How to Make Your Home Feel More Like a Grotto This Christmas

There’s no better Christmassy feel than dwelling in a grotto! While it used to be that we’d all have to take a trip to our local shopping centres to visit Santa’s grotto, today, we can temporarily transform our homes to the same affect. Now, the Christmas grotto can come to us all instead!

Of course, you shouldn’t go too overboard with decorations, or you might risk things going drastically wrong indeed! Grotto’s, for the most part, are simply put together, not flashy and extravagant.

Consequently, here’s how to make your home feel more like a grotto this Christmas. 

Pick a Cosy Room

Obviously, grotto’s have a kind of cabin feel to them. If you choose to decorate your living room in a grotto-like way, chances are the carpet, wallpapers, television, and wealth of space will slightly dampen that ‘cosy sanctuary’ feel. Instead, perhaps consider the dining room area, where wooden floors and cabinets (for a cabin feel) are likely to be in use and the area a bit smaller. If you’ve got a small extension, then that may work a treat too!

Remember, grottos are calm and cosy areas, so keep that in mind when you’re choosing your room. The cottagey kind of feel is key to the design of a grotto, but your living room will work very well if it’s small and you have open log fires, for example. Avoid the busy and modern rooms, and instead go for the more practical, ‘traditionally’ decorated areas. Thereafter, that grotto feel will be better accentuated!

 

Candles

Mood lighting is essential for a successful grotto, and candles are perfect for it. Once you’ve nailed down the cosy area, candles will add to that affect, dimly lighting the space for extra snug points. If you want to rack up more points, invest in some scented variations of candle too. This will give your grotto an aroma that’ll add to the magic, and another sensory nuance other than the visuals!

Of course, the placement of the candles is important too. Dot them around tables and mantle pieces if the space is there, and make sure you have more than a few going. Try to remove any lamps if you can, as the room should abandon any typical homely decorations, and it may give you more space for your candles and decorations. Moreover, the odd dark patch is okay when it comes to candle placement, so don’t overdo it. Just a handful of candles will do the trick!

Decorations

They got a brief mention in the last section, but decorations are the last topping to add to the ensemble. Be sure to dot wrapped presents around, as well as the paper itself, to really emphasise that idea of a Christmas workspace that’s in constant use. You can find the kind of style you need from Cox & Cox, which will help you really outfit an authentic grotto.

Thereafter, go the extra mile! Wrap some fairy lights along the walls, dot some smaller Christmas trees around, and perhaps even invest in a few Christmas themed toys, snow globes or reindeer models to strategically place around. The more you can bring the place to life, the better. You could even swap out any of your day-to-day curtains for some bright red or green variations to really hammer home that Christmas spirit. Good luck!