long.

Dynamic daytime décor

While twinkling lights are always the stars of the exterior holiday show, don’t forget that your property can (and should) look dynamic during the daytime, as well. Wrap your porch columns, gate and mailbox posts with evergreen garland and add colorful ribbon and ornaments to help them stand out. Bring wrapped “presents” (read: empty shoe boxes) and fit them with mini lights so that they will draw attention no matter what time of day.

Don’t forget to give some love to the back yard, too. Inexpensive red/ green flannel shirts can transform your outdoor summer pillows and bring a holiday feel to your outdoor living spaces. Staggered lanterns and plenty of pinecones will also add to the atmosphere.

Light up the night

When it comes to lights, Brubaker said it is important to have an artistic vision and look to help your home stand out from the rest. While some homeowners combine the look of a winter wonderland with something more sacred, he says a large nativity scene with a single spotlight may be more dramatic and powerful than a more elaborately decorated yard.

“The displays you tend to remember are the ones that are done well and with so many colors of lights, you really can choose a few and create something truly spectacular,” he said. “My company helps people with both interior and exterior décor, and my customers tend to be traditionalists so they typically like to use red, green and white lights in their holiday displays.”

Brubaker says traditional doesn’t mean plain. Homeowners might choose to outline their house in colored lights while accenting their bare trees in white. They may incorporate one color in their spruces and choose another for their evergreens.

“When you only have four to five weeks in which to enjoy your holiday décor, it’s no wonder that they want to get them up right after Thanksgiving so that they can get the most out of them,” he said. “We’re here to help anyway that we can.”