Savvy decorating tips work for both Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays
By Arthur McLaughlin
The Ventura County Star
Star Homes Section

Let's face it, decorating for the holiday season takes effort. Wouldn't it be nice to make all that hard work last longer than just one holiday season? With some forethought and a few tips from the master of home decorating, Arthur McLaughlin, it can.

"Holidays are hectic enough without having to stress out over decorating," says McLaughlin, an interior design specialist at Arthur McLaughlin Interior Design. "I've designed the following tips to make an easy transition from one holiday to the next by taking the guesswork out of decorating and making it easy and fun."

- This season's predominate interior design concept is a clean, less cluttered look. This is important to remember when starting to decorate for the holidays and planning your holiday interior. Lightly furnished rooms are easier to live in and less clutter allows us to enjoy a larger space for family and friends. So move out that extra furniture!

- Change out your sofa's lighter toned summer throw pillows for ones with the warmer richer tones of autumn. Incorporating burnt orange, warm burgundy tones, and hunter green will not only bring the holiday season into your home but will meld with most established interior color schemes.

- Pumpkins add a wonderful splash of color appropriate for the Thanksgiving holidays that transition well for the Christmas holidays. Place small miniature pumpkins in a large bowl for your holiday table centerpiece. After Thanksgiving, spray silver. They will immediately become a contemporary element. Placing them in a large bowl of pine leaves can become a splendid visual treat.

- Brighten front doors to greet guests with an immediate holiday welcome. Create a fabulous neutral arrangement using clusters of items, such as branches from trees with beautiful fall leaves and miniature pumpkins, or pomegranates tied with raffia. For high-end interiors, silk French ribbon woven throughout the arrangement will incorporate your design throughout the entire residence.

- Pomegranates, with their beautiful red and burgundy shades, produce a distinctive flair wherever they are placed. Pomegranates offer vital accents of color in arrangements of pumpkins or alone in an oversized bowl, or clustered on a tray, table or sideboard.

- Persimmons are another wonderful fruit that can be used in an arrangement. A large bowl of them suggests subtle elegance. Remember, pomegranates and persimmons are fantastic fruit to eat. Do not let your beautiful arrangement go to waste.

- Place small pinecones in a large bowl, with sticks of cinnamon, which will add another decorative flair and pleasant aromas.

- Collect an abundance of candles to create a warm, inviting setting in any home. This works especially well in the master bedroom or family room where you may not have a fireplace.

(Arthur McLaughlin, Interior Specialist, founded the design firm, Arthur McLaughlin & Associates in San Francisco over 20 years ago. For more information, call (415) 673-6746, or visit the Web site at http://www.arthurmclaughlin.com for additional helpful design tips.)