A PDF ebook by Lauren Mitchell

The homes that look expensive at Christmas rarely cost the most.

Seven designer rules, ten color schemes and every room from the front door to the guest bath, from a New York holiday decorator with fifteen seasons in other people's living rooms. No ladder, no heavy boxes, no big budget.

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166 pages in large type
16 chapters + 4 printables
Ten color schemes
Three levels for every room

Cover of The Expensive-Looking Christmas by Lauren Mitchell

Part One

Ten color schemes. Two colors and one metal each.

Classic Red, Green & PlaidCranberry · evergreen · brass

White & GoldWinter white · cream · gold

1950s Pastel VintagePink · aqua · silver

Woodland LodgeMoss · rust · copper

ScandinavianChalk · lingonberry · pewter

FarmhouseCharcoal · linen · zinc

Silver & Blue WinterIce blue · navy · silver

Burgundy & BrassWine · dusty rose · brass

Natural Green & WhiteSage · linen · champagne

Candy Cane CottagePeppermint · sugar · silver

The part nobody tells you

Christmas is sold to you by the box, so you'll keep buying more of it.

The sale bin

Nine colors, even beautiful ones, look like a sale bin. Two colors and one metal look planned.

The little things

Forty small ornaments in every color disappear. Six big ones in one color look rich.

The ladder

You don't need one. Decorate the top of the tree on the kitchen counter, then have it set in place.

If your mantel looked busy, it was never your taste. Nobody showed you the few decisions that matter.

Lauren Mitchell sorting glass ornaments at her table

Why this book exists

My clients kept asking. So I wrote it down.

For more than fifteen years, Christmas has been my busy season. I decorate other people's homes for the holidays, from big family houses to one-room city apartments.

Many of my favorite clients are past sixty. They know exactly what they love, and they are done with ladders, done with heavy boxes and done with spending a fortune every December. Working with them taught me most of what is in this book.

The homes that looked the most expensive were almost never the ones where the most money had been spent. They were the ones where somebody made a few clear decisions and stuck to them. Those decisions cost nothing.

LaurenHoliday decorator, New York

Buy it or skip it

Where the money goes, and where it doesn't.

Six of the fifty verdicts in Chapter 14.

Spend on it

Tree lights

Light is the first thing anyone sees. Buy warm white, and look for a UL or ETL label on the box.

Buy it cheap

Candlesticks

Thrift stores are full of brass and silver-plate. Old ones look richer than anything new.

Skip it

Blinking lights

Lights that move pull the eye from everything else. Steady warm light looks calm and expensive.

Spend on it

Wired ribbon

It is touched and seen up close, and good ribbon lasts for years if you roll it up again in January.

Buy it cheap

Fresh greenery

A few bundles of cedar or pine cost little and make every artificial piece near them look real.

Skip it

A full set of Christmas dishes

Plain white plates with good napkins, greenery and candles look more expensive than any holiday print.

Built to use, room by room

Open it at the room you're doing today.

Part Two walks through the house the way a guest does. Every room chapter has the same plan, so you always know where to look.

The rooms

The front door and porch
The entry hall
The mantel
The tree, magazine-style
The dining table, for 4, 8 or 12
The kitchen
The guest room
The bathroom

In 20 minutes
What you already own, plus one or two small buys. For the year you're tired or traveling.
Over a weekend
One planned shopping trip and a few relaxed hours spread over two days.
The full magazine look
The whole idea, layered, for the room you want people to remember.
What to buy
A short list: what, how many, and where it costs less.
How long it takes
The time for each level, so you can plan the week.
From me
One last piece of advice from fifteen seasons of other people's homes.

Look inside

Real pages from the book.

This is exactly what you download. Tap a page to see it bigger. The room pictures are illustrations, and the book labels each one.

Chapter 1: the same room twice, before and after the seven rules — Chapter 1 · The seven rules

Chapter 2: the color card of Classic Red, Green and Plaid — Chapter 2 · A color card

Chapter 6: the top of the tree without a ladder — Chapter 6 · The top without a ladder

Chapter 7: a dining table for eight — Chapter 7 · The dining table

Chapter 14: Buy it or skip it, lights and candles — Chapter 14 · Buy it or skip it

Chapter 15: the calendar, week 1 — Chapter 15 · The calendar

Printables: the season planner — Printables · Season planner

Printables: labels for storage boxes — Printables · Box labels

Scroll sideways →

7designer rules

10color schemes

8rooms, 3 levels each

50things to buy or skip

166pages

Lauren Mitchell with her Christmas decorations at home

From the book

The newest decorations make a house look expensive. The old ones make it look loved. Put them where everyone can see them.

Lauren MitchellChapter 12, Grandmother's Ornaments

What's inside

From the first wreath to the last box in January.

Sixteen chapters in four parts, and a fifth part made for printing.

Part One

The Expensive Look

The seven rules of an expensive look
Ten color schemes, each with its shopping list

Part Two

Room by Room

Front door, entry, mantel and tree
Dining table, kitchen, guest room and bathroom

Part Three

Easy on You

No ladder, no heavy lifting
Grandmother's ornaments
Safe for grandchildren and pets

Part Four

Money and Time

Buy it or skip it: 50 things
The calendar, November 1 to January 6
Packing it away

Part Five

Printables

Season planner
Shopping lists for the ten schemes
Two hours before guests
Labels for your storage boxes

This book is for you if…

You love a beautiful house at Christmas, and you're done with the ladder.

You've decorated for decades and want it to look more expensive with less.
You'd rather not haul heavy boxes up from the basement.
Your tree looks crowded and you can't say why.
Grandchildren or a dog will be in the house over the holidays.
You want a plan, week by week, starting in November.
You're looking for a gift for your mother or grandmother.

The Expensive-Looking Christmas · PDF ebook

Everything you need for this December.

The whole book, 166 pages in large typePDF
The seven rules and ten color schemesPart One
Eight rooms, each in three levelsPart Two
No ladder, old ornaments, grandchildren and petsPart Three
50 things to buy or skip, and a week-by-week calendarPart Four
Planner, shopping lists, checklist and box labels to printPart Five

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30days

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Questions

Before you open the boxes.

Is this a printed book?

No. It's a PDF ebook, a digital download. Nothing comes in the mail. You get the file by email right after you pay, and you can print any page at home.

How do I open it?

On any computer, tablet or phone. On an iPad or iPhone, tap the file and choose "Books". The text is set in large, 16-point type.

Can I give it as a gift?

Yes. Buy it with your own email address and pass the file on to the one person it's for, or print the pages for them. The file is for one home, so please don't share it more widely.

Are the pictures photographs?

No. The room pictures in the book are illustrations made with an AI image generator to show the ideas, and each one is labeled as an illustration. They are not photographs of real homes or products.

Is it safety or medical advice?

No. The safety facts in the book come from the National Fire Protection Association, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission and the ASPCA, checked in October 2026. Always follow the instructions that come with your lights, candles and cords.

What if I don't like it?

Write to within 30 days and you get every cent back, quickly. No questions asked.

This December

A house that looks like a magazine cover, without the ladder.