Last week I showed you guys my gold and black Christmas home tour:
A couple days later, while we were looking at the tree, Andy sighed dramatically and said, “Welp. I guess this is the Christmas of no red. The anti-Christmas.”
The ANTI-CHRISTMAS?! We’ve been married 8.5 years and I never knew the color red was critical in the celebration of Christmas to my husband. Well, I couldn’t have that. I couldn’t be the grinch who took the red out of Christmas! I had to bring in some red decorations and SAVE CHRISTMAS!!
I still hadn’t decorated my dining room yet, so I had ONE MORE SHOT… to save the entire holiday… for all of mankind.
I went back to tradition by covering my very-autumnal dining room art with a tartan plaid gift wrap and some VERY RED berry wreaths.
I still couldn’t resist some shimmery metallics and luscious fur for the centerpiece. Sue me.
But the place settings — look, red!
Those placemats? They are just more of the gift wrap that I used to hide the art. Can you do that? I don’t know. I’ve never seen a rule that says you can’t.
I hung shimmery stars in the windows and draped a live garland on top. (And I FINALLY took down the “give thanks” banner! Winning.)
The place settings are gold and silver plates with RED ornaments in tiny cloches, and a RED velveteen ribbon tied around the napkin and salad plate.
I JUST realized that I completely forgot to set out my brass wine glasses and, you know, anything at all to drink out of. Just don’t do anything I do, guys. It’s safer that way. We’ll be very thirsty this Christmas.
I really think the whole thing looks best by candelight.
(I’m taking part in a Blogger Stylin’ Home Tour today. If you’re here from Lacquer and Linen, which is the stop before mine, welcome! Make sure you swing by and see the rest of my home tour right here. There’s no red there though. The next stop on the tour will be Restoration House Interiors, starting tomorrow morning. Make sure you go check out the holiday decorating inspiration at the other homes on the tour!)
I can only hope my RED dining room has saved the holiday for all of us this year, and taught our hearts the true meaning of Christmas. (Or something.)
It’s a Christmas miracle.
Do you ever learn anything new about your spouse anymore? Do you need any specific colors or decorations for it to “feel Christmasy” to you?
P.S.: If you missed them before, make sure you swing by and check out the rest of the home tour and my other easy, budget-friendly Christmas projects!
Hi, I'm Kelly. Glad you're here! This little blog is where I chronicle our efforts to fix up our beaten-down home on a tiny budget. We're not there yet, but here's a peek at the view along the way...
Anti-Christmas…omg…you are cracking me up. Well, my friend, you pulled it out in your dining room and killed it with the red! I am sure you made Andy very happy! It’s so pretty and I’m loving all the textures and patterns. I tried finding that velveteen ribbon everywhere this year and had no such luck! Did you hoard it all? 😉 Loved your tour, too, by the way!!! Gorgeous!
Thanks, friend! <3 Yep, I actually found that velveteen ribbon at TJMaxx of all places. They had that color and a really rich emerald. And yes, I hoarded them all.
Love the plaid canvases with the wreaths and the gold plates and the garlands. Well everything!
beautiful, friend! i love that you DID use white fur and made it classy. 😉 i love it! love the plaid….. so into plaid right now. more than even i am into paul rudd. give me some plaid.
I love the fur runner! And the ornaments… so cute!
I verrryyy minimally decorated this year (not even a tree-eep!) because I’ve been too busy and my husband also panicked because his Christmas Bubble Nightlight wasn’t out. You know, those hideous plastic lights, with the glass tube that has colored liquid in it? Ugh. He couldn’t like something classy like bells or sparkly garland…
It looks great, Kelly! I’ve never been a fan of seasonal decor myself, although this looks super elegant. Where did you find the tiny cloches?! I must. have. them. I love the idea of the single ornament inside them 🙂
The whole layout is absolutely stunning. Ditto for the fur and plaid wall decor. I feel like an ingrate to also ask but – where did you get those mini cloches? I’m ignoring the fact that you had to see the magic of the ornament inside because it makes a FABULOSITY overload!
Thanks! I got the cloches just from my decor stash, but I think I might’ve seen something similar at Cost Plus? They’re so versatile and cute, I love ’em!
