I have just one more space to share for Christmas this year – our dining room. The dining room is still just wearing primer on the walls (we had the wallpaper stripped earlier this year and it’s next on my list to paint), so I debated even decorating it, but we’ll be eating our Christmas brunch in there as well as doing puzzles and playing games, so I just couldn’t help myself! When we took walls down during our kitchen renovation, it also opened the sidelines, so it’s nice to see a decorated dining room from the kitchen, foyer, and even living room.
First, I have to share the view into the dining room from the kitchen.
We built that shelf to hang by the side door a few months ago (You can find the details HERE) and it’s worked so well to make a little landing area for hanging jackets, Sebastian’s leash, etc. I also added a petite yet sturdy antique chair under the shelf to provide a place to drop a bag or to sit on when putting on shoes. It also provides a bit of definition for the space as a “mini mudroom.” Yes, we end up with a pile of shoes on the floor by the antique chair, but that’s just life.
dressing a chandelier for Christmas | norfolk pine tree | key tassels | rug
Normally, I don’t put decorative stuff on the chair so it can be used for practical things, but it was the perfect place to put a little evergreen tree in a crock. I put some pinecones collected from neighborhood walks around the base of it to camouflage that it’s artificial.
You can find a tutorial on making Selbu mittens HERE (I knitted these a couple of years ago) and the sweater is from Garnet Hill.
I bought the dining room table off of Facebook Marketplace a few months ago and plan on refinishing the table (and maybe the chairs) once the weather warms up. It’s all still a work in progress, but I think it looks so pretty decorated for Christmas that you don’t even notice the things that aren’t done or what is just a temporary placeholder until I figure out exactly what I want to do in this room.
Of course, the piece that’s the central focus is the antique European cabinet I bought last year from Ekster Antiques. It might be one of my favorite pieces ever. It’s just such a stunner and the rest of the room will be designed around that.
Because the table needs to be refinished, it is covered with a tablecloth from JSH Home Essentials. It’s not a Christmas-specific tablecloth, but it definitely works for Christmas and I prefer to have linens and things that can work year-round.
I spent some time earlier this week making some cinnamon salt dough “gingerbread” houses and I made one a bit larger than the rest to be a centerpiece of sorts on the dining room table. You can find the recipe HERE. I layered it on one of my antique ironstone cake pedestals. If you missed it, I found three of them this summer! You can read about that HERE.
I surrounded it with branches and sprigs of faux evergreens, some satin ribbon, orange slices, and brass sleighbells. And, because they are the new thing this Christmas, I also added some flameless taper candles. I feel like it’s a centerpiece that looks classic but isn’t overly fancy or complicated. It’s also not so tall that we have to move it out of the way so everyone can see each other!
I love how the crystals peek out of the greenery on the chandelier. It’s so pretty and one of my favorite parts of dressing a crystal chandelier for Christmas.
The tree is a 6.5′ pine tree I got at a deep discount after Thanksgiving. I wanted a place to hang our mini advent stockings (Calvin looks forward to those each year), so I hung those as ornaments along with some chunky crochet bauble garland, and mini LED candles in vintage-style holders. I topped it off with a gold star from Sweet Shady Lane. I was so happy to be able to use my antique goat cart again! I had wanted one for years and finally found the perfect one shortly after we moved to Minnesota. I have used it most years to hold a Christmas tree. I just fit the stand in the cart and surround it with sugar pinecones to hide the stand and cord for the lights.
I’m using some layered blue and white plates in different patterns. The dinner plate is from HomeGoods, and the salad plate and berry bowl are antiques.
I added a couple of orange slices to the berry bowl for some color and then topped it off with a satin ribbon, a brass sleigh bell, and a gift tag to use as a place marker.
I bought the flatware at a thrift store last year. It was $1/piece and I could tell it was a very old set, so I just couldn’t resist buying them. I also don’t mind if the monograms aren’t mine. I think they are a part of the history of the piece.
I added a small bone-handled fork since I didn’t have a salad fork in this set. I actually prefer mixing and matching tableware, though. I think it’s more interesting and speaks to my nature as a collector.
The tags and brass sleigh bells are also from JSH Home Essentials. The blue satin ribbon was bought locally at Hobby Lobby.
The dining room in this house is a bit of a challenge because there is a lot of wall space, it’s not symmetrical, and it’s fairly large. Just a table and one cabinet or buffet isn’t enough to fill the space, but I want each piece to add to the overall look of the room. I’m trying to avoid plugging something in just because it fits. As in other rooms, I also have baseboard vents to work around. I always pictured built-ins in this room to fill the walls and convert it to a library/dining room, but I’m not 100% on that idea, yet. So, for the time being, I am using pieces I already have until I know just what I want to do.
I bought this antique oak cabinet to go by the side door before I knew we could remove the kitchen walls. I was still hoping it would fit by the door, but the space is a little too tight (and there is a vent!) I hung a consignment store mirror from our last house over it to reflect the window light (and the Christmas tree.) I added a faux cedar garland and a tassel garland I already had.
