Do you struggle to come up with a theme when it comes to Christmas design and decoration? Are you sick of the sight of your tired old ornaments and looking for something new? Don't panic, we're here to help!

Trends seem to come and go faster than Santa delivers presents on Christmas Eve - but we've found a few Christmas design trends from 2018 that put a twist on the traditional and are sure to remain in fashion for years to come - so you won't need to replace your decorations next year to keep up with the neighbours!

Quirky, modern trees

Quirky Christmas Trees

Does the thought of vacuuming up pine needles make you shudder? Do you have a pet with a penchant for climbing? No problem!

You can construct a modern, minimal Christmas tree from reclaimed wood, cardboard, or even repurpose your bookshelf! This quirky new trend takes all of the hassle out of decorating the Christmas tree and, done right, can look sleek and stylish. Why not see what you can find around the house and garden? Making a tree is just as entertaining for the kids as decorating a traditional one and might keep them quiet a little bit longer!

Hand-made ornaments

Hand-Made Christmas Decorations

Speaking of keeping the kids quiet, budding little artists can be entertained for hours by making Christmas ornaments (and it'll save you a few quid!)

Round them up and get them cutting, sticking, and painting! Not only will it keep them busy, but you'll get something of sentimental value that you can keep forever. Baking ornaments from cookie dough or gingerbread is another fun, festive activity. Although, edible decorations might not hang around quite as long!

Warm, golden decor

Christmas Design - Gold

As Christmas design trends go, golden colour schemes are nothing new - but there's a reason gold is so popular - it's absolutely gorgeous!

Try pairing golden decorations with hints of red to create a glorious autumnal colour scheme. Not only will your home look wonderful, but it will feel lovely and warm as well! Or, for an extra lavish vibe, go all out with all-gold everything!

White with muted tones

Christmas Design - Natural Tones

Muted colour schemes are becoming increasingly popular in Christmas design, and for good reason!

Aside from being strikingly beautiful, mixing stark white decorations with soft, muted colours gives a luxuriously modern look without being too garish. There's also the added bonus of being able to easily match this type of design to your home decor. No more Christmas design nightmares!

Gift tags from nature

Natural Gift Tags

Finally, everyone's favourite part of Christmas - the presents!

Whilst everyone loves receiving gifts, wrapping them can be a real pain! Especially when you can't think of a theme or an original greeting to write on the tags. Rather than defaulting to that horrifying bright red paper with the penguins on (we've all got a roll stashed away somewhere), try something different with earthy tones. Natural items like pine cones and Christmas tree clippings make great alternatives to gift tags and complement this colour scheme nicely. They also save you the headache of thinking of something to write!

The team at Key Mortgage Advice would like to wish everyone a very merry Christmas and a happy new year! If you're thinking of moving home in 2019, give us a call or send us an email and we'll help you find the perfect mortgage deal. You can find our details on the Contact Us page.

Spring has sprung (finally!) and it’s the time of year when many homeowners start thinking about redecorating their property to breathe fresh life into their living space. With that in mind, we’ve curated a list of our favourite interior design blogs, packed with inspirational ideas to get your creative juices flowing:

House Beautiful

Interior Design - House Beautiful

housebeautiful.com

First published in the UK in the early 1950’s, House Beautiful is one of the most popular home and lifestyle magazines available today. Their website is packed with useful information on interior design, renovation ideas, the latest design trends, and gardening tips. You’ll also find the occasional recipe and inspiration for your next holiday.

Country Living

Interior Design - Country Living

countryliving.co.uk

This one’s for those who love country living; covering interior design, lifestyle tips, gardens, wildlife, and sustainable living, it’s a one-stop-shop for anyone who adores the countryside. They also provide information on exciting rural events, great for planning days out during the springtime! This one will be of particular interest to those with a passion for sustainable living.

Homes and Interiors Scotland

Interior Design - Homes and Interiors Scotland

homesandinteriorsscotland.com

Focused on stunning Scottish design, this publication is available to read online as well as in print form. Regularly featuring case studies on magnificent Scottish properties and with plenty of information on where to buy the included fabrics and furnishings, you’ll never be short of design inspiration.

