Looking for ideas on how to style mid century Christmas decorations? Look no further than our friend Krys Melo, the photographer/interior stylist and blogger of Melodrama.
Krys lives in Palm Springs, California, in a mid mod apartment built in 1960, along with her husband, Javier, and their dog, Pandie. While their home is a poppy, colorful expression of mid century design all year round, at the holidays it takes on a whole new level of retro goodness.
Creating a festive ambience that reflects her favorite era was not a difficult transition for Krys. “My holiday décor is just an extension of my everyday décor,” she says. “I use a lot of the same colors and the same style in my regular décor, so the transition was very easy.”
Setting the Scene
One of the secrets to the success of the nontraditional Christmas décor is that Krys showcases her collection of vintage ornaments alongside her newly-crafted creations. “I collect vintage ornaments and bottlebrush trees, so I make sure those collections are displayed as much as possible,” she says. “My vintage ornament collection brings me so much joy. New ones that I’ve collected throughout the year go on the tree, and it makes me really happy to see the tree fill up more and more through the years. I love exploring flea markets and antiques shops looking for vintage decorations. I also try to incorporate a new DIY project into the rotation every year.”
A Tree in the Desert
As with most unconventional undertakings, there were some challenges for Krys in executing her creative vision. But as is often the case with overcoming obstacles, it worked out even better than she hoped. “For years, we had a tradition of getting a flocked natural tree, but that proved harder to find when we moved to the desert,” Krys says. “We went for a pink artificial tree instead and ended up loving it! We had a few mishaps with our attempt at using a rotating stand and ended up just leaving it on a stationary stand.”
Krys offers her tried-and-true advice for holiday decorating without the hassle. “Pick a color scheme and theme that bring you joy,” she says. “Collecting decorations throughout the year is fun and takes away a lot of the decoration shopping stress. Plus, it’s really fun to go through what you’ve collected throughout the year and may have forgotten about.”
But after all the ornaments and crafts have been hung in their appointed places, the most important measure of decorating success is how your home makes you feel. “Christmas has always been our favorite holiday. We’re homebodies, so our décor is a really important factor in our holiday experience,” Krys says. “I try to incorporate a little something festive into every room. The way I decorate during the holidays makes me feel nostalgic, cozy, festive and happy.”
And as she walks you through each lovingly decorated room in her holiday home, you can see the joy in her eyes shine through her midcentury-style cat-eye frame glasses.
