Finishing Touches: Wreaths, Garland, and Landscape Accents for Knoxville Holiday Displays

A beautifully lit roofline is what people see from down the street. But when guests pull into the driveway or walk up to the front door, it is the finishing touches that make the biggest impression. A lit wreath, garland framing the door, and sparkling accents in the beds turn a lit house into a home that feels ready for the holidays.

Here are ideas for finishing touches on homes across West Knoxville, Farragut, Hardin Valley, Karns, and Powell.

Why Finishing Touches Matter

The roofline outlines the house from a distance. Finishing touches add warmth and detail up close. Without them, a display can feel like it stops at the gutters. With them, it extends all the way to the front step.

Lit Wreaths

A lit wreath is one of the most classic holiday accents. Wreaths can hang on the front door, above the entry, on a front gable, or in each front window. A large lit wreath centered on a gable becomes a focal point visible from the street. Smaller wreaths in windows repeat the theme across the façade.

Garland at the Entry

Garland draped around the front door, across the top of the doorway, or along porch rails adds texture and color. Pre-lit garland or garland wound with lights glows at night and looks festive during the day. Red bows at intervals add a pop of color.

Porch Columns and Rails

Wrapping porch columns in lights or garland adds height and rhythm to the entry. Lights along porch and stair rails guide guests to the door.

Starburst Stake Lights

Starburst stake lights, like the red and green lights pictured here, add sparkle to landscape beds. Placed at varying heights among shrubs, they create a layered, fireworks-like effect that catches the eye.

Lit Shrubs

Net lights or strands over boxwoods, hollies, and other foundation shrubs fill in the lower part of the display so the house does not look top-heavy. Matching shrub lights to the roofline color creates a cohesive look.

Walkway Lighting

Lighting the front walk with low stake lights or strands along the edges creates a welcoming path and makes arriving after dark safer.

Trees

Wrapped trunks and branches on front-yard trees add height and draw the eye across the yard. Dogwoods, redbuds, maples, and young shade trees all make great features.

Coordinating Colors

About nine in ten of our customers choose warm white for the roofline. Finishing touches are a great place to add color, such as red bows, red and green starbursts, or colored lights in shrubs, without changing the classic roofline look. Warm white accents keep the look elegant, while colored accents add playfulness.

Color Ideas for Accents

Red bows on warm white garland, red and green starbursts in beds, and white net lights over shrubs are popular combinations. Some homeowners choose a single accent color, such as all red, to tie wreaths, bows, and bed lights together.

Scale

Wreaths and accents should be sized for the house. A small wreath on a large two-story gable can get lost. A wreath sized to the gable, like the large lit wreaths many Knoxville homes use, reads clearly from the street.

Placement for Maximum Impact

The most visible areas, near the front door, along the walkway, and in beds facing the street, deserve the most attention. Accents farther back in the yard can be simpler.

Front Door Details

The front door itself can carry a lot of the display. A lit wreath, garland around the frame, and a pair of lit planters or small trees on either side create a welcoming focal point. On homes with sidelights or transom windows, framing them with lights adds to the effect.

Balance Across the Façade

Finishing touches should balance the house. If the entry is on one side, adding a wreath or lit accent on the other side keeps the display from feeling lopsided.

Hidden Cords

Finishing touches are seen up close, so cords should be tucked under mulch, behind shrubs, and along trim. A cord running across the front walk undoes a lot of good work.

Power Near the Entry

Most entries have an outdoor outlet nearby, but landscape accents often need power farther out. Planning power runs and using outlets with ground fault protection keeps everything safe.

Weather

Knoxville's winter rain means accents and connections should be outdoor-rated and protected from standing water.

Timers

Every job includes a timer, so wreaths, garland, and landscape accents turn on and off with the roofline every evening.

Daytime Appeal

Wreaths, garland, and bows look festive during the day, which matters since the house is seen in daylight far more hours than at night.

Mailboxes and Lamp Posts

A mailbox post or lamp post wrapped with lights and a bow is a small touch that extends the display to the street and helps guests find the house.

Planters and Containers

Planters on the porch and steps can hold small lit trees, lit spheres, or winter greenery. They add color at eye level right where guests arrive.

Window Candles and Interior Glow

Window candles or a lit tree visible through the front window add warmth to the display from inside. Coordinating interior and exterior lights ties the whole house together.

Garage Accents

On homes where the garage faces the street, a wreath on the garage or garland along the garage trim keeps that part of the house from looking bare next to a lit entry.

Safety on Steps

Keep cords and decorations off walking surfaces and stair treads, especially during holiday gatherings when guests may be unfamiliar with the steps.

Adding Accents Over Time

Many homeowners start with the roofline one year and add wreaths, garland, and landscape accents in later years. Each addition builds on the last.

Commercial-Grade Materials

Commercial-grade wreaths, garland, and lights hold their color and shape better than many store-bought options and stand up to wind and rain through the season.

Matching Indoors and Out

Many homeowners like their outdoor accents to coordinate with indoor décor, such as using the same ribbon color on the front door wreath as on the tree inside. That small detail makes the whole home feel planned.

Neighborhood Character

Some Knoxville neighborhoods lean classic, with warm white and greenery throughout. Others love color and playful accents. Choosing finishing touches that fit your home and your neighborhood keeps the display feeling natural.

Takedown and Storage

Wreaths, garland, and landscape accents come down in January along with the roofline. Everything for your house goes into a tote labeled for that house, so the same accents go back in the same places next year.

With Permanent Lighting

If you have a permanent roofline system, seasonal finishing touches like wreaths, garland, and landscape accents add holiday texture each December without changing the roofline.

What a Finished Display Looks Like

Imagine this. Family arrives for the holidays. From the street, the roofline glows warm white. As they pull in, they see the lit wreath on the gable, starbursts sparkling in the beds, garland framing the front door, and a lit path leading them up the walk. Before they knock, the house already feels like the holidays.

What to Do Next

Look at your entry, porch, beds, and walkway, and note where wreaths, garland, and landscape accents would be most visible. Choose colors that complement your roofline, plan power for accents away from the house, and start with the areas guests see first.

New Age Lights of Knoxville serves West Knoxville, Farragut, Hardin Valley, Karns, Powell, and the surrounding area. Call (865) 264-0180 or request a free quote.

Here is what to expect. We will walk the roofline with you, talk through the look you want, and tell you plainly whether permanent or seasonal lighting is the better fit for your house before anything goes up.