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Every year we have a houseful on New Year’s Eve, with the neighbors, the kids and a few cousins all waiting up for midnight together. By then the Christmas decor has been up for weeks, and I want the house to feel like a party without buying a whole new set of decorations.
Here are 22 New Year’s Eve house party decor ideas from real homes and creators, room by room. You will find wreaths for the front door, fringe and tinsel walls for photos, disco balls for the mantel and ceiling, bar carts, window garlands and a craft for the kids. Most of them use tinsel, paper and the Christmas greenery you already have. Each idea links to the person who made it. Setting the dinner table too? Our New Year’s Eve table decor ideas cover centerpieces and place settings, our New Year’s Eve party ideas have games and countdown activities, and our New Year’s Eve appetizers will keep everyone fed.
1. A New Year wreath for the front door
SaveCredit: Martinelli’s
The front door is the first thing guests see, so I like to swap the Christmas wreath for something that says the party has started.
This one starts with a big evergreen wreath, about three and a half feet across. Wooden letters spelling NEW YEAR are spray painted gold, sprinkled with glitter and glued together with a popsicle stick on the back so they stay strong. Empty sparkling cider bottles, gold ornaments and curly garland fill in the rest. Lay everything out before you glue, because you will want to move things around a few times.
2. A disco ball cluster on your Christmas wreath
SaveCredit: Tatertots and Jello
If you love your evergreen wreath too much to take it down, just give it some shine. This takes about 15 minutes.
Jen at Tatertots and Jello tied a bunch of little two inch disco ball ornaments to macrame cord at different lengths and hung them from the top of the wreath with a pretty ribbon bow. A drop of super glue on the cord ends keeps them from unraveling. It looks right at Christmas and even better on New Year’s Eve when the candles are lit.
3. A silver tinsel wreath covered in disco balls
SaveCredit: Kelly Elko
This wreath is pure sparkle, and it catches every bit of light in the room. It is a fun one to hang over the mantel or in the entry.
Kelly wrapped about 22 feet of thick, fluffy silver garland around an 18 inch straw wreath form, gluing as she went. Then she popped the hangers off 40 small disco ball ornaments and hot glued them all over. A straw form holds the weight better than foam. For New Year’s, tuck a little clock or the new year’s numbers in the center instead of Santa.
4. Paper pinwheels behind the entry sideboard
SaveCredit: Making It Lovely
This is my favorite idea for turning Christmas into New Year’s without starting over. You keep the same base and only swap a few pieces.
Nicole kept her silver faux birch candles and white snowball ornaments on the entry sideboard, then took away the wreath, flowers and little trees. In their place she hung two packs of black, white and gold paper pinwheels on the wall behind it. Her tip is to hold the pinwheels open with a paper clip instead of the tape, so you can fold them up and use them again next year.
5. A happy new year banner with a cluster of clocks
SaveCredit: Barn & Willow
A dresser or console in the living room makes a sweet little New Year’s corner. Clocks are the easiest way to say midnight without any words.
This one gathers vintage alarm clocks, a silver champagne bucket, glass bottles and white flowers on a dark dresser. Bare branches in a vase hold a few black paper stars, and a simple paper banner spelling happy new year swoops across the wall above it all. Most of it can come straight from your shelves.
6. A tinsel and glitter star curtain
SaveCredit: Oh Joy!
Every house party needs one spot where everybody wants their picture taken. This curtain is that spot, and it is mostly tinsel.
Spray paper mache stars gold and sprinkle them with glitter while they are still wet. Once they dry, attach them and a few small disco balls to strands of tinsel with thin wire. Hang alternating gold and silver strands close together from a curtain rod, over a doorway or taped to the wall. Set a chair in front so guests can sit for photos.
7. A gold fringe wall for under $20
SaveCredit: Friday We’re In Love
I wish I had known about this one years ago. It covers a big wall for less than the cost of a pizza.
Pin one or two black plastic dollar store tablecloths to the wall first. Then staple or tape rows of gold party fringe across them, starting at the top and keeping that first row straight. Start each new row about an inch and a half below the last so they overlap. Two packages of fringe at about $8 each covered most of a six by twelve foot wall.