Gah! I love everything you did! Good Job 🙂
THANK YOU for saving Christmas. Also, the mini-cloches are fantastic! As is the fur-table.
Yay! Christmas is saved! I intended to be allcool and neutral this year…. But then Kennedy got ahold of the Christmas bins and I couldn’t bear to undo all her handy work, so it’s all red up in here too.love the fuzzy fur on the table! No chilly centrepieces for you this year!
How funny! Well, I’m glad you saved Christmas for Andy! Your table is beautiful and I adore that chandelier! xo Kristin
I’m a little partial to red to so I get it ;). I tried to do no red this year and just could not! I love that velvet ribbon so much and need to find some for myself. Where did you get it?
Blessings,
Kayla
Thanks! We actually got it at TJ Maxx!
Love the stars with the garland over the windows. Such a beautiful wintery look! We used wrapping paper as runners last year, so anything goes on tablescapes. #norules 🙂
One might say that the inclusion of red accents in your photos was good — somehow richer in tradition, to my thinking. Amazing get, inspirationally.
Apparently there are benefits to peacefully sitting on the sofa (“looking at the tree”), metaphorically scrunching one’s toes in the bear rug’s fur of thoughts. From time to time.
A family of four will be eating meals at that table, right
??
Oh my goodness it seriously looks magnificent by candlelight! Next time you should throw on some tights and a cape while you hastily decorate to save the world
Ha! You’re right. It’s exhausting bearing such a burden in my decorating, but someone has to do it. 🙂
Looks great Kelly! I love love love that gold garland on your mantel. It is so gorgeous!!
Anti-Christmas. Hahaha… You are a good wife. And also a good Christmas decorater!
I love the plaid! It’s so subtle and warm, and very Christmasy 🙂
I’m in LOVE!!! I could stare at the pictures of your dining room at night and in the day time for hours!! Thank God Andy told you about the red! hehe Can’t talk now, going back to look again… and yes I have hearts in my eyes!!
Gorgeous and cozy as always, Kelly! Thanks for joining the tour!
Love it! And can I just say (and this is something I never thought would come out of my mouth) that I adore your china. I’ve got to know, what’s the pattern of the smallest plates?
Thanks! I just got those tiny plates from HomeGoods. I think it’s a Ralph Lauren pattern, maybe “luxe?” They were only $4 each, so for $16, I got a whole new look. I kinda wish I had the whole set now though. 🙂
Clever! Why bother with a new set when you can mix it up with a cool new accent 🙂
Love it…simply gorgeous! Thanks so much for sharing your home and looking forward to seeing you over at my place tomorrow! Happy Wednesday!
oh i’m so glad andy said something to you about that because you know we were all losing sleep over it last night… 😉
beautiful room. love the fur especially on the table. fur is clearly all the rage this year!
So gorgeous and elegant! I love it all and want to pull up to that table for a cozy meal. Great job!!
I think that you did a fine job saving Christmas! How funny are husbands? My favorite part of this space is that furry table runner. Genius! Now…why didn’t I think of that?
Love your blue curtains, where are they from??!!
Thank you! I’ve had them for a few years now. I think they might’ve come from Bed Bath and Beyond originally, but I’m not sure. Sorry that’s not very helpful! 🙂
Excellent use of red. So festive. And I am so relieved that Christmas has been saved!
Oh this is so beautiful. I love red for Christmas, but I don’t mind switching it up. But once you see those little red glass balls under the bell jars, you just have to come to the conclusion: yes – red is certainly right for this Christmas 🙂 Thanks for saving Christmas 🙂 / sigh of relief…
Your dining room is so elegant…love it! The anti-Christmas is cracking me up 🙂 Great job!
Ummmm…wrapping artwork with paper? Brilliant. Also, just tonight, hubs and I were at JoAnn’s and I was getting ribbon for presents. I wanted turquoise, but hubs wanted red. “We need more red!” Ha.
I love your dining room so so so so much! no matter how many times I see it – I just fall in love with it all over again every time!
Some of your prettiest photos dear Kelly. Beautiful!
