Eight Holiday Decorating Ideas That Won’t Damage Your Walls

Decking the halls with holiday cheer is all well and good until you find yourself spackling nail holes and patching paint jobs day and night. Fixing the damage left behind by seasonal decor isn’t anyone’s idea of a holly jolly holiday. Therefore, knowing how to decorate without messing up your walls is a must if you want to enjoy a festive home without dealing with frustrating repairs.

Adhesive hooks, using image projections, and utilizing what you already have are ways to decorate without ruining the walls. Other options for damage-free holiday decorating are tension rods, freestanding pieces, easels, and drawing more attention to non-wall decor. Lean artwork instead of hanging it, so you don’t have to make holes or swap out pieces to use existing hardware.

Nowadays, it’s easier than ever to tackle holiday decorating without damaging your walls. Removable hooks, freestanding decor, and a few other clever tips allow you to create cheerful moments hassle-free. Which one of these damage-free decorating ideas will you try?

How To Decorate Without Damaging Your Walls

1. Removable Hooks And Fasteners

By far the easiest way to hang things on your wall without creating pesky nail holes is to use adhesive hooks or similar mounting devices. When these marvels first emerged, they were relatively basic, featuring a simple design and limited sizes and weight-bearing capacities.

However, today, you can find all sorts of styles, sizes, and loads, with hooks able to hold 10 pounds or more. Decorative options blend in with multiple design schemes. Mounting hook-and-loop strips and double-sided tacky squares are great for hanging prints, posters, and other artwork.

The adhesive strips used on these hooks are easy to remove, coming off cleanly without leaving behind sticky residue or tearing off a chunk of drywall. Of course, always read the label that comes with the hooks you choose to make sure it’s a good fit for your wall type. For instance, some hooks are not meant for painted walls or certain surfaces, while others are only for exterior use, etc.

2. Put Curtain Rods To Work

Sometimes, working with what you have is the best way to decorate without making any marks or holes. For example, do you have two or more windows on the same wall? Why not use that to your advantage when it comes to decorating the walls in between?

Tie a ribbon, or even fishing line if you want a more invisible approach, to the end of the curtain rods so that it spans the distance between two windows. Then hang lightweight ornaments and other decorations from the string.

Use various lengths of ribbon to build a staggered effect that helps fill the wall and create an effective focal point. Or, you could use fishing line across the rods and suspend one larger, lightweight piece in the center of the wall, like a paper wreath.

3. LEDs And Projections

Position a projector with a holiday image across from a blank wall and get a festive lighting display without making any mess. No holes required. There’s no need to worry about scratching the paint or making a dent.

Plus, it’s easy to set up — you plug it in and flip a switch or press a button. Look for LED options that deliver long lifespans and don’t get hot, so you don’t have to worry about bulbs overheating. These types of holiday projections come in all sorts of colors and patterns, so you can easily find ones that fit in with your chosen design scheme.

4. Swap Out Existing Wall Decor

No matter what your decorating style, it’s never a good look to have too much stuff. That’s why, any time you decorate, it’s good practice to remove some of your everyday decor and replace it with your holiday pieces. For example, you can swap out your usual vase for your Christmas bouquet and your coffee table tray with a seasonal platter.

Apply this same habit to your wall decor. It’s already hanging, so there’s already a nail or screw; do use that existing hardware. Choose holiday pieces that are a good replacement in terms of size and scale for various pieces in your home.

When you decorate, hang your seasonal pieces and wrap and store the usual ones until after the holidays. This is another example of how working with what you have cuts down on the muss and fuss.

5. Opt For Freestanding Decorations

One easy way to ensure you don’t damage your walls with holiday decorations is to avoid hanging anything on them. Use freestanding decorations instead, and choose pieces that work well with the scale of your room.

A few options are a tall nutcracker statue, a large festive holiday plant, or a seasonal sculpture. You could also get a standing screen and hang decorations on it, positioning it in front of a blank wall or in an empty corner.

The bonus of a standing screen is that you can also use it to hide any mess or large items that detract from your holiday design. Use it to mask a cluttered corner or the unsightly security pad or thermostat in the middle of the wall.

6. Use Easels For Art (Or Try Leaning Instead Of Hanging)

Decorate with some oversized holiday artwork by leaning it against a wall instead of hanging it. Another option is to use an easel to display a few festive pieces here and there.

For smaller items, place them on a table or shelf that’s against the wall and simply lean them. You can also use tabletop easels or plate stands for items you want to set up on a mantle or other flat surface.

7. Try Some Tension Rods

Tension rods are great because they don’t require any screws or nails to mount them. Hang tension rods between window or door frames, between cabinets, and even between two pieces of tall furniture. Use S-hooks, ribbon, or string to hang various decorations from the rods.

Another great idea for decorating with tension rods is to cover the rod with garland or string lights before hanging other items from it. These rods also come in a ton of different styles, lengths, and thicknesses. Generally, for heavier decor, you’ll need thicker rods.

8. Play Up The Other Holiday Decor

Of course, another way to decorate without messing up the walls is to concentrate your efforts elsewhere. Really play up the floor decor, like standing lanterns and sculptures. Bring in lots of holiday textiles, including blankets, pillows, or even a festive rug.

Create seasonal vignettes on flat surfaces, like the dining table, a console, and the coffee table. Use suction cup hooks on windows to create a holiday masterpiece on the glass.  Style bookshelves with holiday decor, and turn the fireplace mantel into a major focal point. There are tons of ways to fill your home with holiday cheer that don’t have to involve doing anything to your walls.

Deck The Halls Without Messing Up The Walls

Decorating for the holidays doesn’t mean you need to resign yourself to a week of wall repairs post-Christmas. Thinking outside the box when it comes to how to hang items, using adhesive hooks designed for your walls, and using an image projector are all damage-free options.

Freestanding decor or leaning artwork against the walls also avoids the need to add holes and keeps things from scratching or scuffing the paint. Focus more on non-wall decor, like seasonal textiles, holiday centerpieces, and styling flat, horizontal surfaces.

It’s all about finding what works for you and allows you to create the festive, holiday home you desire. When it’s time to put away the seasonal decor, you won’t have to worry about filling holes or touching up paint. Now, doesn’t that sound like the perfect way to keep the season merry and bright?

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