2020 Holiday Home Tour
How does a holiday home tour sound today?! I finally finished decorating and made time to photograph our home decked out for Christmas. I have to say- this year our decor looks a little different and went in an unexpected direction. It’s far more colorful and less traditional than previous years, but I’m really liking the way it shaped up. Click through for my big 2020 holiday home tour!
Let’s start in the formal living room, coming into the house from our backyard. This is the space that received the most holiday decor in our home this year. It’s makes sense because it’s located at the center of our house. We’re constantly hanging out in here or passing through. It’s a cheerful, bright, sun-drenched room!
My entire holiday palette was inspired by the throw pillows on our curved sofa. I’m normally not a pink or blush kind of gal, but I really embraced and gravitated toward rosewood, burnt sienna, merlot, and golden hues this year. They felt so warm, cheerful, and elegant!
This year we got a new tree, and I’m really happy with the looks of it! Emmett and I have always had faux trees- even as children. We both have pretty severe allergies and asthma, and I don’t have much tolerance for cleaning up pine needles, so faux is the only way we go when it comes to our tree. This one looks very convincing, fit our budget, and is pre-lit. Emmett did a fantastic job putting it up, and I had a lot of fun adding the decor.
This year I was very into decorating with ribbons… specifically with long, dramatic tails. I’m a sucker for velvet. If you’re looking for a ribbon tying tutorial, I shared one- click here!
I also added some new ornaments to our collection (I usually add 3-4 new ones each year). Many you’ll recognize from our shop: a beautiful beaded floral ornament, etched ornaments, a few classic ornaments with velvet ribbon, and these fun textural metallic ornaments.
Our fireplace also got the holiday treatment. I layered some of my favorite long pine needle garland onto the mantel, added some books, candles, gorgeous crystal orbs that beautifully reflect the light, and hung our stockings.
I receive a LOT of questions about our stockings, and they are actually a simple and budget-friendly DIY project I tackled a couple years ago.
It’s actually a genius idea, if I do say so myself… stocking slipcovers! It’s so easy to change the way your stockings look each year- just like putting on a pillowcase. I’ve used the same “cover” the past two years, but maybe next year I’ll make new ones.
My most prized Christmas decor is my vintage brass deer. These things might not look that large in photos, but in real life they’re pretty big- two feet!
Instead of placing our gifts under the tree like I normally would, I decided to do something different this year and style them around our living room. It was actually really fun and reminded me of Christmas as a child. My dad would always hide my presents or put them in odd places. It always makes me smile to think of him.
Why not use gifts as coffee table decor? If I’m going to take the time to beautifully wrap them, why not show them off instead of shoving them under a tree in the corner? I’m envisioning a scavenger hunt on Christmas morning. Haha! Did you notice that one on the mantel, pictured above? I scattered them all over.
I’m also very into prisms, crystals, orbs, and clear glass ornaments this season. The way the light has been reflecting and bouncing around our living room has been magical. I found a 12-pack of clear acrylic “diamonds” for $3 and decided I might as well add them to my gift wrap as well. It’s a fun little detail and personal touch that can double as an ornament next year.
If you missed my holiday shelf styling on Instagram, I’m linking it for you! I shared my entire process for swapping our seasonal built-in decor, and it’s honestly fun to watch. I truly just love this room. I’m so glad we took our time with it!
My mini cedar wreaths are from our shop, Tuesday Made. Unfortunately, they sold out FAST. I’ve already made a note in my calendar to order wayyy more next Christmas, so if you missed them this year… I’ll be sure to let you know once I have more.
Have you been picking up on my living room holiday color palette? It really surprised me because I never go for pink! I’m liking it though. I asked Emmett his opinion and he was fully on board and said it looks and feels very nice. I’ll take that as a win!
I didn’t do much decorating on the opposing side of the room because between the tree, fireplace, and built-ins, there is a LOT going on. I added a simple faux cedar potted tree to our console table and called it done.
I liked the terra cotta tone the planter brought to this side of the room, continuing my warm color palette. I also bought the most beautiful mini ginger jar ornaments for our shop (I literally ordered them last April!) knowing they would be perfect for this space and look amazing on our tree. Long story short, you all loved them just as much as me, and they sold out before I could snag a few for myself. Haha! I’m hoping to order more next year and I’ll definitely be putting some back for myself. Ready to move into the kitchen?
I’m not going to go into great detail for this room, because I shared a specific Christmas in the Kitchen Tour last week. Go check it out, if you missed it!
I kept it very simple from a seasonal standpoint in here: garland over the two windows, a topiary on the counter, a new oversized serving board, and a couple fresh kitchen towels.
I’m looking forward to a little holiday break in a few weeks- I plan on doing a LOT of holiday baking in here. If you’re into that, I highly recommend my grandmother’s classic Christmas cookies. Before we venture into the basement, here is a quick peek at our entryway…
I hang the same long pine needle garland down our stair bannister each holiday season. We have yet to renovate this space, but I have big dreams for it someday! For now, I enjoy styling our marble entry table. The lamp came from an estate sale over the summer, and my new favorite ambiance trick is lighting candles inside of dark hurricanes. Of course you already know about my vintage hand.
Just outside the entry is this beautiful scene…. although I have to confess- this was last year. Our decor is the EXACT same (there is zero difference) except we’re missing our beloved snowfall. Utah is unseasonably dry right now. We’re hoping for a predicted snowstorm to roll in this weekend. I love our house under a blanket of snow, looking like a winter wonderland. Back inside, let’s head downstairs…
I put our small, flocked tree in our basement media room this year. We didn’t really get to enjoy it in the entryway last year, and we spend far more time downstairs lounging, so this felt like an appropriate place for it. I styled it in my vintage brass wastebasket.. isn’t it beautiful?! I felt like it didn’t even need ornaments. Sometimes I prefer a simple, naked tree- especially if it’s flocked with beautiful texture!
The vintage skis come out each holiday season and stay throughout our long Utah winter. Emmett found these vintage skis when we were dating in high school and they’ve been a holiday decor staple for us ever since. They are really beautiful and special to us! In addition to seasonal decor, I also pull out our heavy textiles for the winter- like our favorite faux fur throw. I also styled in some new accessories, just for fun and to switch things up. That modern vase is one of my new go-to pieces for table styling these days.
There you have it… our 2020 holiday decor tour! Did you enjoy it? Let me know your thoughts or if you have questions about anything in the comment section below. Are you finished decorating your home for the holidays? Would anyone be interested in a nighttime holiday tour, with everything lit up and aglow? Let me know and I’ll plan to photograph our house again in the evening. Our exterior holiday lights are next level beautiful. We had them professionally installed for the first time ever, and I’m incredibly impressed!
