I am so excited to be sharing my home today as part of the 2015 Holiday Home Tour hosted by the fabulous and talented Marty from A Stroll Thru Life. If you’re visiting from Carmel at Our Fifth House, welcome! I’m Kim!
My decorating style tends to be a mix of textures and finishes and I like to sprinkle a bit of the old with the new. When it comes to Christmas decorating, I have two different styles – one for me and one for my kids. My personal style is a more neutral, elegant look that doesn’t necessarily rely on “traditional” Christmas decor, but rather pulls from nature. So think greenery, pinecones, nuts, flowers, etc., set off by muted colors and metallics with a cozy look. My more formal spaces are decorated for me, so let’s start the tour!
Front Porch
Every season, I update my bare twig wreath with new stems and accessories to make a “new” wreath. This way, it’s more affordable and I don’t have to store multiple wreaths. You can find a step-by-step tutorial with photos {HERE}.
I started decorating for Christmas so early this year that there we no fresh greenery anywhere to be found! Instead, I decided to use preserved boxwood, which is a favorite of mine year-round. I then added a white feather boa for a touch of the unexpected.
A large bow and ornament along with some faux antlers completed the look.
Living Room
Just inside the front door is my formal living room where we put the tree every year. This year, I was thrilled to be selected as one of Balsam Hill’s 12 Bloggers of Christmas. I chose to decorate my tree with some elegant, vintage touches in gold, silver, white, and blue.
This tree has two decorating secrets, though.
Secret #1 – This is not a flocked tree! I gave it a slightly snowy look by tucking snow-covered branches in it. This way, I have the flexibility to use it as a flocked tree one year, and a plain the next!
Secret #2 – I had my heart set on pearl garland, but couldn’t find any that I liked at the time {this was back in October}. Instead, I purchased Halloween flapper costume necklaces on clearance and literally draped them on the branches! So when it comes to holiday decorating, don’t just use what’s available in the Christmas section but be sure to look around the entire store for anything that might work for you.
Secret #3 – I skip traditional tree skirts and instead, use throws. This way, I can use it year-round and don’t have to store something that I only use once a year. Plus, throws are generally bigger than tree skirts allowing me to bunch and scrunch to perfection! This year, I tucked lots of goodies under the tree including books, trophies, antlers and ornaments.
I love the soft glow the tree gives off at night.
You can find more pictures and details about my tree {HERE}.
Dining Room
Adjacent to my living room is my dining room, so I decided to maintain a similar look and feel to create a flow between the two rooms.
I added boxwood wreaths to the backs of my chairs and I love how this small change creates such an impact.
The table is set with white ironstone, boxwood, silver, and bells.
And because I wasn’t using red in this room, I decided to go with a bolder blue.
Normally I wrap the chandelier with fresh greenery, but this year, in lieu of greenery, I decided to add a boa and bells which turned out to be quite the focal point!
More pictures and details about my dining room can be found {HERE}.
Kitchen
I don’t do a ton of decorating in the kitchen because this space is always in use and with two little ones, it gets messy quickly! When I do decorate, though, I tend to use kitchen-related items and food instead of traditional Christmas decor.
This 3-Tier Round Display from Mothology is one of my absolute favorites and I had so much fun dressing it up for the holidays!
I added boxwood, pomegranates, mandarin oranges, and nuts with touches of silver and white sprinkled throughout.
Next to my stove, I traded my silver champagne bucket for my vintage trophies to create a cute vignette.
On my wall, I updated the look of my vintage herb nesting crates with more greenery and feather boas.
Family Room
The family room is where the kids hang out, watch TV, and play, so it’s definitely a brighter, bolder decorating style than the rest of the house. I repeated my vintage ladder advent calendar again this year {post HERE}.
I also updated the TV Gallery Wall with a festive feel for the holidays! More details coming soon!
I hope you’ve enjoyed my tour and will stop by again for a visit! If you’re new to Tidbits&Twine and want to sign up to receive new posts via email, you can do so {HERE}. You can also follow me on Facebook, Pinterest, or Instagram to see what I’m up to.
And don’t forget to PIN IT!
Now, head on over to Monica Wants It to take a tour of her home all decked out for the holidays! You won’t be disappointed!
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What a beautiful home you have! I love your dining room with the boxwood wreaths on the chairs!
Gorgeous! Every single detail is just perfect, love it all!
Thank you, Cristina!!! :) Kim
Everything is lovely. I liked your kitchen and the lack of much decor. It doesn’t happen in my house either with my 2 teens and daughter’s family dropping by with grandkids which we love! Merry Christmas! Linda
So well done. Elegant and fun. Thanks for all of the great ideas. There will be a run on fluffy, white boas this weekend : )
Gorgeous! Your trees looks beautiful, love the wreaths everywhere too!
Beautiful! Love your tree!
Gorgeous tour!! Love all of the fresh greens!
Kim,
So pretty. I love the homemade wreath and certainly the pearl garland strands are great on your tree.
Happy Holidays.
Karen
Absolutely gorgeous, Kim! Happy Holidays!
xx,
Sherry
Thank you, Sherry!
Kim I think your tree might just be my favorite in blogland. Love the “pearl garlands”.
I’ll be featuring it my round up tour this Saturday.
May the blessings of the season be yours.
Hi Laura – You are so sweet! Thank you for your kind comment and for the feature! Happy holidays! :) Kim
Gorgeous. Everything is so beautiful and I adore the use of the boas, how fun on the chandy. Your tree is amazing and of course you know I always drool over your dining room.