Arab Press

بالشعب و للشعب
Saturday, Jul 12, 2025

How To Design A Sustainable & Minimalist Holiday Home

How To Design A Sustainable & Minimalist Holiday Home

Los Angeles-based designer Ajai Guyot's minimalist holiday home is magical! She shares her tips for taking a sustainable, pared-back approach to decorating.

Los Angeles-based designer and home decor blogger Ajai Guyot is known for her neutral style — but when it comes to the holidays, Ajai and her husband, Jonathan, aren’t afraid to add some festive flair to their home. As we learned from Ajai, there are many sustainable ways to get your space ready for the holidays without going overboard with garland, tinsel and sparkle.

Here, Ajai shares her tips for decking the halls while keeping sustainability and minimalism top of mind. Plus, get a peek inside her serene oasis in Orange County!


This year, Ajai — pictured earlier this year while pregnant — and Jonathan will be celebrating Christmas with their son, Jack, who was born in November. “My husband and I love our holiday decorating routine,” she says. “We pull out our faux Christmas tree and some decor, turn on our favorite Christmas songs and start decorating.”


Scents, especially cinnamon and peppermint, are an important part of making her home feel ready for the holidays, according to Ajai. “Scents trigger my childhood memories the most,” she says. “My grandmother had bowls of peppermints throughout her home for us to snack on, and there would be cinnamon brooms hung in every room.”


“Neutrals are simple and minimalistic,” says Ajai. “These tones give a sense of being calm and stable, and these feelings are a necessity for me and my family in our living space.”


To wrap presents sustainably, Ajai recommends reusing delivery boxes as gift boxes and topping them off with natural decorations, like foliage and dried fruits.


This year, instead of a traditional advent calendar, Ajai repurposed a vintage apothecary cabinet that she thrifted from a shop in Venice Beach. “We were told adjusting to parenthood would be tough, so I thought it would be nice for us to write encouraging and sweet notes to one another,” she says. “We’ve each left notes in the cabinet drawers for us to open and read every day leading up to Christmas.”


Ajai has long been a fan of vignettes that show her personality. She usually sets up some holiday vignettes around her home consisting of bottle brush trees, toy houses and lights.


For those who want to decorate their homes sustainably, Ajai suggests using dried greenery for DIYs and arrangements.


Ajai was able to snag some free greenery by asking a local Christmas tree farm if she could have their leftover trimmings. “We wrapped them around gifts, added them to a few of our white vases and placed them on our bedroom nightstands and living room credenza.”


“Eucalyptus is my favorite dried greenery,” she says. “I use dried greenery in my holiday tablescapes as centerpieces, wrapped around napkins, in vases and tied onto gifts.”

Newsletter

Related Articles

Arab Press
0:00
0:00
Close
Kurdistan Workers Party Takes Symbolic Step Towards Peace in Northern Iraq
BRICS Expands Membership with Indonesia and Ten New Partner Countries
Elon Musk Founds a Party Following a Poll on X: "You Wanted It – You Got It!"
AI Raises Alarms Over Long-Term Job Security
Russia Formally Recognizes Taliban Government in Afghanistan
Saudi Arabia Maintains Ties with Iran Despite Israel Conflict
Mediators Edge Closer to Israel-Hamas Ceasefire Agreement
Germany Seeks Taliban Deal to Deport Afghan Migrants
Emirates Airline Expands Market Share with New $20 Million Campaign
Robots Compete in Football Tournament in China Amid Injuries
China Unveils Miniature Insect-Like Surveillance Drone
Marc Marquez Claims Victory at Dutch Grand Prix Amidst Family Misfortune
Iran Executes Alleged Israeli Spies and Arrests Hundreds Amid Post-War Crackdown
Trump Asserts Readiness for Further Strikes on Iran Amid Nuclear Tensions
Qatar Airways Clears Backlog of Passengers Following Missile Threats
Iran's Parliament Votes to Suspend Cooperation with Nuclear Watchdog
Trump Announces Upcoming US-Iran Meeting Amid Controversial Airstrikes
Trump Moves to Reshape Middle East Following Israel-Iran Conflict
NATO Leaders Endorse Plan for Increased Defence Spending
U.S. Crude Oil Prices Drop Below $65 Amid Market Volatility
“You Have 12 Hours to Flee”: Israeli Threat Campaign Targets Surviving Iranian Officials
Oman Set to Introduce Personal Income Tax, First in Gulf
Germany and Italy Under Pressure to Repatriate $245bn of Gold from US Vaults
Trump Praises Iran’s ‘Very Weak’ Response After U.S. Strikes and Presses Israel to Pursue Peace
WATCH: Israeli forces show the aftermath of a massive airstrike at Iran's Isfahan nuclear site
We have new information and breaking details to share about what is shaping up to be a historic air campaign tonight
Six Massive Bombs Dropped on Fordow; Trump: 'A Historic Moment for the U.S., Israel, and the World'
Fordow: Deeply Buried Iranian Enrichment Site in U.S.–Israel Crosshairs
United States Conducts Precision Strikes on Iran’s Nuclear Sites
US strikes Iran nuclear sites, Trump says
Pakistan to nominate Trump for Nobel Peace Prize.
Israel Confirms Assassination of Quds Force Commander in Tehran
16 Billion Login Credentials Leaked in Unprecedented Cybersecurity Breach
Senate hearing on who was 'really running' Biden White House kicks off
G7 Leaders Fail to Reach Consensus on Key Global Issues
Mass exodus in Tehran as millions try to flee following Trump’s evacuation order
Iranian Military Officers Reportedly Seek Contact with Reza Pahlavi, Signal Intent to Defect
China's Iranian Oil Imports Face Disruption Amid Escalating Middle East Tensions
Trump Demands Iran's Unconditional Surrender Amid Escalating Conflict
Israeli Airstrike Targets Iranian State TV in Central Tehran
President Trump is leaving the G7 summit early and has ordered the National Security Council to the Situation Room
Netanyahu Signals Potential Regime Change in Iran
Analysts Warn Iran May Resort to Unconventional Warfare
Iranian Regime Faces Existential Threat Amid Conflict
Energy Infrastructure Becomes War Zone in Middle East
Iran Conducts Ballistic Missile Launches Amid Heightened Tensions with Israel
Iran Signals Openness to Nuclear Negotiations Amid Ongoing Regional Tensions
Shock Within Iran’s Leadership: Khamenei’s Failed Plan to Launch 1,000 Missiles Against Israel
UK Deploys Jets to Middle East Amid Rising Tensions
Exiled Iranian Prince Reza Pahlavi Urges Overthrow of Khamenei Regime
×