House Tours
A lesson in decorating for the holidays without the typical festive colours
Photography: Birgid Adlig
House Tours
A lesson in decorating for the holidays without the typical festive colours
Forget the cacophony of colour that usually comes with Christmas — this muted scheme still feels merry and bright.
Here's how this Scandi-chic home exudes a cheery festive feel without green and red, and blue, silver and gold.
Black, white and grey all over, this dining room’s Scandi-country set-up is pared back but impactful. A sculptural tree silhouette embellished with white ornaments imparts an ethereal wintry effect. The dark linen tablecloth adds a sense of presence to the casual tablescape, where pinecones and potted evergreens in paper bags stand in for formal arrangements.
The holiday scheme in this kitchen’s eat-in area is so subtle that you might have to strain your eyes to see it. Star frames grace the photography on the slatted-wood wall hanging and top the plate rail, playing on the angular black bases of the two Eames-style dining chairs.
By coating one section of her kitchen cabinetry with chalk-board paint, this crafty homeowner created a feature that can be customized with the seasons. At this time of year, it displays an evergreen tree so simple it’s almost childlike, adorned with a garland (holding magnet ornaments) and a classic star topper.
While many Advent calendars mark each day of December with a small chocolate, an Advent wreath (whether a traditional circle or a modified version like this) denotes each of the four Sundays before Christmas Day. Every week a new candle is lit, burning a quarter of the way down before being blown out. It’s a custom that brings families together and symbolically delivers light on the darkest days of the year.
Simple? Maybe. Natural? Mostly. Artful and one of a kind? Always. Nothing is fussy or visually overwhelming in the living room of this modern country home, and the holiday decor follows suit. From the potted evergreen set on a sleigh to the twig and washi tape trees on the wall to the tabletop vase of branches adorned with just a few baubles, everything here has a handmade home-spun touch that adds heart to the interior.
A set of St. Nick nesting dolls on a shelf in this office nook serves to remind whoever’s working here of their family of four...while they stay on display, which might not be for long. The homeowner is so averse to colour that even when she uses it in the smallest doses, she quickly tires of it and takes it down, returning to her monochrome paradise.
Sure, it’s another Christmas tree drawn on another blackboard, but here’s the genius behind this approach: no storage! After the gifts have been opened and Boxing Day gives way to the new year, a wet sponge will wipe the slate clean, and the space is free for shopping lists, love notes and calendar reminders.
Santa won’t judge if you leave some rooms unadorned. When decking the halls, some people leave no corner unembellished, but for this homeowner, less is more. Throughout the house, the holiday flourishes play second fiddle to the year-round decor, and this bedroom stays clean and clutter-free, providing a welcome reprieve from the festivities.
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