It’s easy to make a room look festive with garlands, and that can be a benefit; they’re very quick, but they also tend to expose little mistakes. A garland that’s not hanging right will look sloppy. Whether it’s one end hanging a little longer than the other, one hook showing above the line, or one piece that sags too low, it won’t look good before it looks right. So, before you add the ribbon and the ornaments or the fairy lights and the floral picks, you’ll want to do an initial assessment to make sure your garland placement is as good as it can be.
For all doorways, all mantels, all shelves, and all stair rails, you first want to check how the garland sits, just like that. For a doorway, make sure both sides of the garland hang down at roughly the same length, and make sure the garland is centered at the top with a nice symmetrical curve, before adding anything else. For a mantel, make sure that any hanging length of greenery doesn’t block candles, frames, or space nearby for serving food and drinks. For a shelf, make sure the garland doesn’t hide anything that you’ll still want to see on the display. For a stairway, you’ll want to adjust the distance between each hook or fastener, so the garland looks like a natural swag and doesn’t look like it’s taut on one side and droopy on the other.
A good way to test a new garland is to hang it, undecorated, with a step back to the most popular viewing spot from the room’s entrance, the bottom of the stairs, or where the main viewing spot is where the garland will most be seen by people. At this viewing spot, if the garland doesn’t look good in shape, you won’t need to add anything else to it. You’ll still want to make sure your initial placement line is right before you move on to adding ornaments, ribbon, and lights. You also need to make sure that the garland supports the space where you have placed it, and doesn’t go against a door, a mantel, a shelf, or a railing.
The style and type of material also plays a large role in where a garland will be displayed and how it will be attached. Adhesive hooks, floral wire, ribbon ties, and clear tape are all options that should be considered. Each of these options can be suitable on certain surfaces, but they all do vary according to the weight of the garland. Heavier garlands will obviously need stronger adhesive hooks or wire than lighter ones, like the paper kind or faux pine. And you don’t want to put hooks where people can accidentally hit their elbow on them. And you wouldn’t want to tape the bottom end of a piece of garland on a rail to a single spot and expect that tape to hold up the entire, fully decorated garland. And if the surface is rented, delicate, painted, or polished, you should make sure to protect the surface first.
After that, add more decorations and ornaments to the garland. Ribbon and ornaments can soften the lines and give color to it, and lights can add warmth. But don’t put too many decorations and ornaments on a narrow shelf or a garland on a door frame that will still need to open. And keep heavier ornaments from falling onto the weakest hanging areas of a garland. Tuck wire ties and other loose ends inside. Hide battery pack batteries from view but keep them within reach for the user. And if you’re using the garland on the wall or ceiling with lights, make sure that the lights don’t shine directly at the viewer or that cords don’t get caught on anything. If you use fabric or ribbon decorations, make sure that they don’t touch or rub against any of the faux greenery that’s been used on the garland.
The stairways need to be watched especially, as they will be used and touched. It’s important that they don’t cover the entire rail, that sleeves or hands don’t get caught on them, and that they don’t encroach onto where people will need to walk along the rail. For a busy staircase, you may want to hang them only on the outside of the rail, or forgo thick greenery and use thinner pieces of ribbon or decorations instead. If you want it to add ambiance to the staircase, just make sure it won’t hinder people from walking up and down the stairs.
After you’re done decorating, check where the garland starts and ends. These spots will always be visible. If any area of the garland looks thin or patchy, give it a little more fluff with your hand and pull it into the direction you like. If you notice any ribbon, ties, wires, or other attachments, tuck or trim those ends, hide them, and put them in place. If the ornaments look uneven, remove them or replace them. For example, if there’s one ornament that looks a little too heavy and it’s pulling the shape of the garland, remove it or move it around. The main thing for a properly hung garland isn’t to make it look very dense with decorations. The main thing is to make sure it follows the curve and shape of the surface it’s on, it holds securely, and that the space around it continues to be used as before.