AVE Style: Holiday Edition

How to Decorate an Apartment for the Holidays

If you’re calling an apartment home for the holidays this year, don’t get your tinsel in a tangle over decking out a smaller space. Downsizing doesn’t mean you have to downsize your decorating. We asked Interior Designers Derek Perini, IIDA, and Laura Ireson of Bernardon to style one of our apartments at AVE King of Prussia for the holidays to show you how to get creative with every square inch. 

Choose a Consistent Color Scheme and Style

Before your purchase a single snowflake, commit to a style and color scheme. Many apartment floor plans are open, and this will create cohesion between rooms. When you have consistency in color and theme, the space will present more stylish and spacious. For our apartment at AVE King of Prussia, Bernardon chose to go contemporary establishing black and white as our holiday neutrals. 

Set a Holiday Table

Many fond holiday memories are created at the dinner table, so use your table décor to set the tone for your festive fete. Circular placemats like these Chilewich round placemats in gray by Crate and Barrel complement our holiday neutrals and take up less table real estate than their rectangular counterparts. Crate’s Marin dinner plate in a matte black glaze finish is doing double-duty as an elegant charger and you’ve guessed it, dinner plate. For a fun, contemporary touch, we layered with Crate’s Nordic Tree salad plate boasting black lines, bold angles, and a modern evergreen tree pattern. 

Make Spirits Bright with Candlelight

Most apartment leases ban real candles for safety reasons, but you can still get that holiday glow with flameless candles. Bernardon made our apartment cozy and bright with these Flicker Flameless Birch Wax pillar candles and Flicker Flameless Wax taper candles by Pottery Barn.

Holiday Mantel Hacks

Mantels are often the focal point for holiday décor. If your apartment floor plan doesn’t feature a fireplace, then get creative and create a holiday mantel with your entertainment center. Bernardon draped ours with red berry and pine garland by Pottery Barn and accented with our Flicker Flameless Birch Wax pillar candles and a fun Paz white glass tree sculpture by CB2 for contemporary flair. 

Throw in Some Holiday Pillows

Create comfort (and joy) by dressing your sofa with seasonal textiles. Bernardon spiced up our sofa by mixing different textures and patterns for warmth and visual interest. Check is super chic this holiday season, and we love this Bryce Check Sherpa back pillow by Pottery Barn. It’s a fun backdrop for this vibrant and oh so soft Plush Red Pillow by Pier 1. Draped is the Whitaker Reversible Throw in gray by Pottery Barn, which comes in handy when you’re snuggling up for a  holiday movie marathon. 

To Tree or Not to Tree?

If a holiday tree is part of your tradition, then the answer is “yes.” You will have room in your apartment for a showstopper holiday tree, you just need to keep it in proportion. Our apartment at AVE King of Prussia boasts a 9’ ceiling, so Bernardon styled it with a 7.5’ Pre-lit Alberta Spruce from Hayneedle. You want to give yourself at least a 1.5’ for your topper. Our tree is decorated with contemporary ornaments from West Elm and CB2.