The antique European stag antlers are from MS Taxidermy.
Reflections are always a good idea in a dining room!
Thankfully, the primer on the wall is white, so you really don’t notice it until you look at the baseboards or you get too close. I can’t wait to get some color on these walls, though. I may even pull out my mural brushes again…
21 Responses
I’ve said it before but I absolutely love that European cabinet! A beautiful piece!
Eeek! Love your tree in the German wagon! I put my Grandma’s tree with all of her antique ornaments on it in my wagon. So nostalgic and delightful! Merry Christmas!
Ohhhh! I’m glad you decided to decorate your dining room! It’s lovely. That little goat cart is so charming.
Thanks for sharing this stunning room! Proving once again it doesn’t have to be perfect & showroom worthy to be gorgeous!
Beautiful!!! Pure perfection. YES!!! Another mural would be awesome.
YES, I have to agree, all older homes had huge dining rooms. I think it goes back to generations gathering together every Sunday for the big meal…enjoying all the fruits of their labors and all of God’s blessings. When you see new homes now, it almost seems like a dining room is an afterthought. I lived in a 1905 Craftsman home and the dining room was bigger than the parlor!!!
Merry Christmas 2023 Marian!!!!…. and to all of your extended family.
Oh!!! My goodness!!!! I just noticed on the bottom of your page your selection of pet portraits!!!!! They are AMAZING!!!! You REALLY have a talent for capturing the pet/animal style. God has surely blessed you with MANY talents. …And you are alway kind and sweet in your writings!!!! Go Girl!
It’s just beautiful. Can you tell me what type of wood your tall cabinet is?
It appears to be either tiger or birdseye maple.
I really love this room! So cozy and European feeling. I’m eager to see what color (or mural pattern?) you paint and how it looks after Christmas decorations are taken down.
Just the thought of a mural post coming up makes me excited!!! I love all the dusty blues and greens in this room! Being a child of the 80s, and my parents being married in the 60s, one would think I’d be thoroughly tired of those colors, but they just look so cozy! And you have such a way of making things look timeless, yet new and exciting, all in the same breath!
Beautiful! I love how you decorated this room for Christmas.
Absolutely charming! You’ve created such an inviting space! I was wondering if you’ve thought of replacing the door from the kitchen with one that has glass panes?
Your dining room is beautiful! While not traditional, the colors on the table are festive and cheerful – and of course the plates and silver ware are stunning. Honestly, I love all the furniture in your dining room; the wood colors and vintage look and feel fill the room with an inviting sense of history and richness. Our 1976 ranch has a dining room area at the end of the living room. For the first time in my entire life (and I’m 68!) I needed and added a china hutch I found on Facebook Marketplace. I”m still working on filling the space, so thank you for the inspiration! My best wishes to you and your entire family for a warm and cheerful Christmas!
Lovely table, per Miss Mustard Seed normal! I especially love the dinner plates. Unfortunately, I did not see them on the Home Goods website. Any chance you know the pattern? I would love to see if I can find the plates at another store. Best wishes, Merry Christmas and many thanks for the continued inspiration!
Elizabeth, go to the Homegoods store frequently. In our area stores they always have a blue and white dish section. That’s how I built my collection. You can’t always get multiples of the same pattern but that’s the fun of it. Merry Christmas.
Elizabeth, in case you needed the pattern name, those dishes are “Devon Cottage” by Johnson Brothers. They have them at Replacements, but of course there they are a bit expensive. I’ve never seen them at my HomeGoods, but after the pandemic, dishes are hard to come by at the Marshalls/TJ Maxx/HomeGoods stores. Hopefully, “the dish days” will return one day.
Your dining room table is beautiful, and of course I love the blue dishes, but…PLEEEAAAASE tell me you didn’t sell the 12 days of Christmas dishes you had in your previous home (the ones that had your favorite colors of hard to find blues and greens) !!!! I coveted those dishes when you first showed them in a post, and I didn’t go and on the hunt for them because I already have 4 sets of Christmas china – I would be forced to sleep outside to turn my bedroom into a dish storage closet. I hope you use that set in your kitchen breakfast table?? Maybe???
I do still have them! I actually need to find them!! I didn’t unpack my boxes of china and crystal and they are still in the basement, but that’s on the to-do list for this year. I need to finish unpacking everything, get things properly organized and clear out what I can’t use in a meaningful way.
And I get your dish problem. I have the same issue!!
Everything is so warm and inviting like walking into a petite forest with all the greenery and woods.
So nice for your family to enjoy your home this year with all your creative touches. Merry Christmas!!!
Where do you find your quilts?
Your dining room decorations and furniture are gorgeous!
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to you and your family! Can you tell me where
you got the super cute rug under the chair in your kitchen. Its exactly what I have been
looking for