The Holiday Decorating Idea I Stole From Instagram

I’ll admit that a pretty large portion of my saved photos on Instagram are either 1) meals from restaurants I’d love to try one day or 2) images of dreamy homes decked out perfectly for Christmas. How did every blogger and designer learn to become such a pro in this area? While I loved helping my family hang our seasonal decorations as a kid, there have definitely been years where I’ve felt a bit uninspired as an adult. December is often such a rushed month, and between festive gatherings and end of year deadlines, coming up with innovative décor ideas hasn't always been at the top of my list. 

I moved into my current apartment in the fall of 2019, so last year was the first time that I was setting out to transform the space for the holidays. As I looked at the decorative items—both seasonal and regular—that I owned, as well as the photos I kept swooning over on Instagram and Pinterest, I realized that it would be quite easy to recreate one of my favorite looks. What was it that I kept lusting over, you might ask? Round mirrors partially adorned with garland. 

It seemed like everyone with a circular-shaped mirror in their bedroom or entryway had managed to make an ordinary piece look super festive and seasonal thanks to just a little bit of greenery. There’s no need to wrap the entire mirror with garland; just cutting off a bit and adhering it in a half-circular shape will do the trick. 

What’s great about this hack is that one can opt for either real greenery or faux (which is what I used), and the result will still look elegant. Depending on the exact shape or style of your mirror, it may make sense to either attach the garland piece using heavy-duty tape or attach removable command hooks on the frame. If a piece of tape or part of a hook is still showing, you can cut off a few extra springs from the main garland (I had cut a six-foot long faux piece into a smaller chunk for this project) and weave them in using thin wire. 

I was hesitant to take this setup down last year because the addition of garland brought so much life to my dresser area (and because it wasn’t real, there was zero mess involved!). If I recreate the look again this year, I may weave in some additional faux berries or other seasonal objects to add even more color and texture, but there’s nothing wrong with a simple look, either. 

Don’t have a round mirror? No worries! You can easily replicate this look on an oval-shaped or slightly curved mirror, too.