Christmas Decorating Tips: Creating a Cozy and Elegant Home

choosing a color scheme

Choosing your color palette is the first step towards creating an elegant yet cozy Christmas home. This year, I chose gold and blue in various shades for our holiday decor.

I have tons of vintage brass candlesticks and gold glass ornaments that I have thrifted for years so gold tones seemed to be the perfect primary color to use.

Blue is an obvious secondary color choice, especially if I am going for a traditional Christmas look. Blue is a color I want to incorporate more of in our home anyway!

Neutral tones are easy to add to any decor. I will be using creamy whites on the tree, in the table linens, and for the tree skirt!

fireplace mantel decor

First up, let’s look at the fireplace mantel in our living room. Our mantel is decked out with faux pine greenery, small Christmas trees, upcycled thrift store bell garland, and a gorgeous pre-lit Christmas wreath on the sliding TV door!

We have used live evergreens on our fireplace mantel in the past. This year we are using faux, pre-lit garland, and other faux evergreens. The pre-lit pieces are battery-powered so it’s the set-it-and-forget kind of decorating that I love!

The mantel also has a few small barely white Christmas trees from Hobby Lobby. I say ‘barely white’ because they have just enough white sparkle to look like the branches are frozen!

We do not hang our Christmas stockings on the mantel because we take them with us when we travel to see our children and their families. 

Plus, the stockings don’t match! We have added them to our collection as our family has grown. That’s 40+ years of a variety of stocking styles!

Tap the button below to see the full post showing our fireplace mantel decor!

decorate the Christmas tree

Our tree is looking beautiful this year in blues and gold! I used vintage gold and blue glass ornaments, velvet ribbons in blue and gold, a few diy ornaments, and lots of sparkly lights!

Since I am still adding to my collection of blue glass ornaments, I purchased a new set of vintage-inspired deep blue ornaments. They are gorgeous in person!

I used blue wrapping paper for gifts under the tree. This added blue to the whole look of the tree without breaking the bank!

The tree needed a third color, so I threw in some creamy white decorations, including velvet ribbon and glass ornaments, both new and old.

This year, I did not add a tree topper. At first, I didn’t think I needed one. But I am wondering if that was a bad decision. Let me know what you think! Do you always use a tree topper on your Christmas tree?

I know you will find more inspiration when you read the post about our blue and gold Christmas tree! Tap the button below to see it!

set the mood with lighting

The right kind of lighting will make or break the elegant yet cozy vibe in any home. Overhead lighting is a definite no-no!

This year, I chose to use vintage brass candlesticks with battery-powered candles. Nothing says elegant and cozy like candles lit throughout your home! Battery-powered candles are a safe way to get the cozy vibe!

Battery-powered string lights create a beautiful effect on our mantel. This is an easy way to light up an area that doesn’t have power outlets.

Add pillar candles to the coffee table in the living room for a cozy feeling. I added a couple to the washstand near our Christmas tree that can be seen from our front door.

Use real scented candles in any room. I like scents that remind me of the season like pine, peppermint, and anything baking-related!

creating a festive tablescape

Our dining room table area opens up to the other main areas in our home. I knew I had to have a pretty centerpiece for the large table!

First, I layered an antique lace tablecloth that belonged to my mom. We used it when I was a child for every holiday. One year I used the lace tablecloth on our buffet with silver and ironstone. It was so pretty!

After laying out the lace tablecloth on the dining table, I scrunched it up to create texture It’s almost like lacey snow on the table! Then I placed a large ironstone platter in the center. 

Greenery and diy Christmas ornaments lay on top of the lace tablecloth. I also placed an upcycled finial home decor piece on the platter.

Next, I added as many vintage brass candlesticks as I had battery-powered taper candles for! They are mismatched and I love the look of it! I also added wire string lights in and around the candlesticks. The battery pack is hidden under the lace.

kitchen decorating ideas

I’m keeping it very simple in the kitchen while still adding a bit of holiday cheer to the well-used space. I will share additional ideas to get your creative juices flowing!

On our kitchen island, I added three medium-sized ironstone pitchers with two very small faux trees between them. They all sit on an upcycled tablecloth runner in creamy white. All of the colors look perfect with the color palette I chose for our home this year.

The long narrow table in our kitchen has ironstone soup tureens and a vintage copper bowl filled with white-painted pine cones and dried magnolia branches. The vintage crotched piece under the copper bowl adds elegant flair to the kitchen.

Here are some additional ideas you could incorporate in your kitchen:

• Fill a basket with faux red berries. You can also find faux berries in blue and gold! Add greenery pics and pine cones.
• Make simple ornaments from slices of oranges you have dried. Tie a velvet ribbon to each slice and hang them on your cabinet doors!
• Drape faux garlands on the top of your kitchen cabinets. Add battery-powered string lights for added elegance!
• Add poinsettias to the corners of your kitchen counters for a splash of color. Look for creamy white poinsettias for a cozy yet elegant Christmas vibe. Change out the shiny plastic wrapper on the pots with a white cloth napkin tied on with a velvet ribbon.

front porch Christmas decoration ideas

The front porch is the place we welcome our holiday guests and the constant package delivery people! So let’s give it some cozy Christmas magic too!

I’ve added an upcycled pine cone wreath in all white pinecones to our front door. The pine cones were painted and then I added sparkly glass glitter to them for a touch of elegance.

We wanted to include a few more natural elements to the front porch so hubby I dug up small cedar saplings on our wooded land and potted them in our garden pots I found in my garden shed. I used vintage burlap to cover the pots and we placed them in our faded red wagon in the corner of our front porch.

You will also see the cute framed upcycled art project I made with decoupage paper hanging on our antique door!

A pair of thrift store ice skates and a small faux greenery swag are near the front door. Those skates need a little more vintage added to them. Maybe I will get around to that next year!

I placed a faux wreath in the big black potting urn next to the door and layered in a wrapped package, a thrifted French horn, large ornament, and a box that looks like a star. The window wall art I made this summer is the perfect place for a cotton boll star I made a few years ago.

final touches for an elegant and cozy look

Here are some tips to add the finishing touches when creating an elegant yet cozy vibe to your holiday decor. Use these ideas and let your spirit get creative!

• vintage brass
• white ironstone
• crystal and glassware
• velvet ribbon in gold, silver and blue (or any color you love!)
• twinkling lights
• vintage linens
• old quilts in your color palette
• ​festive bedding or throws in the bedrooms
• dried orange slice ornaments and garlands
• tie velvet ribbons to your existing decor
• incorporate scents of the season using candles, simmering pots and home-cooked food
• large wooden snowflakes covered in sparkly glass glitter for the front porch

I hope these ideas spur you to add your personal touch and traditions to your holiday decorating!

From my family to yours, Merry Christmas and a Blessed New Year!

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