Do you find yourself less than satisfied with your holiday decorating? Approaching your home with some planning will help you create the holiday home of your dreams.

The most important thing you can do is to rethink your space before you add in any decorations. If you have a tree, be sure to spend time choosing the best location, and don’t hesitate to remove or rearrange furniture to accommodate it.

While you’re at it, pack away all of the accessories in your living space before you decorate. Festive holiday elements can be distracting and start feeling like clutter unless they are the only decorative pieces in a space. Take a look at the photo. With only a few decorations, this space says holiday without shouting it.

Don’t think every corner has to have a decoration. Instead, select a few focal points to bring the holiday into a room. Create tableaus with your decorations – for example if you have a collection of nutcrackers, instead of scattering them throughout the room, group them and lay pine boughs between them. Add a few shiny ornaments among the pine and you have created a special holiday moment.

If your home has an open style or space is limited, connect your holiday decorations with color, style, or approach, to allow all of the elements to work together to create a consistent mood. This photo has connections with color, and the rustic natural pieces contrast with the shining ornaments and candleholders. This feeling could be carried throughout a room, leading to a designed as well as decorated holiday home.