8. A tissue paper fringe backdrop
SaveCredit: Hunker
If gold fringe alone feels like too much, mix it with soft tissue paper. The colors make it look custom.
Fold tissue paper sheets in quarters, trim a curve at the bottom and cut long strips up to about an inch from the top. You can cut five to ten sheets at once. Stick the rows to the wall with Blu Tack, starting at the bottom and working up, and alternate the colors so they do not clump. Cut gold fringe into the same scallop shape and mix it in for shine.
9. A black backdrop with gold dots and the year
SaveCredit: Somewhat Simple
This backdrop took only a few minutes, and it is perfect for a laid back game night with family. The kids will love posing in front of it with noisemakers.
Tape a black plastic table cover to the wall, then stick on little circles punched from gold glitter cardstock in a loose pattern. Cut the new year’s numbers out of the same cardstock and hang them from the ceiling with fishing line so they float just in front. Add a bunch of gold and silver balloons around the edges.
10. Mirrored circle garland strands
SaveCredit: Homeroad
These strands shimmer every time someone walks past. Hang a few in a doorway or make enough for a whole photo wall.
Punch two and three inch circles out of glittered and mirrored cardstock. Glue them front and back along lengths of string, alternating sizes and colors, then fill in the gaps. Tie the strings to a wrapping paper tube covered in shiny paper. Homeroad used four strands about seven feet long, and you can hang several side by side for a wider backdrop.
11. A glitter star garland in the windows
SaveCredit: Life Sew Savory
Windows are easy to forget, but a garland in the glass makes the whole room feel dressed for the party.
Cut stars from double sided glitter cardstock so there is no plain side to hide. Then run them through the sewing machine one after another to make a long garland. Swag it across the window or let strips hang straight down, which would cover a whole wall in no time. It untangles easily and stores in a bag from year to year.
12. The year spelled in black balloons
SaveCredit: Friday We’re In Love
A big brick fireplace is the perfect place for this. It is bold, cheap and you can see it from across the room.
Blow up a few bags of small black balloons and stick them to the wall in the shape of the new year’s numbers. Small balloons make the curves of the numbers look smoother. Black reads as New Year’s right away, and it looks sharp against brick, wood or a white wall.
13. Giant balloons with greenery tails
SaveCredit: FTD
One giant balloon with a trail of greenery looks so elegant by the entry or the photo spot. It uses the clippings you already have from Christmas.
Fill a 36 inch black balloon with helium until it is completely full so the greenery will not pull it down. Brush on decoupage in a pattern and press on gold metal flakes. Tape baby’s breath to seeded eucalyptus with floral tape, then tape that garland to the ribbon in a few places so it holds all night.
14. Disco balls tucked into the mantel garland
SaveCredit: Tatertots and Jello
Leave the Christmas garland on the mantel and add disco balls. The mirrors catch the twinkle lights and throw sparkles all over the room.
Jen at Tatertots and Jello layered a pine and eucalyptus garland with a pine and pinecone garland and secured the ends with small nails. Battery twinkle lights with a remote go through the greenery, with the battery packs tucked under the branches. Then she hung disco balls of different sizes from the garland with ornament holders, spacing them evenly.
15. Tinsel numbers across the mantel mirror
SaveCredit: A Cultivated Nest
This garland is so easy and costs almost nothing. You can make it with a cereal box and leftover tinsel.
Print the numbers of the new year big enough to fill a sheet of paper, then trace and cut them from card stock or cardboard. Hot glue fluffy tinsel garland to the front and trim it with scissors so the shape of each number shows. Punch two holes at the top of each number and string them on silver curling ribbon across the mirror or mantel.
16. Gold paper disco balls hung from the ceiling
SaveCredit: At Charlotte’s House
Hanging decor makes a room look finished, and these gold balls are light enough to hang anywhere.
She cut gold wrapping paper into strips and punched out a big pile of 1.5 inch circles. Starting at the bottom of a large foam ball, she hot glued them on in rows, overlapping each row like scales until the whole ball was covered. A small screw ring with a dab of glue on top lets you hang it with string or ribbon over the table or in a corner.
