David Bromstad's Over-The-Top Christmas Decor Proves Home Design Has No Boundaries

For many modern designers, the philosophy du jour is "Less is more." But for HGTV designer, David Bromstad, it's a matter of more being more, particularly when it comes to decorating for Christmas. For him, restraint is difficult, even when he tries. Case in point? The 65 Christmas trees he added to his living space during Christmas 2021, along with whimsical elements, like oversized gnomes and even bicycles. The designer came by his over-the-top Christmas décor tendencies honestly, it seems. He gets those from his mom and dad, according to a 2021 Instagram post of his. 

Generally speaking, he adheres to a couple of key elements in his design philosophy, and those tendencies don't change just because it's Christmas. If anything, they're augmented because, well, it's Christmas. He likes a mash-up of realism and fantasy in his décor elements. If those elements are also a bit delightful, all the better. Bromstad is also big on the clever use of resources. This includes buying items at budget retailers, like T.J. Maxx, and tapping materials like foam to create the look of wooden ceiling beams or using twisted pieces of driftwood to create a cool pine-bough-adorned chandelier, all without the price tag that would go with the pricier equivalent of those things.

Finally, the 2021 Christmas in question epitomized his personal design philosophy, as well as offering him a way to introduce elements from his Scandinavian heritage. It serves as a reminder to home decorators around the world that, when it comes to holiday décor, there aren't any boundaries. Instead, it should be a time that is all about nostalgia and all of the fun and joy that brings. 

Gnomes, gnomes, and more gnomes, plus some gigantic oversized Christmas bulbs, are elements that designer David Bromstad brought into his recent holiday display. These elements served multiple purposes at once. They not only introduce the delightful, but also the fantasy elements that he loves so much in his décor. The gnomes additionally presented him with an opportunity to introduce his family heritage into the mix. However, the celeb designer didn't just limit himself to a few gnomes. The whimsical and fantastical pieces turned up throughout his home. 

Aside from gnomes, tree ornaments included miniature painted toy horses, stars made of straw, and snowflakes made of felt. And instead of legs, he tapped a vintage bicycle to give one of the tables in his living room a foundation on which to stand, or more accurately, to sit. This is hardly a surprise from a man who once put a bench shaped like a sheep by the front door so that friends and family would have a place to sit while they put on their shoes. 

He also did the go-big-or-go-home thing when he created an advent calendar for his entryway stairs. Instead of going with an 11-inch by 12-inch box filled with a stash of chocolate behind little paper doors, Bromstad wrapped goodies in little boxes, which he attached to the stairway banister. Plus, there were boughs of ribbon and snippets of pine branches that were augmented by oversized pine cones. Each decorative element demonstrated his willingness to break self-imposed design rules and embrace creative incarnations of tried-and-true holiday motifs in his décor choices.

Lest you think decorating with all of this over-the-top Christmas décor must be out of reach, it's possible to keep Christmas on a budget, even if you want to decorate like the celeb designer. David Bromstad insists that he shops at budget-friendly stores, like T.J. Maxx. He's even been known to buy things from second-hand stores, particularly if he would like to alter a piece in an unconventional way. Don't believe us? He once bought a painting at a thrift store and then drew a mustache on the woman in the painting to add a bit of fun. Not only do moves like this give the average home decorator permission to buy a few extra baubles at Christmas, but they also signal that it's okay to make design mistakes. If a piece is cheap, it doesn't take much just to replace it with something else. Or draw a mustache on it, as the case may be.

Bromstad also stuck to a simple color palette for Christmas that year. His hues were whites and creams as well as reds and greens, which showed up on pillow shams, Christmas bulbs, and, of course, gnome hats. Finally, for the makers out there, inexpensive elements, like a series of wood or cardboard cutouts with some white lights behind them, became a lamplit village on the fireplace mantel. All of this is to say that for the average home decorator, a cute and opulent holiday season might just be as simple as taking a trip to a thrift store or tapping the kids' old wooden hobby horse to create fun and magic at every turn. To get you started, why not take a look at some creative Christmas decorations you can make with household items?