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A Traditional Christmas Home Tour

It's the most wonderful time of the year and today is one of the most exciting days. It's the Seasonal Simplicity Home Tour week and today I get to invite you in for a Christmas home tour. 

If you've arrived here from Dannyelle's home at Life Is A Party, welcome! My name is Jennifer and I live in a centre hall plan, Colonial style house in Toronto. I've embraced the traditional style I love and added touches of classic Christmas decor throughout our house. Come on in!

magnolia in ginger jar, christmas dining room decor

Traditional Christmas Decor Ideas


While I love decorating for Christmas, let's be honest: I haven't been in the mood to "go all out" this year. There'll be no large family gatherings or our annual Pancakes & Pajamas Party so really, any decor will only be seen by the three of us.

This year I've decided on minimal decor, except for the living room. A small vignette here, a wreath there... just enough to make our home feel festive.

I've also fallen deeper in love with traditional style. It's fun to play with accessories and decor but this year I've stuck with the tried and true for my Christmas decorations. 

You'll see magnolia leaves and candlesticks, skirted tables, and satin ribbon. Perhaps it's the need for comfort and nostalgia, but a classic look is what I've tried to achieve this Christmas. 

magnolia in ginger jar, christmas dining room decor


Here in the dining room I've decorated just one small corner. Faux magnolia leaves placed in a blue and white ginger jar and accented with a satin ribbon are enough to give a sense of the holidays. I knew classic blue and white vases were versatile and this proves they really do work for every season!

I love how the earthy green and red of the magnolia leaves repeat the colours of the wood furniture and floral wallpaper. Increasingly, I'm drawn to these deeper tones. They give me a sense of history and the familiar.

Let's head around the corner into the kitchen.

traditional christmas decor, traditional christmas home, classic christmas decor

kitchen at christmas, christmas kitchen decor, kitchen window garland


Kitchen Window Christmas Garland


Ignore the dated tiles and terrible faucet and focus on how pretty our kitchen window looks ;) I'm of the opinion that Christmas kitchen decorations shouldn't be elaborate or too ornate. After all, lots of cooking and moving about happens in the kitchen and you wouldn't want your decorations to get in the way or pose a safety hazard.

Our kitchen has very minimal holiday decor with only this window area getting some decor attention. A kitchen window is a beautiful feature to highlight for the holidays. A simple easy way to do this is to frame your kitchen window with garlands. 

The cedar garlands (I've used two) are ones I used on my mantel last year. They tuck in nicely behind the valence and look like they were meant to be there. A few accents like the nutcracker and red velvet ribbon on the pinecones add a dash of bright colour.

kitchen at christmas, christmas kitchen decor, kitchen window garland


kitchen at christmas, christmas kitchen decor, kitchen window garland

Looking this way, you can see how the fireplace draws you in. The red berry wreath on the powder room door and the vintage framed print are enough to provide a nice transition to the living room.

Living Room Christmas Decor


The living room is undoubtedly the most festive room in our home. This is the one spot I've decorated from top to bottom. Only fitting because it's the room in which we spend the most time at this time of year. That's mostly due to the fireplace but this room really does feel cozy and welcoming year round.


traditional christmas decor, living room at christmas, living room christmas decorations

traditional christmas decor, living room at christmas, living room christmas decorations

Get the Look:


One of my favourite things is coming up with my Christmas palette and this one - well, I have to say the colours and patterns are ones that are most "like me".

The combination of navy blue, blue grey, cream, and black is one you'll find throughout my home, and in my wardrobe! I'm always drawn to these hues.

traditional christmas decor, living room at christmas, living room christmas decorations

traditional christmas decor, living room at christmas, living room christmas decorations

I've paired these cool tones with rustic, natural accents. Look closely and you'll see the tree is wrapped with white berry garlands and fur garlands   too. There are frosted pinecones, woodland owls, and an owl (or three) tucked in amongst the branches. 

Icy blue ornaments and blue tartan bows add colour and classic style. Of course, you'll find presents wrapped in coordinating blue plaid and gingham wrapping paper beneath the tree.

traditional christmas decor, living room at christmas, living room christmas decorations

traditional christmas decor, living room at christmas, living room christmas decorations

Get the Look:


Our traditional mantel is a natural focal point in the room. My favourite detail is the glittery wreath on top of the mirror, hung with tartan ribbon that matches the bows on the tree.

traditional christmas decor, living room at christmas, living room christmas decorations

Across from the fireplace is this pretty scene. The modern art above the traditional roll arm sofa is one of my favourite moments. The faux fur and tartan pillows are classic and comfortable. 

