5 shop owners on how to bring home 2024's top holiday decorating trends

As the weather cools and the days grow shorter, there's something joyful about transforming your home into a warm and welcoming haven for the holidays. Whether you're decorating to impress friends and family or simply want to create a cosy atmosphere, holiday decor is a wonderful opportunity to showcase your unique style. 

We asked five shop owners to share, in their own words, their favourite holiday trends for this year and offer tips for bringing them to life in your own home, giving you all the inspiration you need to create the perfect setting for making cherished memories.

These interviews have been edited and condensed.

The trend: Maximalism

The expert: Fanny Vergnolle de Villers, V de V Maison in Montreal & Toronto

In the past few months, we noticed that maximalism was making a comeback in home decor trends, with rooms full of different textures and meaningful objects to create a cosy and enveloping feeling. We also noticed the colour red being strong both in home decor and in fashion trends. Those were obviously talking to us and led us towards a very warm and classic holiday vibe. 

What's great about maximalism is that more is more, so you can really play with layers and match different items together. It makes decorating very fun [and] really speaks to our nostalgic side. 

I feel like for the holidays, even if you are a more minimalist person normally, it really is the time of the year where you can go big!

How to get the look: The good news is that you probably already have a lot of elements at home to achieve this look. The trick is to not overfill the entire house. Pick two or three areas, depending on the size of your house, and go all out in those specific corners. That way the house doesn't feel too crowded.

Use lots of red items. I know it sounds obvious for the holidays, but I feel like in the past few years we went with more subtle reds, like burgundy for example. This year we didn't shy away from it and went with bright classic reds. We mixed it with lots of foliage, real and fake, and some gold accents to bring a chic note. 

The trend: Jewel box glassware

The expert: Wendy Friedman, The Independent Mercantile Co. in Halifax

There's a trend away from neutral to more colour these days. People seem to be done with everyone's spaces looking the same.

If you're wanting to bring some energy into your kitchen decor or have a friend who loves to entertain, coloured glassware could be just the thing to gift — or give yourself. It's not only festive during the holiday season, but it makes a table or kitchen island feel like a celebration at any time of year. 

Bringing in some coloured glassware is a fun and approachable way to inject play and colour into a neutral kitchen space and liven up any bar cart. When light hits the coloured glass and they get that jewel glow, everyone feels like celebrating. 

How to get the look: It's fun to mix and match various sizes, colours and shapes together — you don't need to buy a "set" of any one thing. We have fun stocking a wide variety of options in our shop, from cobalt and amber stacking water glasses to sapphire and garnet wine goblets, different shades of cocktail coupes, and emerald and opal champagne flutes. 

You can start by just mixing in a few coloured glasses with what you have on hand — then play around from there! One thing we love about this trend is that it's an affordable way to inject colour and something new into your decor for the holidays and far beyond.

The trend: Neoclassical Christmas

The expert: Colton Slater, Housebound Interiors in Toronto

Neoclassical Christmas reinterprets classic elegance with a fresh perspective, blending rich, traditional motifs with modernized details. Gilded accents and intricate patterns combine with refined sculptural elements and architectural textures for a sophisticated yet unexpected look.

How to get the look: To bring this trend into your own home, start by thinking outside the box. Replace your tree skirt with something unique and substantial, like a beautiful garden planter or a large decorative pot. 

For ornaments, start with what you already own. Blending existing pieces with fresh, curated ones [creates] a layered and sophisticated holiday look that feels both familiar and innovative.
Skip the classic star or angel [tree topper] and opt for a framed mirror or a small painting instead. It's easy to attach these pieces by adding picture wire to the back and securing it to the top of the tree. 

We also love transforming a mantelpiece into a statement of refined holiday elegance. This year, we opted for a lush, real-touch green garland, which adds natural texture and freshness without overwhelming the space. We surrounded the garland with a carefully curated collection of busts and statues, lending an almost gallery-like feel to the mantel. 

The trend: Holiday collage

The expert: Sophia Pierro, Baa Baazaar in Toronto

While we love a lot of different holiday vibes, this year we're especially committed to this idea of eclectic, heritage-oriented collage — combining treasured personal traditions with sustainable homemade decor. Think garlands made out of last year's wrapping paper, store-bought Christmas stockings chain-stitched with your initials, your kid's artwork elevated to a tree topper. 

The overall feeling is cohesive and cosy and much more special than simply "decorating." It can be done on any scale, in any size of room, home or apartment, and it doesn't have to be expensive. Make little vignettes that tell a story in different areas to give a little bit of whimsy and magic. 

How to get the look: A lot of it comes down to an appreciation for really good-quality materials, especially ones that can be reused. Sumptuousness comes in the elements: velvet bows, evergreen boughs, deep burgundy shades, moss, golden and gilded accents. Hints of sparkle in glass and metal [are] luxurious but not fussy or overly delicate.

There's an idea, too, of integrating the humble with the luxurious, like having gorgeous vintage textiles alongside the pinecones your child collects on the walks home from school. I love to make space for paper decorations, berry branches, modelling clay figurines-turned-ornaments, and anything else that feels specific to me and my family. Put the date on it and pull it out year after year as you get old and grey and let your heart swell a little each time.

Augment what you already have with simple craft projects, like garlands made out of paper, fabric, popcorn or dried orange slices rolled in glitter. I've been collecting beautiful paper over the past few years — Italian and French screen-printed wrapping paper — which is perfect for repurposing into paper garlands. Use the same style of paper to wrap your gifts so your gifts and decor speak to each other, creating a cohesive yet still textured esthetic.

The trend: Scandinavian Christmas

The expert: Anne Pearson, Vancouver Special in Vancouver

Scandinavian esthetics are definitely appealing this time of year: the idea of staying in and staying warm and cosy, surrounded by friends, family, good food, and incorporating Danish traditions and decor.

I'm not actually of Scandinavian heritage, but I do feel an affinity to their design traditions. Canada shares a lot [with Scandinavia] in terms of climate and culture, and we both have very short days in the winter. It's time to embrace that low light and create warmth within the home with sheepskin blankets, cosy wool felt, natural fabrics and, of course, great music, warm drinks and food served on beautiful ceramics. 

It's about shutting out the outside world and all the stress of work and traffic and responsibilities, and slowing down and appreciating details.

How to get the look: First and foremost, candlelight. It's all about setting the mood, and that means lots of real candles, lanterns and warm yellow lighting. No bright whites or LEDs, please! I light a candle every Sunday for the four weeks before Christmas to get excited about the holidays and make my own advent calendar with a little gift wrapped up for each day in December. 

I think a lot of people feel like they have to [go] with a bright red and green theme or lots of fancy metallics like tinsel and silver, but I prefer to go toward deep forest greens, warm natural neutrals and yellows, white oak and ash woods, and white or black sheepskins from Iceland.