HA! Anti-Christmas! What is it with men and their weird wants…that’s like mine when I told him all future furniture purchases must be “blog approved” and that his dream of owning an over stuffed recliner was not going to happen in this lifetime. You should have seen the look he gave me! The nerve… 😉 Your dining room is GORGEOUS…red, no red…whatever…it’s stunning! XO
OMG you’re hilarious!!! So glad you saved the day with all that gorgeous red.
Yes…I do love me some red Christmas decor!! 🙂 It looks fantastic!
Oh…and I must add that I was pretty much drooling over your chandelier this entire post. Wow! Major chandelier-envy right here! It’s absolutely stunning!!
My wife just completely decked our house with red last week. Normally I tend to get upset about losing my home during the holidays, but I’m not going to lie – this year it just feels right!
Lol — that is totally something my hubs would say! He’s baffled by the whole “decorate the whole house differently every year” thing anyway. 🙂
lOVE that you used gift wrap — clever girl!
xo Heidi
That’s so funny! Your dining room looks beautiful and I love those little tiny cloches!
Phew. Christmas was saved! It’s what dudes are picky about! I’m glad Andy and Cindy Lou can have a Merry Christmas now. 😉
Your dining room is looking spectacular. I LOVE your art wrapped as presents. Every other time I’ve seen it done I’m all like “eh” but yours looks so good!
Love the look of both rooms. I love how you managed to add the red. That table runner is just perfect and I may have to borrow that idea of fur. We each have our own thinking of how Christmas should look. I too give the kids the colored lights on their trees but my others all have all white. The big living room tree is the only one with red on it. Alaina
Beautiful! What did your husband think?
He sighed and said, “Ahh. That’s better.” 🙂 Picky husbands!
I’m so relieved! You saved Christmas! It looks great!
Oh. Wow. I want your dining room so bad! With and without the RED Christmas decorations! I love the light slate blue with the darker on the walls and the silk rug with the tan chairs! I literally dream of this at night! If only I had a house of my own…
And it looks great with the decorations! And the ribbon is adorable! Great way to add some more colors in there. Ribbon for Christmas is literally an obsession of mine. (I think I inherited that from my momma!)
Sending you and your family happy holidays!
Erin @ alovelylyfe.blogspot.com
It’s a Christmas miracle! Ha, so funny what men think and don’t say. I think it looks fabulous. 🙂
Ha! That’s funny…anti-Christmas. 🙂
I really love what you’ve done in the space. It feels traditional but in a fresh and modern way. I like that it’s cozy and inviting!
You have to stop!! Seriously…I promise each day I will take a quick “glance” and get back to all the work I need to do. But an hour or so later I am still here because I have to “Pin” everything and that leads to more browsing, and good heavens, can I blame you that I am getting nothing done? Fabulous..your Xmas! Elegant, yet soft and warm…and your sense of humor is a giant lift each day.
Good job saving Christmas! I sense a Christmas special here…tearjerker. I am very much in love with your furry table runner.
My dear old friend, you crack me up!!! Everything looks terrific, but you have set high standards, my dear! Wouldn’t expect anything less! Hope Andy’s heart has now grown 3x bigger!!! Merry Christmas to you and yours!!!
I’m glad that your dining room has saved Christmas! Although I was looking forward to the Santa themed decor. 😉
Woah, let’s chat about how gorgeous that night time dining room shot is…
I love the touches of red! Way to save Christmas! 😉
That’s hilarious. Isn’t it funny what we consider essential for the holidays?
So lovely, Kelly! I do like a bit of red at Christmas. But the shimmery metallics are pretty fab and festive too. Excellent job marrying the two 🙂
The touches of red are perfect. So glad you saved Christmas at your house 🙂
So beautiful! Our living room has mostly red Christmas decor and my husband is bummed and said we need more color. Men. lol 😉
Ryan recently told me that he cannot stand chicken.
Which would have been good to know about 6 years ago when we got married because I make chicken almost every night. Ha.
Love the dining room dressed in red. I’m sort of with hubby on this one. I think that red really means Christmas. Bit of a traditionalist, I am.
I love how with your art gift wrapped, your dining room is conducive to really any color scheme. The red looks great in there – hope Andy is feeling the Christmas spirit now! Your home looks gorgeous, Kelly!