The Chinese New Year marks the end of the previous year and the beginning of a new chapter in your life. It is celebrated with much gusto for sixteen days, from Chinese New Year’s Eve to the Chinese Lantern Festival. Many people prepare for CNY even earlier than Chinese New Year’s Eve.
This year, the Chinese New Year falls on January 22nd, 2023, and will be accompanied by various traditional customs and some new ones. Starting with the Laba Festival, Chinese people carry out a thorough cleaning of their houses on the 24th day of the 12th lunar month. This is also referred to as ‘sweeping away the dust’ where you get rid of old and unwanted things and make space for new ones.
The Chinese New Year is also a time for a boom in shopping as people buy food and snacks, decorations, fireworks, festive clothes, etc. to celebrate. However, Chinese traditions are incomplete without New Year decorations, and every decorative element has a symbolism attached to it. From mandarin trees to firecrackers, Chinese New Year decorations help usher good luck into your home. This article will explore 5 tasteful ways to decorate your home this New Year.
Try red decoration alternatives
The color red heavily influences Chinese decorations. From red paper-cuts on windows to red Chinese lanterns, banners on doors, and firecrackers; almost every decoration is available in red. You will see this color everywhere because it’s considered to bring the homeowner good luck.
The significance of red is derived from legends where a beast called Nian would come on Chinese New Year’s Eve to eat livestock, villagers, and their crops. To ward off the mythical creature, villages would place food in front of their doors so it would spare them.
One night, Nian came across a child dressed in red clothes and got scared. From there on, the villagers began hanging red lanterns and spring scrolls with couplets outside their homes to keep the beast away.
While red has deep roots in Chinese culture, other color alternatives are also becoming popular in decorative items. For example, you can opt for pastel hues of pink, which is essentially a toned-down shade of red. While it isn’t as vibrant or vivacious as red, pink definitely adds a merry touch to decorations.
Another color option to try this year is orange. It is equally auspicious and attractive as red and certainly makes for a refreshing change from an overdose of red around the house.
Add a touch of gold to your décor
Every time you think of red decorations, you picture gold details for a touch of glamour. That’s because red and gold is a classic combination that’s hard to miss. Hence, you can incorporate subtle nuances of gold into your Chinese New Year decorations for a festive look.
There is more than one way of flaunting your Chinese heritage and you don’t always have to go for something very obvious. For example, you can invest in a red and gold Chinese art piece to join the New Year festivities and invite good luck into your home.
Another way of adding the color gold tastefully into your home décor is through cushions. These small, fluffy, cozy additions can quickly transform the look and feel of your space. You can even find red cushions with gold detailing for a perfect traditional setting.
Gold accents are all the rage today, which is why you can easily find several home décor and accessories in that color. For example, you can look for small decorative items like a gold tissue box cover or gold plant pots to create an elegant room corner.
Create unique DIY flower arrangements
Chinese New Year decorations would be incomplete without exquisite floral arrangements. The only problem is the options widely available often look tacky and over-the-top. Fortunately, a simple DIY arrangement can save you from the embarrassment of displaying an arrangement that everyone already has at home.
You can create a customized flower arrangement to beat the old-fashioned and dated look. Just make sure to use fresh and bold colors to welcome luck and prosperity in the coming year. Here are a few flowers that you can pick for New Year’s decorations:
- Bamboo- a sign of luck
- Narcissus (daffodil)- means prosperity
- Mandarin oranges- signify fortune
- Chrysanthemum- a sign of longevity
- Sunflower- means ‘to have a prosperous year
- Peonies- signify honor and wealth
You can pair any of the flowers mentioned above with water lilies and azaleas to complete the arrangement. If you want to add some color and texture, throw in a bunch of red hypericum berries and pines to the flower arrangement.
While red and gold are customary colors for floral arrangements, there are others you can use for a fresh and modern look. For example, pale pink, white, bright yellow, and even hot pink flowers can bring uniqueness to your centerpieces. If you don’t find the colors you want, spray painting them with floral paint is also an option.
