Interior Designers Share Holiday Decorating Tips Using Greenery, Ribbon, and Ornaments

This article was prepared from the source material provided, which consisted of an edited interview-style piece featuring three interior designers and their holiday decorating tips.

Interior designers Mary Kathryn Wells, Juliana Ghani, and Sallie Lord have shared their approaches to creating festive holiday homes that feel cohesive without requiring excessive spending or effort. The three founders—Wells of Mary Kathryn Wells Interior Design, Ghani of G. Atelier, and Lord of GreyHunt Interiors—each offered specific strategies for using greenery, ribbon, ornaments, and gift wrap throughout a home.

Credit: GreyHunt Interiors / Photo by Christy Kosnic

Wells said she decorates with real greenery each year, purchasing it at Trader Joe's to save money. She displays a live wreath on her front door and uses greenery in a few indoor spots, avoiding what she described as going overboard. "It's a sophisticated and cheerful holiday look that doesn't overwhelm aesthetically or in terms of the work involved," Wells said. Ghani also favors real greenery, calling it "timeless," "earthy and natural," and noting it adds texture and fragrance to a space.

GreyHunt Interiors / Photo by Christy Kosnic

For tree decorating, Wells allows her children to guide the process, resulting in what she called "a smattering of nostalgia and joy with ornaments from my and my husband's childhood homes alongside things our kids made and that we've collected over the years." To unify a colorful, maximalist tree, she wraps a pink ribbon around it, which she said gives the tree cohesion and makes it look more finished.

Mary Kathryn Wells Interior Design

Ghani recommended sticking with classic holiday decor to avoid buying new items every November. She relies on deep red pieces, nutcrackers, glass ornaments, brass bells, and Nordic knit stockings. She said she prefers pieces where the year of purchase is indistinguishable, which helps avoid decoration exhaustion and spending hundreds on new decor.

Lord suggested using extra ornaments beyond the tree. She sometimes weaves ornaments into tablescapes, mixing sizes and colors within the same tonal family to add visual interest and dimension. She also recommended coordinating gift wrap with holiday decor so presents look seamless under the tree. "Being thoughtful in your gift-giving is so important, but as they say, the packaging is everything," Lord said. She added that wrapped gifts can be displayed on side tables and fireplace hearths, not just under the tree.

GreyHunt Interiors / Photo by Stacy Zarin Goldberg