The Gathered Home

A Blog about Finding and Making

  • Home
  • FINDING
    • Thrift Score Thursday
    • The ABC’s of Gathering
    • Vintage Pieces
  • Making
    • DIY Projects
    • Decorating
  • ABOUT ME
  • CONTACT
  • HOME TOUR
    • Current Home
    • First Home
    • “Your Gathered Home” Tours
  • Privacy Policy

Christmas Home Tour 2014

December 9, 2014 by Brynne

Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the official 2014 Gathered Home Christmas home tour! I hope you are ready for photos galore because I got a little snap-happy… I took several hundred photos and edited 65 of them for this post – now I’m doing my best to get that number down to something a little more manageable. I’m just so excited that a) Christmas is coming and b) my house is READY for the holidays two weeks before Christmas!

One of my favorite things about Christmas is getting out the boxes of decorations and unpacking all my favorite things. I’m not particularly sentimental or nostalgic in general, but for me Christmas isn’t Christmas without my favorite ornaments, decorations and traditions!

Like decking the halls while wearing the knit Santa hat I’ve worn for every holiday decorating session since I was little, or making Abby take a Christmas selfie in it! (Last year’s photo, but such a good one.)

The downstairs in our house is one big open circle, so I decorated the two rooms that are “finished” – the living room and the dining room. The kitchen is in the middle between the two, but I haven’t added any festive touches to its wallpaper-free-but-not-yet-painted glory. And we do not have outdoor Christmas lights or porch decorations. I just want to manage your expectations – no blow up snow globes in our yard.

But overall the place is feeling very jolly…

Especially if you sip on one of these while you take the tour!

Welcome in!

This is what you see to your right when you walk through the front door.

I’ve had these little paper lantern string lights (from Target) for years and I decided to pull them out for Christmas this year because I loved the colors with my homemade pom pom garland and yellow lamps!

And to the left of the door…

Christmas Home Tour | www.thegatheredhome.com

Oh Christmas tree, oh Christmas tree…

I love my white ultra-fake and somewhat sparkly tree! Especially with the new gray wall color this year! I decided to stick with simple and colorful glass balls this year – I’ve stockpiled them from thrift stores over the past few years and I just love the candy colors. And those agate sconces still strongly remind me of lollipops.

When I made the malachite curtains from a sheet set, I had a leftover fitted sheet – as you can see, I’ve put it to good use as a tree skirt.

Christmas Home Tour | www.thegatheredhome.com

Christmas Home Tour | www.thegatheredhome.com

Christmas Home Tour | www.thegatheredhome.com

It wouldn’t be Christmas without the fox brothers’ cheery winter wear. You can turn anything into a Christmas decoration with some felt, pom poms, and a jingle bell.

Add in a cheery caroling mouse companion and you are good to go!

Christmas Home Tour | www.thegatheredhome.com

Christmas Home Tour | www.thegatheredhome.com

Christmas Home Tour | www.thegatheredhome.com

Christmas Home Tour | www.thegatheredhome.com

The last living room detail…

Christmas Home Tour | www.thegatheredhome.com

Christmas Home Tour | www.thegatheredhome.com

Rudolph the red-nosed tree topper!

I made Rudolph out of felt a few years ago and sewed a little jingle bell collar around his neck. Well, our cat Tina (celebrating her first Christmas with us this year) has several beloved toys made out of felt that jingle, so naturally when I unpacked Rudolph she was thrilled that I had brought out a new special toy just for her! Each morning I would come downstairs and play what I like to call the “Where’s Rudolph” game because she would drag him off and hide him and I would spend ten minutes trying to find him again and rescue him from her loving chewing.

So I brilliantly decided to stick him up on top of the tree and out of harms way.
It wasn’t until I was triumphantly telling my mom the story of the disappearing reindeer and my solution that it struck me that Tina might just take this as a new and challenging twist on “Where’s Rudolph”…
But so far so good. She’s sticking to batting the ornaments around on the lower branches for now.

Shall we head to the dining room?

Christmas Home Tour | www.thegatheredhome.com

Sigh. If ever a room were made for Christmas, it’s this one! Evergreen walls, jewel tones, a fireplace and mantle. It’s my own little winter wonderland.