Decorate with potted plants
The Chinese New Year is a good time as any to invite beautiful potted plants into your home as live decoration. They make for excellent home décor and boost your overall health and well-being. Indoor plants bring hope- as they grow and blossom, they remind us of the good things that are about to come for us.
Check out these options for potted plants this Chinese New Year.
Lucky bamboo
The bamboo plant used at Chinese New Year is actually from the Dracena family, not bamboo. Its bright green stalks are said to bring good luck to your home and life. The best thing about the plant is that it’s very easy to take care of. Just make sure to keep it out of direct sunlight and watch it flourish.
Peace lily
The Peace lily has many cleansing and healing properties, making it a perfect addition to your home this New Year. Peace lilies are not only beautiful but also excellent for purifying the air from many chemicals. This plant enjoys bright indirect sunlight but doesn’t allow any standing water, or it may hurt the leaves and blossoms.
Kumquat trees
Kumquat trees bear olive-sized citrus fruits with deep-glossy leaves and bloomy flowers. This beautiful plant is a favorite for Chinese New Year and is considered an excellent traditional gift. For this reason, you will find this plant in many Chinese households and shops. What is unique about this tree is that Kumquats, its fruits look like oranges in color and shape but the size is that of a large olive. Hence, this plant makes for a unique sight in any house.
Hang miniature lanterns inside your home
The concept of hanging lanterns originates from the story of the mythical creature Nian who was afraid of the color red. This is why you often find red lanterns hanging in public places and even used as street lights- to scare away the beast.
Red lanterns are a staple when it comes to Chinese New Year decorations, and there are many ways you can add them to your home décor. You can hang it outside your home, above the patio, or decorate your balcony with traditional lanterns with tassels underneath. While they are available in different sizes, the miniature ones look very modern and fresh compared to the larger ones.
The benefit of small lanterns is that you can string them into a bunting to adorn your living room wall or place them at various corners of the house for a completely festive vibe. Since they are inconspicuous in size, they don’t look flashy or gaudy.
Shopleaf- A complete store for healthy potted greens
If you’re searching for the perfect home decorations this Chinese New Year, remember to check out Shopleaf’s physical or online store. The company is the brainchild of Kim and Justine, nature enthusiasts who wish to strengthen people’s relationships with plants and their benefits.
A notable highlight of shopping for potted plants from Shopleaf is that you get beautifully designed pots made from recycled materials. To further its pledge to safeguarding nature, the company contributes 1% of its annual sales to support environmental causes.
Shopleaf has a wide variety of potted plants, including the Bonsai Money plant, Zebra plant, Brazilian Grapetree, Tropic Marianne, Peace Lily, and Bamboo Palm.
Shopleaf is Atome’s partner merchant
Shopleaf has partnered with Atome- a BNPL, to facilitate its customers with flexible monthly payment plans. It means when you shop at Shopleaf using Atome’s app, you can split your bill into three parts. The first is paid when you make the purchase, while the remaining amount is deferred to subsequent months.
When you use Atome’s app to checkout at Shopleaf, you get exclusive discount information on its products. So, take advantage of this opportunity!
What is Atome?
Headquartered in Singapore with over 15,000 partnered merchants and available in 7 markets, Atome offers its users the choice and convenience of flexible payment options for a variety of products and services. The app allows shoppers to split their purchases across three interest-free monthly payments by scanning a partner retailer’s in-store QR code or upon website checkout. By splitting their payments, Atome users will be able to better manage their budget while making quality products and services more reachable.
If you want to become a part of Atome’s payment platform, create an account through its app (Get the app). Wait for your payment details to get verified, and start shopping as soon as your account is live.
How to pay with Atome
- Scan the QR code from Atome’s app for in-store checkout.
- For online purchases, select Atome as your payment partner at checkout.
- Enter your account details and continue.
- Pay 1/3 of your total amount and forward the other two payments to subsequent months.
Find the best home décor with Atome
The Chinese New Year is the perfect time to liven up your home with traditional decorations. However, if you’re worried about your monthly budget, you can partner with Atome to enjoy convenient payment plans. Since many partner merchants offer home décor on Atome’s platform, you have plenty of options to choose from.
So, download the app today and start exploring your shopping options.