Here are the only touches of red you'll see in the room. They act as a gentle tie-in with the adjoining red accents in the kitchen.

traditional christmas decor, living room at christmas, living room christmas decorations

A Tabletop Christmas Tree With Lights


At the other end of the room, you can see the one design risk I took in this space. I decided to move our pair of arm chairs down to the basement and replace them with this skirted table and ottomans and tabletop tree.

I've always wanted a tabletop tree and this year I thought it would be fun to have two trees in the living room. This particular tree is 3'. It's tall enough to catch your attention without overwhelming this side of the room.

tabletop christmas tree, traditional christmas decor, living room at christmas


This particular tree is a plug-in and has a cord with a pedal to click the lights on and off. You can also find tabletop trees that run on batteries but I find battery lights don't shine quite as bright so I opted for one that plugs in. Just need to be wary about tripping on the cord ;)

I've decorated this tree with my smaller, more classic ornaments. I have a collection of glass egg-shaped vintage looking ornaments that disappear on a bigger tree but are just right in this instance. I've paired them with mercury glass ornaments, glittery birds, and the clear glass icicle ornaments I've had for over a decade. Those where the ornaments I bought for my first Christmas tree in my first condo and always bring back special memories.

living room at christmas, christmas decor ideas, buffalo plaid chair, cozy living room

The tree sits in a silver champagne bucket and I've placed a few smaller gifts around its base. The table skirt is one I sewed for our One Room Challenge basement project. I'm a fan of the repeating grid patterns on the skirt and ottomans.


traditional christmas decor, christmas bookshelves, bookshelf styling, living room at christmas

Get the Look:



The view of the tabletop tree is framed nicely by our built-ins. I am so happy we got these built-ins made three years ago. They make this long living room more much more functional, not to mention the addition of a cozy bench seat in between.

I've styled the shelves in rustic, classic tones similar to the tree. This neutral palette of golds, blacks, and creams contrasts beautifully with the soft greige paint (Farrow and Ball Ammonite).

Christmas Living Room At Night


This room is welcoming and lovely during the day but I couldn't let you leave without a glimpse of this room at night. It really is at its coziest once the sun starts to set and the fire is on.

traditional living room at christmas, christmas tree at night, christmas living room at night

traditional living room at christmas, christmas tree at night, christmas living room at night



traditional living room at christmas, christmas tree at night, christmas living room at night

traditional living room at christmas, christmas tree at night, christmas living room at night


Okay, there's one more stop on our Christmas Home Tour. Let's head down to the basement!

Basement Christmas Decor


I haven't decorated much in the basement except for two small areas. First is the wet bar, which you might have seen in my DIY wreath post.

basement wet bar, basement kitchen, kitchenette

basement wet bar, basement kitchen, kitchenette

I used this kitchenette as my wreath making and flower arrangement station. I have my vases stored in the cabinets and it's great to have a sink to wash up at.

I've styled the floating shelves with just a few Christmas accessories. The faux garland and the real wreath I made (hanging on the peg rail) add texture and colour. We don't get much natural light down here so it's nice to have a touch of greenery for the season.


christmas bannister garland, christmas stair decor

I've hung one other DIY wreath on our craft room door. The craft room is our headquarters for gift wrapping, card writing, and crafting so it's a fun bustle of activity this time of year!

christmas bannister garland, christmas stair decor


Sean has also used this room as his work from home office during the pandemic. The shiplap wall provides a nice background for all of those zoom meetings, ha!

I keep this room pretty true to its nautical style, so a few blue and white pillows keep it looking crisp and bright.

christmas bannister garland, christmas stair decor

Stair Garland for Christmas


I've had a bit of fun styling this area though! We installed a new hand rail and pickets during our basement renovation and I knew I wanted to deck this area for Christmas.

I've used the same magnolia garlands I have on our living room mantel. Here I've accented the garland with simple black ribbon.

christmas bannister garland, christmas stair decor

The black ribbon picks up on the black vintage skates and the black handle on the laundry room door. I usually use the skates to style my front porch so the blades are quite rusty, lol!  

Isn't the decal on the laundry room door cute? With the skates and wrapped packages, this vignette has charming vintage appeal

christmas bannister garland, christmas stair decor

I love how joyful and happy this display is. It truly puts our family in a happy, festive mood. I hope it's done the same for you! 

Now I hope you'll hop over for a tour at April's home at House by Hoff and visit all of the lovely homes showcased this week.

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This week I'm joining some of my talented blogging friends for the Christmas Seasonal Simplicity Series home tour week! We're all sharing part of our home decked out for Christmas. Be sure to check out these fabulous Christmas decor ideas by clicking on the links below each image.

 

Sharing with me today...

Friday






And sharing the rest of the week...

Monday



 

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