Christmas is such a funny time of year isn’t it? All the frenzy, all the build-up, battling the shoppers, trying to nab the last sprouts in the shop. And with the dominance of social media, I never know whether to feel inspired or overwhelmed. I LOVE seeing all the beautiful festive imagery cascading through my feed but it does make it hard to avoid rushing out and immediately changing all my seasonal décor.
It’s been really lovely putting a tree up in the living room this year after we didn’t decorate at all for Christmas last year – we were just coming to the end of our living room renovations and it was so sparse that it felt a bit silly to pop a great big tree up. This year I feel all snug and ready for a few cheeky glasses of mulled wine and lots of silly Christmas movies at the end of a really busy 2019.
Currently though we don’t decorate any further than the living room. I mean we always put a wreath up on the front door but I can’t help thinking we have some serious missed opportunities. I’m now considering that 2020 could be the year to finally go BIG with our baubles. So here are some potential spots to make next Christmas the most extra of all!
The Dining Room
After nearly 6 years of the animal home/dumping ground, our dining room makeover is nearly done! Obviously as always the finishing touches will take me forever and a day but it really is already looking unrecognisable. We’ve got a lovely fireplace and mantel in here which is just crying out for some foliage faffing and I think it will be really fun to pimp it all up and maybe even host Christmas for the first time in our home for some of the fam.
The Bedroom
Confession time. A few Easters ago, I painted our bedroom and created a little dressing table area and it quickly became my favourite room in the whole house. It’s a loft conversion that the previous owners did and whilst it’s not the exact layout we would go for, it’s such a tranquil spot away from the rest of the house.
Fast forward a couple of years and it’s become a bit more of a sleep-and-go kind of space. It’s in need of some TLC and it may be part of my 2020 plans to see what I can do to spruce up our slumber zone. I’ve become a lot more creative over the last couple of years and definitely think all our mismatched IKEA furniture could be synced up with a lick of paint and some pretty handles.
I also think it would be super cute to decorate here too at Christmas. Whilst I don’t think Pete would be too on board with holly on the headboard (!) I’m sure I could sneak a few fairy lights in here and there and maybe even a mini tree? Apparently getting our bedroom winter and Christmas ready is a fairly big deal (just not in my house where my winter duvet is on all year round and electric blanket on at least 300 days a year. Pete reckons it’s the hardest working electric blanket in the country!)
According to luxury bedding brand Dusk, there are some fun and distinctive trends scattered across the nation, including that white bedding is most popular down in the south west where 47% of households own a set. Heading diagonally across the country, the north east own the least 13.5 tog duvets in the land, clearly a hardy bunch. If I had my way, I’d probably sleep under two (not even joking!)
One thing is for sure though, I’m definitely not one for seasonal duvet covers, something else that Pete would draw the line at. Since our bedroom is mostly soft greys and blush pinks, I’m not sure a massive great big reindeer on the bed would give me the best night’s sleep so I’ll be aiming maybe for a more Scandi style bedroom setup next year.
The Hallway
I’ve resisted any form of stair garland so far since we’ve lived here even though I’ve now realised that actually it would be PERFECT to hide the staircase that I started renovating back in 2014 and still haven’t finished #facepalm. In fact our whole hallway is ripe for some Christmas styling, it has lovely light, a mirror and console table so really, I have no excuse.
Now I’ve written it all down in black and white, I’ll keep tabs on this post for a year’s time and see if I actually manage to venture outside our living room for Christmas. This is my last post for 2019 so wishing you all a wonderful, happy, healthy and safe Christmas and New Year. Tomorrow’s post will be the final On Being Childfree for 2019 and I’ll be back in January.
Disclaimer: This post has been written in collaboration with Dusk who kindly gifted some bedding items. As always, all words, opinions and images are my own unless otherwise stated. Thank you for continuing to support my little online space.
Fun inspo! I decorate my bedroom at Christmas with silver, white and gold touches plus a mini tree. Then I incorporate the non-Christmas specific stuff into the rest of the house throughout winter and keep lights up till spring. It gets me through the dark season and makes taking down Christmas less sad as it still feels like seasonal decor. Whatever it takes to survive winter!
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I’m so in agreement with you – if we can make the darker months a little more enjoyable so much the better! X