A Room-by-Room Guide to Holiday Decorating
Here’s how we deck the halls.
One of our favorite parts of the holidays is decorating our home for the season.
While there are countless ways to decorate your home for the holidays, we’re excited to share how we do so in our signature style: a classic lightly-layered approach that blends elegance with tradition. Think simplicity and restraint with natural details that add dimension— a timeless and refined style that feels effortless yet sophisticated.
Though you won’t find us decking the halls until after Thanksgiving, we love planning it all out ahead of time. When the day comes, our tradition is to head out the weekend immediately after Thanksgiving, pick out a tree at our local stand and spend the afternoon at home setting everything up. When decorating, we go heavy on the natural greenery and minimize the amount of “holiday-specific” decor that’s incorporated. Greenery really goes a long way! From the moment we string the lights and hang up the stockings, we’re reminded of how much our homes means to us especially around the holidays.
Below, we’re sharing our approach to holiday decorating— we’ll show you how to add festive touches, texture and richness to every space. Keep in mind that sometimes the biggest impacts you can make with holiday decor aren’t holiday specific at all.
Exterior
Your holiday home starts at the front door. Holiday front door wreaths and garland are obvious contenders to the styling game, but there are several different elements you can incorporate that make your holiday front door a warm, inviting entrance that’s uniquely yours, like a seasonal welcome mat and festive planters filled with evergreen greenery. If you’re lucky enough to have beautiful pillars or columns on your front porch, now is the time to really style them out. These architectural elements are tailormade for holiday front door decorations. We love wrapping them in garland or ribbon and adding bows that flutter in the wind. And forever a perennial classic, a wreath goes a long way— we love keeping it to a more basic wreath with maybe just a bow, but adding florals and berries give it a festive flair.
Exterior Holiday Decorating Checklist:
Hang a fresh or faux wreath or door swag on the front door
Drape garland around the frame of the door, or wrap around pillars
Add a seasonal welcome mat
Plant evergreen greenery in planters- flank on either side of your door or walkway
Entry
If your entryway involves a staircase, now is its time to shine. We love running fresh garlands along the banister for a classic holiday look. Secure the garlands using velvet ribbons every few feet to keep the greenery in place. The entry is also a great place to swap around your everyday artwork to something more seasonal. Vintage snowy landscapes look gorgeous throughout the winter months and just make your home feel really special.
Entry Holiday Decorating Checklist:
Hang a fresh or faux wreath or door swag on the front door
Swap in your entry artwork for winter landscapes
Add potted rosemary to your console table
Fill a decorative bowl with natural moss
Hang fresh garlands along your banister with ribbon, brass bells, or dried citrus slices
Living Room
Next, we’re moving into the most popular space for holiday decorating: the living room. We focus heavily on adding texture, pattern, and seasonal color tones through a tree skirt/cuff, ornaments, uniformly wrapped presents, and even textile selections.
If there’s a fireplace, we treat the mantle as one of the primary focal points in the living room and always decorate using greenery and garlands. We like to start by clearing everything off the mantle so we’ve got a fresh slate to work with. From there, we secure the garland and hang stockings on their hooks.
Once the mantle is set, we’re ready to tackle the rest of the space. Styling your Christmas tree is just like designing any space in your home. It is all about layering details, mixing materials, and adding personality. We believe that decorating the tree is more than tradition; it is the centerpiece of your seasonal décor and the heart of your holiday home. Whether real or faux, choosing a high-quality tree makes all the difference in bringing your holiday vision to life. When decorating your Christmas tree, the first step is deciding whether you want a maximalist holiday décor style or a more minimal Christmas tree look. A maximal Christmas tree celebrates layers and texture, with elements like dried florals, citrus slices, ribbons, and multiple garlands creating depth and richness. Natural details add dimension and can make even a faux tree feel fresh and organic. To complete the look, add an abundance of ornaments for an elevated, collected design that feels unique to your home. A minimal Christmas tree, on the other hand, focuses on simplicity and restraint. This approach highlights clean lines, a limited color palette, and carefully placed ornaments that allow every detail to stand out. Whether you choose a maximalist tree or a minimal holiday look, the key is to stay consistent with your chosen direction. Keeping your design style in mind ensures your Christmas tree feels intentional, cohesive, and beautifully styled.
Living Room Holiday Decorating Checklist:
Decorate the Christmas tree in a way most meaningful to you – don’t forget the tree topper
Secure fresh garlands on the mantle
Hang your family’s stockings + add a signature ribbon color
Swap in cozy, winter-inspired throw pillows and blankets
Add seasonal coffee table decor (candles and fresh florals are always understated and elegant)
Hang fresh mini wreaths in the windows
Style shelf decor (try adding a few small accessories, like ornaments or pine cones in a bowl)
Kitchen
The kitchen doesn’t need much to get dressed up for the holiday season, but a few simple touches can go a long way. Try hanging a wreath above your range hood, and add fresh potted rosemary or seasonal greenery inside a vintage vase to your countertops. You can also swap out your everyday tea towels for a classic gingham or plaid pattern for a subtle nod to the season.
If your kitchen features open shelves, it’s always a fun opportunity to get extra festive. Try swapping out everyday dishware for your favorite champagne coupes and decorate with the season’s harvest, like bowls of persimmons and pomegranates. Round out the look with mini wreaths here and there until the shelves feel well-balanced.
Kitchen Holiday Decorating Checklist:
Hang a wreath above the range hood using a nail-free hook
Swap your tea towels for subtle holiday patterns or color tones
Add potted rosemary to your kitchen countertops
Style a bowl of seasonal fruits persimmons or pomegranates
Dining Room
For the table centerpiece, we like to keep things understated and simple. We’ve found a bowl of natural moss or fresh seasonal flowers in a vase adds just enough color without going overboard. When we’re hosting, we always pull out our prettiest plates, glassware, serveware, and linen dinner napkins to help set the scene.
Dining Room Holiday Decorating Checklist:
Hang a set of mini wreaths in the window or on an open wall
Style a bowl of natural moss or seasonal florals as your centerpiece
Pull out your best (or most sentimental) serveware for hosting
Layer a few taper candles on a buffet cabinet or table and tie a velvet ribbon bow around the base
Bedrooms
Bedrooms are not the most obvious space for holiday decorating, but we love the thought of bringing a festive touch to every corner of the home, especially in kids’ bedrooms. Setting up a small tree inside their rooms along with a mini wreath, fun stocking of their choosing, or bells at the end of their bed or right above it is such a sweet way to get them into the holiday spirit. You can also run garland over your headboard with the help of a few well-placed hooks. It can also be as simple as adding an extra cozy throw blanket or swapping in a new seasonal throw pillow combination. Placing a few springs of evergreens inside a vase adds a nice touch in the bathroom.
Bedroom Holiday Decorating Checklist:
Swap in a seasonal duvet cover + add a cozy wool throw
Change out your decorative pillows for a seasonal-inspired look
Hang stockings, brass bells, mini wreaths or ribbons above or at the end of their beds for a festive touch
Bonus: run fresh or faux garland along your child’s headboard
Shop Christmas Decor
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