Christmas Home Tour | www.thegatheredhome.com

Christmas Home Tour | www.thegatheredhome.com

Of course I pulled out the homemade Merry Christmas banner.

And hung glass icicles from the chandelier. Because what else are chandeliers good for if you can’t bedeck them with icicles at Christmas time?

Christmas Home Tour | www.thegatheredhome.com

Christmas Home Tour | www.thegatheredhome.com

Antique books: collected over the years growing up, many of them gifts. Everything else: thrifted.

Christmas Home Tour | www.thegatheredhome.com

Those little Dutch houses are actually souvenir liquor bottles – my family has a set just like these and I always loved them growing up. I was thrilled to find an almost-identical set at the thrift store for a few dollars. On separate occasions I found the tree and a skier, who, while completely out of scale, just belongs with the whole vignette.

You’ll notice that I kept the books on the mantle from my Thanksgiving table setting and just worked in a few more green-hued volumes.

Christmas Home Tour | www.thegatheredhome.com

And I put up a second Christmas tree! This little pencil tree was a $50 Home Depot purchase last year but I actually didn’t end up using it – I tried to return it, but I was the idiot trying to return a Christmas tree after Christmas. Even though it was unused and within the 90-day return window, it’s impossible not to look a just little crazy while doing that. So I have two white Christmas trees now and I’m loving it!

Christmas Home Tour | www.thegatheredhome.com

This tree got the more non-candy-colored ornaments; the rustier reds, blushes, creams and golds that made up my Christmas tree last year. And while I keep the main tree in the living room empty beneath the branches because it’s one of the cats’ favorite places to nap, this little tree was just asking for some obligatory faux-presents.

Christmas Home Tour | www.thegatheredhome.com

Christmas Home Tour | www.thegatheredhome.com

I kept the table simple and ready for holiday entertaining with my #thriftscorethursday reindeer and sleigh and another older thrift score – a beautifully beaded shawl that reminds me of a sparkling blanket of snow.

Christmas Home Tour | www.thegatheredhome.com

And the marbled paper credenza got Christmas-fied as well!

Christmas Home Tour | www.thegatheredhome.com

My thrifted acorn cake stand holds a candle tree forest and a bottlebrush reindeer who’s just so excited about Christmas he constantly sheds glitter.

Christmas Home Tour | www.thegatheredhome.com

Another thrift score (wow – are you sensing a pattern around here?!), the glass drink dispensers, are currently holding red glass bead garlands to represent the festive punches we intend to fill them with at our upcoming Christmas party.

Christmas Home Tour | www.thegatheredhome.com

The table will be laden with Christmas crack and various other holiday treats and we’ll probably fire up the old Yule log on Netflix again (our actual fireplace is currently non-functional)… I’m looking forward to welcoming our friends into our slowly-but-surely “getting there” home and I’m so glad YOU stopped by today!

(P.S. I love this shot… Christmas card perfect, right?)

Brynne

Filed Under: Decorating, House Tagged With: Christmas, Holidays

Looking for more great posts?

Comments

  1. emily @ go haus go says

    December 9, 2014 at 2:53 pm

    Beautiful! Your dining room works so well for any season… but especially Christmas! It's amazing! Everything looks so cozy and well collected.

    • brynne@thegatheredhome.com says

      December 9, 2014 at 5:02 pm

      Thank you Emily! I'm really glad it all came together – I really didn't have a budget for new purchases this year, so it was fun to work with what I had or could beg/steal/borrow from my family 😉

  2. Cassie @ Primitive & Proper says

    December 9, 2014 at 2:54 pm

    it's beautiful, brynne! so colorful and fun!!!!! and your dining room gets me every single time.

    • brynne@thegatheredhome.com says

      December 9, 2014 at 5:03 pm

      Thank you Cassie! I think I really should put a couch in my dining room so I can chill in there all the time – it's my favorite room in the house!

  3. Mekenzie @ interiorsbykenz.com says

    December 9, 2014 at 2:54 pm

    I LOVE the bright colored ornaments on your white tree. It makes me think of candy! That pom pom garland is very cute too 🙂

    • brynne@thegatheredhome.com says

      December 9, 2014 at 5:04 pm

      I know, I was SO craving candy while editing the photos! I think some brightly colored candy canes (the fruit-flavored ones, of course) would make a great addition somewhere in here 🙂

  4. Amber Wills says

    December 9, 2014 at 5:06 pm

    Adorable Brynne!! Those Christmas trees are so you! It looks amazing in both spaces!!

