Christmas room tour | family room

by | Dec 10, 2015 | All Things Home, Decorating, Family Room, Holiday, My House, Winter | 19 comments

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As a part of the Just a Girl “One Room Tour”, I’m sharing my family room all decorated for Christmas.

If you’re coming from Decor Chick or Just a Girl for the first time, welcome.  (And, of course, my regulars are always welcome!)

I decided to share my family room today, because it’s the room we spend most of our time in.  It’s where we play and do homework and watch TV.  In fact, I’m sitting on our family room sofa as I write this post…on my usual side, leaned up against my usual pillow.

This is probably my least favorite room to photograph, though. The living and dining rooms get amazing light and they totally spoil me when it comes to photography.  This room faces north and it is just a tough one to shoot without bringing in lights and scrims and all of that gear that I would rather not drag out!

Now that I’ve gotten that off my chest, let’s chat about the room.

Last year, I positioned our tree right in front of the window.  I accidentally picked out an enormous tree – a nine footer with a wide girth.  It was almost comical.  That accident turned out to be the best tree we’ve ever selected.  It was so full and fluffy and grand.  Yes, I had to go out and buy four more strands of lights, but I loved that tree.  It was worth it.

So, we went to the tree farm this year, hoping for a similar tree.  The pickings were a little slim when it came to the 8-9 foot section and we didn’t come prepared to cut our own.  The guys at the farm pulled one out from the back.  They told me it would relax and look fuller once I got it home.  I was trying to play it cool and not be high maintenance, so I went with it.

And this is one of the strangest trees we ever bought.  There were branches that were braided into one another and, when I freed them, they stuck out two feet past all the rest of the branches.  And, the trunk is crooked, so it always looks like it’s threatening to tip over.  As I looked over the deficiencies of this tree, my heart sank.  I really wanted a tree like the one we got last year and I didn’t get it.  And I picked it out, so it was totally my fault.

This tree, being much slimmer than last year, looked wrong in front of the window.  The light from the window seemed to highlight all of the wonkiness happening, anyway, so I took a day to just stare at the tree and the room, so I could figure out how this tree and I could coexist happily.

I decided to put him in the corner.

And even though he’s still wonky, he’s able to put his best foot (or side, as it were) forward, and I can see he’s not so bad.  He’s even a little handsome, but let’s not push it.

I loaded him up with lights.  (I don’t know why I’m calling my Christmas tree a him, but it just feels right.)  The norm is 100 lights per foot, so that means a 9 foot tree should have 900 lights.  I think this one has 1200 lights.

Lights for days.

I then draped wool pom-pom garlands over the branches.  The skinny ones were from Anthropologie last year.  I was seriously stalking the site this year to snap them up if they came back, but they didn’t.  So, I bought some thicker strands from West Elm.

My ornaments are all in the silver, glitter, white and blue family.  I love the ones that people made or bought for me…

The distributor of my milk paint line in Australia gave this one to me…

And my blog buddy, Jessica from Dear Emmeline, gave me this hand painted ceramic cow…

My very favorite ornaments are my Wallace silver sleigh bells.  My Oma collected them each year and I have continued the tradition.  We have the bells for each of our birth years and one for each of our boys with their initials engraved in them.  And I ask for one each year for Christmas.  I hope to eventually have a tree filled with them and I can pass them along to my kids and grandkids.

Moving the tree in the corner meant I needed to shuffle some furniture around, so we put the table in the kitchen and the hutch to the other side of the room.  I rolled (literally) the goat cart in front of the painted pine bench and it’s fitting by the tree, stacked with pretty packages.

I used a basket-style tree skirt this year.  I like how easy it is to clean up pine needles from around the base.  I love the grain sack tree skirt I made last year, but it is hard to keep clean.  I might put it out Christmas eve, though.

I didn’t like the gap at the top of the basket, so I filled with oversized sugar pine cones.  I set them up, so I can strategically remove one to water the tree.

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I found this old sled last year and loved the woven canvas seat and the curve of the runners.  Kriste named him Friedrich.  I promised I would sell her the sled if I ever pass it along to another home, as I tend to do.

I dressed him with a little swag of mixed fresh greens bundled with twine.

On the other side of the room, I swapped around some pillows to add in the antler pillows I received from Royal Scout as a gift and I also brought out some pillows from our master bed.    Sticking with a blue and white only palette worked better for Christmas.  My regular family room pillows have yellow in them, which feels better in the spring and summer.

I brought my lavender topiaries inside to flank the day bed.  I bought these back in April and they are still with me!  I’m so proud!

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The tree displaced the step-back cupboard, so I moved it over by the door and it was quite the happy accident.  It ended up being the perfect place to make a “mantle” to hang our stockings.

The hutch does stick out from the wall a bit, because of our baseboard heaters, so I brought in my $18 thrifted wooden skis to disguise that a little bit.

I tucked some fresh greens around the top of the hutch to disguise the fact that I hung the stockings from simple nails.