17. Mini disco balls hung at different heights
SaveCredit: Domino
You do not need a store bought disco ball to get the look. Old plain ornaments work just fine.
Cut thick tinsel or metallic foil paper into one inch squares and glue them onto an ornament so each square slightly overlaps the last. Once it is covered, string fishing line through the top. Make a handful and hang them along a wall or in a window at different heights for a really fun effect.
18. A tinsel ball drop for midnight
SaveCredit: Ann-Kay Design
Bring a little Times Square into the living room. This one costs under $10 and takes about 30 minutes.
Pin one end of a tinsel garland to a foam ball and wrap it around tightly, adding a pin once per turn so it will not slip. Wrap ribbon the same way, then pin on tinsel pompoms. Cut the new year’s numbers out of glitter paper and glue a bamboo skewer to the back to stick in the top. Hang it over the snack table or on the front door.
19. A gold bar cart set for champagne
SaveCredit: Hoboken Girl
A bar cart lets guests help themselves, so you are not stuck pouring all night. It is also a pretty piece of decor all by itself.
Put a few bottles of champagne on the top shelf so everyone knows what is there, and keep extras cold in the fridge. Give each shelf a job, with bubbly, flutes and garnishes up top and mixers and glasses below. Lean a framed print at the back and add a candle, and keep the display simple so everything is easy to see.
20. A farmhouse bar cart by the tree
SaveCredit: Sugar Maple Farmhouse
Not every bar cart has to be shiny gold. A little wood cart in the corner by the tree feels warm and homey.
Keep the drinks as the star, with the main choice on the top shelf in a chiller and the rest below. Set out the glasses and a few copper mugs within reach, and add a bowl of mixed nuts or pretzels. Paper fan rosettes hung from the ceiling above it tie the corner together.
21. Paper plate countdown clocks for the kids
SaveCredit: Fun Family Crafts
Our little ones never make it to midnight, so their clocks count down to bedtime. They are so proud to hang them on the wall.
Paint a paper plate with glitter glue and let it dry. Cut clock hands from black craft foam, poke a hole in the center and attach them with a brad so they still move. Write on the numbers with a marker and glue a little firework circle on a foam strip at midnight, or at bedtime.
22. Mylar streamers swooping across the ceiling
SaveCredit: Studio DIY
The ceiling is the biggest empty space in the house, and this fills it in a hurry. Picture it in all silver and iridescent for New Year’s.
Cut plastic safety fencing to the size you want and spray paint both sides. Cut mylar tissue into two inch strips, fold each in half and loop it through a hole in the fencing. Cover the edges completely and add more here and there in the middle. Hang it from the ceiling with removable hooks, then roll it up to store.
How to decorate your house for a New Year’s Eve party
Start where guests will spend their time. The front door, the living room and the spot where everyone gathers for the countdown matter most, so put your effort there and leave the other rooms alone.
Keep your Christmas base. Garland, twinkle lights, white candles and evergreen wreaths all carry over. Take down the stockings and the red and green pieces, then add gold, silver, black and a few clocks.
Make one photo wall. A fringe, tinsel or balloon backdrop gives guests a place to gather and gives you pictures to keep. A plain wall with a chair in front is all you need.
Look up. Disco balls, paper balls, star garlands and streamers hung from the ceiling or in the windows make a room feel full without taking up any table space.
New Year’s Eve house party decor FAQ
What are the colors for New Year’s Eve decor? Gold, silver and black are the classic colors. White, champagne and a little iridescent shine look softer and work well with farmhouse decor.
How do I decorate for New Year’s Eve on a budget? Use plastic tablecloths, party fringe, tinsel and paper. A fringe wall costs under $20, a tinsel number garland uses cardboard from the recycling bin, and paper pinwheels can be saved for next year.
Can I use my Christmas decorations for New Year’s Eve? Yes. Keep the greenery, lights and candles, add disco balls or gold ornaments to your wreath and mantel, and swap the Christmas colors for metallics.
Where do I put a photo backdrop at a house party? Pick a wall big enough for a few people to stand in front of, near the main party room but out of the walkway. Test a picture before guests arrive to check the light.