    • brynne@thegatheredhome.com says

      December 9, 2014 at 5:21 pm

      Thank you Amber! <3

  5. Caitlin @ Desert Domicile says

    December 9, 2014 at 5:15 pm

    So pretty! I love all of the bright colors! Dumb question: have you ever thought about making your dining room your living room? That cozy fireplace would be so nice to cuddle up in front of, especially this time of year!

    • brynne@thegatheredhome.com says

      December 9, 2014 at 5:21 pm

      Yes – the "dining" room is actually supposed to be a second living space, but I decided to turn it into a large dining room instead since we really don't need two living areas. The smaller, original dining room is open to the living space and we're planning on incorporating it as a bar/lounge area. Sadly the fireplace is just for show right now since it would need some repairs to be functional again!

  6. Amy Lee Scott says

    December 9, 2014 at 6:22 pm

    Your home looks so festive and gorgeous! Also, I love that santa hat–so snuggly 🙂

    • brynne@thegatheredhome.com says

      December 9, 2014 at 7:00 pm

      Thank you so much Amy!

  7. Julia Konya says

    December 9, 2014 at 7:36 pm

    You remind me how much I really want a big white Christmas tree. Everything looks so festive and pretty. And I so want to try one of those drinks. Merry Christmas!

    • brynne@thegatheredhome.com says

      December 11, 2014 at 5:23 pm

      Thank you Julia! Come visit so I can make you one!!! 🙂 Merry Christmas!

  8. Alexis Middleton says

    December 9, 2014 at 10:59 pm

    I love your dining room! You are right – the perfect Christmas room. Can I come to a Christmas dinner party? 😉 I got a white tree this year too, and I'm loving it, although it is still not completely decorated. (Bad blogger!) Thanks for linking up at The Makers, Brynne! Merry Christmas!

    • brynne@thegatheredhome.com says

      December 11, 2014 at 5:24 pm

      Yes, come on over Alexis! 🙂 White trees for the win – I can't wait to see yours! Merry Christmas!

  9. Gretchen says

    December 9, 2014 at 11:47 pm

    Everything looks so lovely! How perfect is that cake stand to have a little wintry vignette on it?! And your sleigh. I'm not sure if I've told you this yet ;), but I LOVE that sleigh. And TWO white Christmas trees! So festive!

    • brynne@thegatheredhome.com says

      December 11, 2014 at 5:26 pm

      Thank you Gretchen! I thought for sure that cake stand would be perfect for fall decorating, but lo and behold it was just begging to join the Christmas merriment 🙂 Hehe, and I feel so fancy have TWO Christmas trees – like, who am I, Martha?!

  10. Kristin@bliss-athome.com says

    December 10, 2014 at 2:12 am

    So festive Brynne! Love the brights! xoxo

    • brynne@thegatheredhome.com says

      December 11, 2014 at 5:27 pm

      Thank you Kristin! Your Christmas home tour is inspiring me to add even more pink next year – I love it for Christmas! 🙂

  11. Kim @ NewlyWoodwards says

    December 12, 2014 at 1:09 am

    I love the village so much! And that white tree with bright ornaments is the BEST! So festive.

    • brynne@thegatheredhome.com says

      December 14, 2014 at 4:57 pm

      Thank you Kim! I love how it all turned out this year – hooray for stocking up on Christmas supplies at thrift stores throughout the year 🙂

  12. Katja Kromann says

    December 19, 2014 at 8:06 am

    Your home is just beautiful Brynne. I love all the fun vignettes you put together for Christmas!

I believe the best kind of home is a gathered one, full of treasures with a story to tell. Join me in celebrating a lifestyle of finding and making beautiful things, right where you are. Read more...

Looking For Something?

Let’s Be Social

  • Email
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest

Browse Blog Topics

Disclosure

Posts on this site may contain affiliate links. If you purchase an item through one of the links on this site, I may receive a small percentage of that sale. Thank you for helping support The Gathered Home! View Full Disclosure Policy.

Subscribe

* indicates required

Copyright © 2020 · Brynne Delerson · The Gathered Home™ · All rights reserved · Built on the Genesis Framework