  
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I always drape a little greenery over my cow paintings, too.  Gwendolyn looks so pretty decked out.

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(I seriously did vacuum under that dresser!)

Anyway, I didn’t do very much in the kitchen…

I added a lavender topiary, purchased at the grocery store, on a breadboard on the kitchen table.  The pot is from Hobby Lobby and the salt & pepper shakers are from Pottery Barn.

The “tablecloth” is actually a throw from Pine Cone Hill.  I found the teacups years ago for something ridiculous like a quarter each.

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And I swaged a pom-pom garland across the window.

And sprinkled some greenery and pine cones around…

If you’re ready for more Christmas inspiration, pay a visit to Bliss @ Home to see Kristin’s room…

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    19 Comments

    1. Emily @ 11gables.blogspot.com

      Marian, everything is absolutely lovely. Your tree is beautiful. I wish I could photograph like you. Stunning. Merry Christmas to you and yours. xox, Emily of Eleven Gables

    2. antiquechase

      So lovely and inviting. I love your christmas decor !! Refreshing! Marcy

    3. B Folk

      Your home is beautiful in every season. It’s stormy out today in the Pacific NW; the perfect day to stay inside and decorate! So, is the tree skirt a basket that has had the bottom cut out, and turned upside down? What a great idea!

    4. Roseann D'Elia

      Marian, The Tree is beautiful!….not that I expected anything less from you.

      Merry Christmas!!!

    5. Sheila

      I can totally identify with your story of getting the perfect tree last year and a wonky one this year. I had a perfect tree last year too but this year’s tree looks like it has scoliosis. The trunk and spine are so curvy it looks like an “S”; but like you, I only have myself to blame because I picked it out. Oddly enough though it stands straight. Probably better than any tree I have had but I’m so disappointed in the whole thing that I haven’t even finished decorating it. It’s just kind of sitting there waiting for me to decide how to camouflage it’s defects and make it beautiful. Hehe. Anyway, Love how yours turned out and it looks great in the corner.

    6. marylisa noyes

      Your tree looks amazing, especially the vintage sled. I also am loving the old wooden skis. Thanks for sharing.

    7. Jessica @ Dear Emmeline

      Everything looks lovely as always! Glad the cow ornament worked with your tree’s theme this year! I spied your mannequin with some pom poms around her neck…so cute.

    8. April

      Okay, I will drag our Charlie Brown Tree off the deck and deck him out now. He looks lonely and sad and I wasn’t feeling too inspired until reading your post. The wonkiest trees are the ones you always remember. One year my husband went out with our older boys (young at the time) while I stayed home with the babies and came back with a huge cut yourself two trunk tree. We will never forget that tree and how we had to use fishing line to secure it to the wall so it wouldn’t topple over on anyone!

    9. Velia

      Your home evokes welcome, warmth and comfort. I too would like to have a sled like yours.

    10. Penny

      It’s stunning and those bells are dreamy.

    11. Esther

      hi!! love the decor! what kind of rug do you have and where did you get out from??

    12. sarah gouin

      Your style is so natural and beautiful. I always find some great ideas on your site.

    13. Lauren Baxter

      Your home is seriously beautiful. I love everything about it and every corner and vignette. The house looks great and the tree is handsome.Tthe wonkiness just gives it that much more character, just like your house with loads of character & personality.

      Great room tour, and If I am ever down that way I need to come see your home & of course meet you.

      Lauren Baxter | Lovely Decor
      xx

    14. jane

      My husband and I ventured into a neighbors property (with permission) and cut down a ginormous fir. Not a pruned and nurtured tree that is destined for the tree lot or shipped downstate. But a large tree that grew wild amid many others. It’s the best tree ever. It reminds me of the trees we had when I was a child. We never went to a lot and bought a tree. This is northern Michigan afterall. With gold colored lights and antique ornaments among the new and beaded garland, it brings me right back to those Christmases of my childhood. Plus my husband and I now have a new tradition.

    15. Joanne

      Your room is beautiful and your tree is as well. Love it all!

      The story of your tree triggered “fond” memories of a particular tree we had. Just as you did, I picked this one out. The weather was extremely cold and I think I basically picked it out as I drove by. Purchased it and made arrangements to pick up in a day or so with a larger vehicle. When we returned to pick it up we learned it had gone missing but had been returned…hmmm. Got it home and discovered it’s trunk was also more than a bit wonky. After it was completely decorated it had two fainting spells and tipped over twice. I ended up using a minimal amount of very lightweight/non-breakable decorations placed equally on all sides. My husband has been totally in charge of tree shopping since. He does a wonderful job!

      Merry Christmas!

    16. Colleen Sanchez

      I love the idea of the Beautiful sleigh bell tradition! Do you get the silver plated ones or the sterling? I love your photo and how it looks like it has aged! Thanks, Colleen

    17. Joy Petty

      I would love to know the wall and trim color in your room. It’s perfect!

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