Chinese New Year is all about good fortune and luck, making sure you are decorating in a way that brings you the most luck and fortune for the new year. Many people decorate with the word “fortune” upside down because in Chinese when you say “Fortune upside down” it sounds like “Fortune has arrived”  so many people have this on their doors or walls. This one was custom built by Designer Dance Floors. Of course, you have to include some décor with the animal that represents the year ahead. The rest of the backdrop is decorated with red and gold, which are all considered to be lucky colours. Red is the colour of power, strength, and luck while gold symbolizes wealth.

Fresh flowers signal a new year and new energy, so they are popular for decor and gifting at the home. Decorate with bright warm colours. Persimmons represent longevity and luck. Use these as a place setting name card or decoration. The ones I have here are an engraved porcelain persimmon decoration from Doris Wai Lai See.

If you’re in a location where you can host a small group, or you feel like getting fancy at home with your family, you can consider renting place settings in lucky colours. Renting, also makes it easier to clean up like the ones from Simply Beautiful Décor.

Food is such a big part of the Chinese New Year tradition. Steamed fish, dumplings, longevity noodles and more can be expected.
Food always is eaten for its symbolism for luck, wealth, and prosperity and in that sense, it’s part of the room decor. It’s also a great time to support local restaurants. You can order on-location if you want a traditional Chinese meal. Hong Shing Restaurant has a Lunar New Year Set Menu offered complete with Crab Claw, Fried Cod, Golden Fried Rice and Longevity Noodles. If you are looking for something more opulent, you can pick up a Lunar New Year Afternoon Tea set from Shangri-La Hotel Toronto, which includes beautiful Dim Sum, Savoury scones, and desserts like White peach oolong panna cotta, honey tofu and osmanthus and raspberry mousse. Yum!

Don’t decorate with black or white! Both are not auspicious colours, as both colours relate to funerals – Black in the western culture and white in the Asian cultures. We always want to focus on life and new energy around the new year.