Shea McGee’s secret to a perfect Christmas stocking display – with a unique twist

Christmas stockings have had a place on festive mantelpieces for centuries, but Shea McGee’s styling tip will ensure they endure for years to come. 

Sharing her Christmas decorating ideas exclusively with H&G, the Dream Home Makeover star revealed her love for the festive staple. She explained that ‘stockings are one of the best ways to add personality and texture to the holiday mantel.’

‘I love bringing uniform stockings to life by adding an ornament or ribbon to personalize each piece,’ Shea adds. But how does she suggest keeping these timeless pieces contemporary? 

The secret, she suggests, is in their color pairings – and their placement. 

1. Focus on the mantelpiece's color scheme

In her blog, Shea recommends pairing berry-toned stockings with gold decor accents across your mantelpiece, as she does above. The result is a festive statement that will struggle to go out of style. 

The designer adds that she complements the stockings with modern features, including ‘vintage-inspired artwork and mixed decorative trees’ to ‘pull the look into focus and add an element of texture.’

2. Play with height – the Shea McGee way

Exploring her living room fireplace idea further, Shea explains how she also uses a variety of staggered heights that add interest when combined with contemporary decorative accents (such as the trees seen above). These accessories are especially effective on a flat surface like the mantel as they allow you to play with new heights to frame the stockings perfectly. 

‘We love embellishing our stockings with ornaments or other accessories to add a new element of personality,’ Shea adds. ‘The gold bells on the singular stocking brought the perfect finishing touch to this look.’

While Shea McGee’s tip will ensure your Christmas stocking will remain timeless, Etsy’s trend expert Dayna Isom Johnson reinforces the decor’s enduring qualities. 

Dayna explains that ‘Christmas stockings will always have a place at Christmas’ – if you opt for a modern-rustic staple like Shea’s, or you try a bright and bold alternative that brings the stocking firmly into the twenty-first century. 

‘Whether you’re opting for bright and bold to embrace new trends or holding onto nostalgic traditions from your childhood, this versatile decoration isn’t going anywhere anytime soon,’ Dayna says. 

We’re practicing Shea McGee’s interior design tips at the next available opportunity.