The Rise of the Practical Maximalist: Decorating Bigger and Smarter Ahead of the Holidays
Kendra Sinclair•Thumbtack’s Home Design Trends Expert•Last updated Oct 22, 2025
Last updated Oct 22, 2025
This year, decorating isn’t a one-weekend event, it’s a season-long ritual that starts with pumpkins and ends with champagne toasts. To better understand how people are approaching home decorating, we asked more than 1,000 Americans about their holiday decór style and priorities this year. The results show just how much the season has expanded. In fact, half of homeowners redecorate for every holiday, turning fall and winter into a months-long rotation of festive looks.
This new wave of holiday maximalism isn’t about excess — it’s about impact. Homeowners are prioritizing budget-friendly upgrades that create cozy, memory-filled spaces. The holiday home of 2025 is brighter and more joyful, and this shift toward decorating more with intention is reshaping how families approach the season.
Holiday maximalism meets practicality.
While the majority of homeowners are refreshing their decor for every holiday, they’re not starting from scratch. Over a third (37%) prefer to mix and match versatile pieces with a few seasonal touches.
When refreshing their home, entryways lead the way, with wreaths, garlands, and door decor (58%) being the top holiday swap, proving curb appeal rules when it comes to first impressions. From there, homeowners change out affordable mood-shifters like lighting (51%) and textiles (49%) to create a big impact without big costs. Over a third (37%) even swap scents seasonally, highlighting the rise of multisensory decor.
Homes evolve with each celebration, from haunting October entryways to timeless red-and-green palettes in December, but today’s homeowners aren’t interested in excess for its own sake. More than half reuse decor year after year, and 43% consider sustainability before buying new decorations. The result: decor that tells a story, one that unfolds holiday by holiday, without creating clutter or waste.
Cozy homes, bright lights, and small budgets.
If maximalism is all about doing more, lighting is where homeowners are really making it count. From TikTok-inspired smart lighting to classic string lights, illumination has become the season’s ultimate design flex. Lighting is the #1 social media-inspired project (30%) homeowners are tackling this season, installing color-changing bulbs and LED strips. It’s also the decor element most homeowners consider the best “bang-for-their-buck” upgrade (27%).
Lighting also highlights a growing confidence divide: half of homeowners feel comfortable DIYing, while nearly one-third still prefer to hire pros for more technical setups. We’ve noticed many people start with simple swaps (like plug-in string lights or battery-powered candles), then invest in pro-installed smart systems once they see the difference lighting makes.
The heart of the season is comfort, with nearly 7 in 10 saying their top decorating goal is creating a cozy vibe. But notably, homeowners are finding thrifty ways to deliver results. Affordable swaps like candles, textiles, and simple tablescapes prove you don’t need a big budget for a big impact.
Most spend under $200 annually on festive decor, and nearly half are holding steady or cutting back compared to last year. If they did have extra money, nearly a quarter would splurge on a bigger holiday decor budget, and 23% would hire professional help, proof that even with small budgets, the appetite for more is still there.
Nostalgia drives decorating decisions.
Even as social media fuels new trends, nostalgia remains the anchor of holiday decorating. More than half of homeowners (52%) say they’ll stick with traditional decor this season, from red-and-green palettes and classic ornaments, to fireplace stockings and door wreaths.
For many people, decorating is about more than aesthetics. For 41% of homeowners, it’s about making the holidays magical for their kids. For over a third (39%), it’s about honoring the traditions they grew up with. The resurgence of timeless looks proves that, even in an era of TikTok trends, classic holiday design never goes out of style.
Turning inspiration into action.
While decorating sets the mood for the season, homeowners are also thinking beyond garlands and string lights. They’re prioritizing upgrades that make their homes more functional, comfortable, and long-lasting, from major remodels to small refreshes. To understand where homeowners are putting their focus this fall, we dug into our database of millions of home projects.
A few clear homeowner trends are taking shape:
With basement remodels up +76% and garage additions climbing +57%, homeowners are reimagining underutilized spaces and turning basements into gyms, offices, or rec rooms, and garages into storage, workshops, or even extensions of the home.
Homeowners are making eco-conscious choices across the board, from big investments like solar panel installation (+50%) and artificial turf (+116%) to smaller refreshes inside the home. Furniture upholstery requests are up +63%, with many choosing to revive and customize existing pieces instead of buying new. It’s a sustainability story that extends beyond holiday decor, reflecting a broader shift toward mindful upgrades that reduce waste while embracing style.
From grill upgrades (+58%) to expansive patio remodels (+97%) and hot tub installations (+187%), homeowners are transforming backyards into year-round gathering spaces. Add in awnings, playsets, and holiday lights, and the backyard becomes an all-season venue for family and friends.
Make your home shine, inside and out.
Fall and winter style this year is about making homes festive and functional. From holiday lights to functional basements and backyards, reupholstered sofas and solar panels, homeowners are choosing projects that bring joy now and add value later.
Practical maximalism is the theme: decorating bigger, living smarter, and turning houses into true hubs for celebration and comfort.
Download the Thumbtack app today and start planning your next project.
Methodology:
All year-over-year comparison data is based on comparisons between September 2024 and September 2025 and examines projects that have the greatest year-over-year increase and the greatest increase by volume. All pricing data is based on national average cost estimates using data provided by Thumbtack Pros and additional research, real prices may vary based on city and supply.
This SurveyMonkey online poll was conducted between September 17–18 among a national sample of 1,025 people (18+). Respondents for this survey were selected from the nearly 3 million people who take surveys on the SurveyMonkey platform each day. The modeled error estimate for this survey is plus or minus 3.1 percentage points.
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