The Inspired Room

Interior Design - The Inspired Room

theinspiredroom.net

This gorgeous blog by Melissa Michaels was voted “Readers’ Favourite Decorating Blog” by Better Homes and Gardens two years running! Melissa says she started the blog “to inspire women to love the home they have” and she certainly inspires us with her regular creative articles.

Decorilla

Interior Design - Decorilla

decorilla.com

Decorilla offer an affordable interior design service whereby professional designers curate a shopping list of furnishings and render them in a 3D virtual environment so you can get a feel for how they would look in your home. Their blog features some stunning designs from the pros and is sure to spark your creativity.

Hunted Interior

Interior Design - Hunted Interior

huntedinterior.com

Hunted interior is run by Kristin Jackson, a former International Hotel Designer, who started the website “to inspire readers on hunting for their own style and how to accomplish it on any budget.”

Voted as one of the best interior design blogs to follow by both Better Homes and Gardens, and Domino Magazine, Hunted Interior is chock full of fantastic design, renovation, and DIY ideas

Happy Interior

Interior Design - Happy Interior

happyinteriorblog.com

This chic design and lifestyle blog won “Best International Blog” at the Amara Interior Blog Awards back in 2014 and has only gone from strength to strength since. Writer and editor Igor Josifovic has a wonderful eye for style, and often shares insightful travel tips as well as interior design inspiration.

Homewings

Interior Design - Homewings

homewings.co.uk/magazine

Similar to the aforementioned Decorilla in that they offer a professional interior design service, Homewings is UK based and has tons to offer in terms of inspirational design ideas. They also have some great interactive features like regular competitions and a style quiz, but you’ll need to create a free account to access these.

Decor8

Interior Design - Decor8

Decor8blog.com

Started by Holly Becker back in 2006, decor8 features content from a diverse team of international interior design experts. They cover everything from new trends to incredible home tours and have a range of four books for those who aren’t satisfied by the immense amount of content available on the blog.

Apartment Therapy

Interior Design - Apartment Therapy

apartmenttherapy.com

A quirky, US-based blog, Apartment Therapy offers house tours of the rich and famous as well as design, lifestyle, and DIY tips. Their content is always fun and easily digested, and the site is definitely worth bookmarking for when you want some quick inspiration or an entertaining lunchtime read.

For more amazing interior design resources, check out our pick of the best blogs from last year, here.

We all need a little interior design inspiration from time to time, whether we’re preparing our property for sale, or just looking to freshen up our home.

There’s no shortage of stylish websites and blogs filled with tips and trends, and looking through them all for design ideas can be a tiresome task! To save you from becoming overwhelmed, we’ve curated a list of our favourite interior design blogs that you can bookmark to use as a reference in your future projects!

Heart Home

Heart Home is an online home and lifestyle magazine that has been around for several years now. It’s a great place to keep up with the latest trends, as they often do spotlight articles for new collections available in stores and online. Their blog includes an interior design section which is second-to-none, offering style ideas to suit a variety of tastes.

Heart Home

Design Milk

If you’re looking for inspiration in any area of life, Design Milk has you covered. The website is vast and covers many topics such as art, technology, and travel. Their section on interior design offers a look at some high-concept spaces as well as offering advice on more conventional design trends. If you’re looking to create something unique, Design Milk is a valuable resource.

Design Milk

Design Sponge

Design Sponge is an amazing resource for all things design. Especially exciting is their DIY section, with tutorials on how to make your own unique design elements for your home. On top of a huge selection of practical tutorials, you will also find a fantastic range of design-related articles to get your creative juices flowing! It’s worth visiting the site regularly as new tutorials are uploaded regularly.

Design Sponge

The Beat That My Heart Skipped

The final blog on our list, The Beat That My Heart Skipped, is a beautifully curated selection of interior style articles which highlights new collections available on the high street. Focussing mainly on homeware, it offers an abundance of inspiration when it comes to adding those finishing touches.

The Beat That My Heart Skipped

Once you’ve completed your interior design project, you’ll want to be able to take the best possible photographs in which to show it off! You can find our guide on taking better property photographs here.

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