Creative Ways To Dress Up Your IKEA Privacy Panels This Holiday Season

With Thanksgiving behind you, perhaps you've started prepping your home for the jolliest time of the year — in fact, according to a survey by Today's Homeowner, 40% of Americans decorate for December holidays after turkey day and before December 1. Whether you've gone whole hog on early holiday decor or take your time with it, there are limitless ways to bring a festive element to every corner of your home, both inside and out. While traditional exterior holiday decor usually involves fun yard signage, holiday lights strung on the house, and door wreaths, there's no reason to limit yourself to these conventional decorative opportunities. If you happen to own a set or two of IKEA's outdoor privacy panels — the NÄMMARÖ, which adds style to any outdoor space, or the LUNGÖN, which puts a modern spin on privacy – you can easily dress them up, making them a holly jolly addition to your exterior holiday decor that will be unique and charming all at once.

During the milder parts of the year, IKEA's outdoor privacy panels are ideal for adding an element of visual privacy to any outdoor setting, but there's no reason that they need to stay drab during winter festivities. The sky is truly the limit when tying them into your holiday decor plans. Whether you like a colorful, whimsical theme or prefer more sophisticated and luxe elements dressing up your house, get your panels looking wonderful for the holidays by stringing up lights, garland, and ornaments or using cellophane wrapping paper to make them look like presents. 

There are few holiday decorations that are more magical than bright, twinkling lights strung on your home or an evergreen tree. Why limit them to these contexts? Treat your privacy panels to some TLC by stringing them with colorful or bright white holiday lights. Consider hanging your string lights with light clips, like these Command outdoor light clips, which make it easy to attach and remove decorations whenever you want. Once some clips are attached to your panels, you can also use them to string tinsel or some gorgeous Christmas garlands.

While you're busy hanging lights and tinsel from your privacy panels, why not pick up a pack of Christmas ball ornaments to distribute over the screens? They are available in nearly every shade imaginable, so you can achieve decorative continuity that resonates with your preferences. If you reside in a windy location, remember to purchase shatterproof ornaments so that you don't have dangerous and messy glass shards to clean up if they fall. For a little romantic appeal, add a sprig or two of holly and mistletoe to your screens.

One of the iconic associations with the holiday season is gift giving and opening presents. With a little imagination and a small budget, you can convert your IKEA privacy screens into what look like wrapped presents. Unless you live in a dry and warm location, you'll want to ensure that your wrapping materials are suitable for cold and wet conditions. Because of this, regular wrapping paper might only look good until it gets pelted with snow and icy rain; instead, try to use cellophane wrapping paper, which is waterproof. 

You'll also want to be careful to use a weather-proof adhesive that can withstand winter weather. Despite not looking wonderful, Gorilla all-weather outdoor tape is a solid choice — use small pieces of tape or small rolls of the tape, with the adhesive side facing out, and place the cellophane on either side of the tape for a secure and concealed hold. Put a bow on your wrapped screens with some ribbon that is conditioned for outdoor use, such as some made from polyester.

For a final simple way to decorate your privacy screens, use a wreath hook to attach your favorite holiday wreath to the screen or purchase a pack of multiple small Christmas wreaths and place them at varied heights on the screens. With a little creativity and festive spirit, your IKEA panels can provide not only privacy but also holiday cheer to your home.