How to decorate your house with garlands?

The garland somehow imperceptibly moved from the category of an exclusively New Year and Christmas attribute that lives only on the tree, into an element of decor that is not in any way tied to the season. This is quite understandable - with the current choice, it is very easy to find an option that will fit into the interior of an apartment or a private house as a permanent resident. Moreover, the spot lighting, so beloved by the Scandinavians, which adds coziness to the house, has long become popular throughout the rest of the world. Let's talk about how and where to place the garlands, and what pitfalls you can face.

Before decorating a house with garlands, you need to choose them. And the first thing you need to decide on is whether it will be located on the street or indoors.

On the street, garlands are affected by humidity, wind, temperature drops. An ordinary Christmas tree garland will not survive such conditions. Quality models are marked with IPM - an international security code. It looks like IPxy, where "x" (from 0 to 6) is the degree of protection against dust and solid objects, and "y" (from 0 to 8) is the level of protection against water. Here are some options.

• IP 20 - intended for indoor use only.
• IP 44 - suitable for use under awnings, in places where rain or snow will not fall on the plug and power supply. They tolerate temperatures from -40 to +50 degrees.
• IP 54 - protected against splashing water and small amounts of dust.
• IP 56 - can be used outside of sheds, in places without protection from precipitation.
• IP 65 - suitable for year-round use in all weather conditions.
• IP 67 - dustproof, can survive half an hour in water at a depth of up to a meter, but are not designed to work in such conditions.

Now we look at the cord... A wire for a street garland is preferable to silicone or rubber, since it is less afraid of water, better tolerates sub-zero temperatures than PVC cords. Length - about 1.5 m for the room, 10 m - for the street. Remember that many street lights can be interconnected.

To decorate the interior, it is better to stay on a model with a transparent cable or cord of a neutral color, and leave the black and green options for the street and the Christmas tree. However, here you need to look first of all how it will look in a specific situation.

By itself, You can't decorate the whole room with garlands powered from the mains - sooner or later you will run out of sockets and patience when looking at electricity bills.

Now to the visual characteristics. Let's start with the type of glow. Most often, there are several modes.

• Static mode - constant glow. Best for decor.
• Fade-out mode - soft change of brightness level. It can also be used in the interior.
• Chameleon - a mode with a smooth change in the color of the glow.

But the following options are more suitable for festive decoration.

• Flickering mode - flashes of individual bulbs.
• Rising fire - sequential switching on of LEDs in turn. When all the lights come on, the garland is extinguished. The process starts over.
• Running light - alternately turning on and off a separate part of the lamp chain.
• Running shadow - individual groups of bulbs alternately flash and go out.

Let's move on to the formats of garlands that are suitable for wall decor.

• Garlands-wire - small, wire-based, battery-powered. These can be used to decorate, for example, a picture hanging on the wall.
• Garlands-threads - common type, lamps connected by a cord. They can act as a variety of decorative elements: lanterns, clothespins, bulbs of various shapes.
• Lamp grids - here the threads with the bulbs intersect, forming a network. An independent element of decor, a kind of luminous panel on the wall.
• Garland-fringe - a horizontal cord with threads hanging from it.
• Garland rain - is similar to fringe, but the threads with lamps are much longer, creating a full-fledged curtain.

The garland was chosen. It remains to decide how to fix it. Wire is the easiest option. It fits or wraps around the edges of the object to be decorated - a painting, mirror, net or note board - and is held on to it thanks to the design.

If you are attaching any other garland to the wall, you will have to think about how to attach it. A convenient solution is special adhesive hooks. They are easy to install and dismantle, but they are not suitable for all weights, and they also cannot be used on walls with a pronounced texture.

Thin pins are fine for wallpaper. On concrete, if it is textured, you will have to attach clips or use especially strong double-sided tape.

It's time to go directly to the decor. Curtains made of garlands, nets, garlands-threads with large decorative elements are self-sufficient decorative objects that do not need any additions. Unless you can add photographs and postcards to a net or thread with special lamps-clothespins, so you will be delighted not only by a pleasant glow, but also by the memories of happy moments.

From a simple thread, you can lay out an inscription or drawing, the main thing is to mark it on the wall in advance. A very original decor will come out. By the way, a regular LED strip is suitable for the same purposes.

From the walls, let's move on to the second most popular garland decoration object - windows.

The simplest option here is a light curtain. This effect can be created from a fringe garland or light rain. To decorate windows, it is better to stop at a garland without decorative attachments - more light will be saved, and the garland will not "interrupt" ordinary curtains when off.

For a small window opening or window in the kitchen, fringe is better - it is shorter and will not get in the way. And for the hall, you can use a long rain on the floor, the main thing is that the switch itself is not on the floor - you should not constantly cling to the wires.

Another good option for decorating a window with electric garlands is a grid. Networks come in different sizes, which will greatly facilitate the choice. Many of them have increased moisture resistance, which makes them a convenient option for a kitchen window.

It remains to decide how to attach the garland to the window. Special self-adhesive hooks, which we talked about above, will be very useful here if the garland is not too heavy. Moreover, they do not leave traces.

Windows and walls are just the beginning. Here are some more interesting places and ways to use garlands in the interior.

In the bedroom, it is best to use garlands in pastel colors with textile decoration. The main thing is that they should glow with a warm yellow light, since cold blue negatively affects sleep.

Garlands with attachments in the form of stars or various animals are well suited for a children's bedroom.

A jar with a garland-wire inside has already become a classic element of decor. Thus, you can turn any jar or vase of any shape you like into an original lamp.

A garland or a picture decorated with it can be hung above the table, or, for a special occasion, it can be laid out right on the table by choosing a battery-powered option that matches the tablecloth and dishes.

It all depends on whether you live in an apartment or a country cottage. In the second case, you have a huge scope for imagination. On New Year's holidays, the combination of a garland with a Christmas wreath or a spruce garland framing the door will look great.

Don't forget about the options that we used in the window decoration. They are suitable for the inside of the entrance and for interior doors. It is better to give preference here to models with batteries.

Balconies require high IP models, especially if we are talking about an open balcony.

But there is where to turn around. Wrap around the railing, lay out the wire garlands on the tables, decorate the ceiling with a mesh, or arrange small garlands around the perimeter of the balcony - it all depends on your desires.

When decorating a staircase, the first thing to think about is safety. The garland should not increase the risk of falling.

Everything is pretty simple here. Lay an ordinary wire or a model with large balls on the fireplace - comfort is guaranteed.

Another good place for garlands is bookcases and cabinets. The garland can be placed on the shelves, or to decorate their ends with it.

We will end with a few general tips to help you decide on the choice and placement of garlands.

• Samples with large attachments in the form of incandescent lamps will successfully fit into the loft interior.

• If the kitchen has a bar, the wall near it can be decorated with an inscription laid out in the manner of a neon sign.

• You can create an interesting Christmas decoration by wrapping some twigs with wire.

• Garlands with large lamps will complement the dressing table mirror well.