It's a Classic Style Christmas this year with traditional red making its way back into my decor. I was looking back at past photos and missed the red, especially paired with the blue and white ginger jars. I love how festive and cheery the house feels by incorporating red. Thankfully, it complements the blue and white I already have in my home.
Let's get started at the front door with one of my favorite new things this year, these topiaries! They are real so I plan on having them around all year round (unless they don't make it which is a possibility with my black thumb). I love how cute they look with these red bows I added. It's also a hint of what is to come inside.
I love the little peek at the Christmas tree from the front door this year.
Classic green garland and red bows
I kept the dining room neutral because that's what I had on hand. Actually, the centerpiece came about because that's what was sitting on the table waiting to be put somewhere. I just left it there and grabbed a few picks to intersperse between the tree topiaries. I later realized that I did the exact same table a few years ago. I guess it was still there in my brain somewhere!
Here is my new framed Gracie wallpaper panel. I've always wanted one of these. Are you surprised I chose green? Me, too. It just spoke to me. The buffet lamps are new as well.
I happened to have a green ribbon on hand to give my horse a bow to match. I also added roses to my magnolia garland. It's such a pretty, romantic look.
These pictures aren't the best because I tried to brighten them up, but made them look green and washed out instead. One day I'll figure out how to take photos of windows!
I will change it up for Christmas Day dinner because I have to put the leaves in the table to accommodate all twelve of us. I also prefer to have real florals as low centerpieces so we can see each other. I usually have three arrangements, roses with cedar. I'll also have cedar pieces as a garland interspersed with votive candles. Maybe I'll throw some ornaments in there. I will put it together the day before Christmas Eve and just do whatever strikes me in the moment. I'll also put my champagne and dessert bar on the buffet again soon.
Let's go into the living room so I can show you not only my Christmas decorations, but my new DIY project! We built this wall of wainscoting the weekend before Thanksgiving. We started on Friday afternoon/evening and I finished painting it on Sunday night. It's the first time that we didn't do faux wainscoting. We actually put wood on the wall first instead of just adding trim boards over the drywall. In case you're wondering, the entire project cost $650 with paint. Not bad! It's much better than the $4000 quote I received from a contractor.
This wall has been an eyesore since before it was even built. I hated the corner fireplace and asked the builder to center it on the wall so we could have a bigger living room and a more symmetrical look. I knew that it was going to be a two story blank wall with zero architectural detail. Well, the builder wanted an astronomical amount just to redraw it (which I should have just paid in retrospect) so we lived with it. I considered knocking out the fireplace or adding a media center. The five figure prices for both had me doing nothing.
However, once I got the Frame TV last month I realized I didn't need a media center any longer. I just needed architectural detail. I played with several options, particularly the vertical shiplap like we did in the laundry room. I decided it was too casual for everything else in the room. This wainscoting is a classic look that goes with every style. We're actually thinking about doing the fireplace next and maybe even painting it a color. I'm still undecided on that. We definitely need someone to come in and frame that window because we don't have a tall enough ladder. I would show you a photo of how this wall looked before, but I rarely photographed it because it was such an eyesore.
The Christmas tree is in a new spot this year because it blocked the TV. I was disappointed at first, but I love that I can see it from every room now. If the lights were to go out, I would buy two slender trees to go on both sides of the window. Considering this is the second year we've had it that probably won't happen.
The mantel with the blue and white jars is a similar look I did years ago. I did change out the magnolia garlands because they were getting a little tired. I chose a 9 foot garland that fit perfectly, but I should have gotten two 6 foot garlands because the needles all go in one direction so they kind of flail out on the left side. Oh well, I'll reuse it somewhere next year and buy two six foot ones. I do love the look of it though.
This chandelier doesn't really go in the house any longer since I redecorated, but I still love the look of it all lit up at night.
The garland is very realistic, but it definitely needs to be layered with either a second one or it needs picks. I happened to have eucalyptus picks on hand so I just stuck them in there for a fuller look.
A closer look at the wainscoting and the Frame TV. I bought the gold frame separately. The finish on the TV is matte so it really looks like a piece of art.
This tree was such a balance of red and white. I wanted a touch of red so I added and took away until it was just right. There are only three red ornaments on the tree. The rest of the red colors are ribbons and picks. I also added in mini blue and white ginger jar ornaments and tied them with red ribbons.
I found ginger jar wrapping paper in red and blue on Etsy. I actually didn't buy any of it with a theme in mind. I just thought it was cute.
The walkway looks tight here, but in person it's actually quite wide.
My kitchen always looks best with pops of red. I didn't do much differently from a couple of years ago because I loved it so much.
Isn't this tree cutting board the cutest? I found it on sale at Hobby Lobby for $7. It had a hole at the top for hanging that looked weird to me so I added a bell to it. It's even cuter now!
I didn't do much to the breakfast room. I just added dried boxwood garlands to match what was in the kitchen to the new buffet. The centerpiece is the same as last year. This room is still a work in progress, but it has come such a long way. I didn't even photograph it for years! I love it now even if there are still things to be done.
It's fun to see the changes I've made over the last year in addition to the Christmas decorations. I didn't realize how much I have done. I can't wait to see what 2023 will bring!
