I wasn’t sure I’d get my dining room decorated before Christmas this year, but I took some time Friday morning to finish it up and photograph it.  Until then, the tree was up, but I was using the table and corners for incoming packages, storing bins of decor as I worked on other rooms, and wrapping presents.  So, I tidied up the mess and finished decorating.  We have our Christmas brunch in this room, so it’s nice to have it ready! velvet curtains | curtain rod | rug | tablecloth | pillows | mural details To add a seasonal touch up high, I put a faux pine garland mixed with an eucalyptus garland on top of the antique cabinet.  To me, it’s an easy surface to decorate that doesn’t interfere with functionality and is well out of reach of the cats. velvet curtains | curtain rod | rug | pillows

This year, I focused my Christmas decorating on our home’s three public (and most used) rooms – the kitchen, living room, and dining room.  Some years, I will add decor to the bedrooms, bathrooms, or my studio, but I decided to keep it simple.  I enjoyed decorating the kitchen and living room this year, but my favorite was the dining room.  For our first Christmas in the house, the walls still wore remnants of wallpaper glue and an old minty-green paint.  Last year, the walls were simply primed white.   (You can see that HERE.)  This year, the ceiling is freshly painted, wainscoting and trim have been installed and painted in Oval Room Blue, and a hand-painted mural (in the French block-print scenic wallpaper style) is about 90% finished.  There are still things to do, but it feels like a finished room. As I did with the kitchen and living rooms,