5 {Unexpected} Tips for Holiday Decorating

Tips and inspiration for a simple wintery living room. Tour this space and others full of farmhouse Christmas decor ideas!

black metal stair railing with garland in fresh modern farmhouse | Maison de Pax

Hello, holiday season. Like in most things this year, I can’t decide if I’m feeling thrilled or numb or overwhelmed for the Christmas celebrations to begin.

But I’ve decided that no matter how I feel right now, I know my entire family (me included) will be so blessed by some holiday magic. So I’m decking the halls, prepping the advent calendar, and trying to strike that perfect balance of simplicity and excitement.

woman holding large mixed green wreath in front of door on little farmhouse porch | Maison de Pax

Have I struck it? Probably not. 😉 But I’m excited to share my first attempt with you for this little farmhouse Christmas home tour. A special thanks to Sheila from Maison de Cinq for organizing!

white ceramic house and mini christmas tree | maison de pax

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5 {unexpected} tips for holiday decorating:

In processing our little Christmas living room decor out at the ranch this year, I was trying to identify a few tips and tricks for you all that made the decorating fun, easy, and (in my own humble opinion) a fabulous balance of beauty and comfort.

woman decorating green tree with gold and white decorations | Maison de Pax

So without further ado, some fun and unexpected Christmas living room decorating ideas.

Consider rearranging furniture for your holiday decor.

If you’ve seen our ranch living room any other time, you know that the couch normally sits under the large mirror, but that corner also seemed ideal for the Christmas tree…

So I enlisted the help of my daughter. And in about 5 minutes, we had the room rotated. Plus we managed to clean under the couch, which is always a good idea at least once a year. 😉

rustic modern living room decorated for Christmas | Maison de Pax

GET THE LOOK:

Even if your room doesn’t allow for an entire 90° rotation, you might consider swapping an armchair, shifting a coffee table, or even putting away an ottoman to make way for the tree.

white room with wood trim and holiday decor | Maison de Pax

GET THE LOOK:

Choose a cohesive color palette.

I find holiday decorating so much easier and less overwhelming when I stick to a single color palette. It feels festive. And helps me to enjoy the Christmas decorations all the way through the holiday season, rather than itching to take them down after two weeks.

woman hanging wreath on storm door on farmhouse porch | Maison de Pax

GET THE LOOK:

You could go with classic red and green like I did last year, or even something completely non-traditional like blush and silver. In this case, though, I chose simple green and white Christmas decorations with some gold accents.

green tree with simple white and gold decorations | Maison de Pax

I also brought in some dark green velvet throw pillows to tie it all together even more.

woman decorating for holidays | Maison de Pax

And no, the dress was not planned… but it was a happy accident. Ha!

When all else fails, add ribbon.

Ribbon is such an affordable, easy way to change up the decor. Add it to a wreath, a tree, your banister, or your door. A few simple rolls of ribbon can completely change the color palette of your decor.

This year, I chose neutral. Just like on my DIY eucalyptus wreath on our front porch, a little neutral ribbon brings a more festive feel to greenery.

green tree with white ribbon, gold ornaments | Maison de Pax

I started with Christmas lights, layered on some wood bead garland I found this year, and attached a mixture of gold and mercury glass ornaments. Finally, some simple white and ivory ribbons added a little extra life to the tree in this space.

Embrace the asymmetrical.

Last year’s asymmetrical mantel was my favorite. So this year, inspired by that, I went for an asymmetrical little garland over the window.

tan leather sofa with green velvet pillows and garland for holiday decorations | Maison de Pax

I love how it balances out the Christmas tree without being as formal as symmetrical decorations would be.

simple living room christmas decorating ideas | Maison de Pax

Think of presents as decorations

Gift wrapping is one of my favorite things. Some of my most popular posts are creative gift wrap ideas. The presents have to be wrapped anyway, so why not let them add to the beauty of the living space during the holiday season?

beautifully wrapped presents add to the Christmas decorations | Maison de Pax

If you’ve never thought about Christmas presents in this way, I suggest reading this post: the Lazy Girl’s Guide to Gorgeous Gift Wrap. It’s full of simple, easy ways to create beautiful gifts.

woman decorating tree in modern farmhouse living room | Maison de Pax

GET THE LOOK:

I hope you found these holiday decorating ideas helpful! Don’t forget to pin it for later.

holiday scene with "5 Unexpected Holiday Decorating Tips" | Maison de Pax

And be sure to visit the other ladies sharing their beautiful holiday spaces today in their own special farmhouse Christmas ways.

 

Maison de Cinq: French Farmhouse Christmas Decor Ideas 

 

Making it in the Mountains: Farmhouse Christmas Bedroom 

 

Nina Hendrick: Simple Christmas Decor 

 

Rooms for Rent: Christmas Porch Decor

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8 Comments

  1. Love all these pretty ideas Rachel – and your tree is just gorgeous! I’m loving how simply and beautifully it’s decorated!

    Wishing you and your family a wonderful holiday season!

    Sheila
    xo

  2. I agree, we can use all the holiday magic we can get this year. Everything you’ve done looks so warm + inviting Rachel! I love all of the decorating tips you shared, I’m a huge fan of adding ribbon around the house too – it’s so simple, but really adds so much to that festive, holiday feel.

    1. Thank you so much, Kristi! I hope you and your family are able to find some of that magic this year, friend. xx

  3. This is beautiful, Rachel! I love the decorating tips. It seems like we’re all on the same page of striking that magic balance this year. I can’t wait to check out your wrapping guide— I need that, Mack currently does most of ours since I’m terrible at it. 😅 Merry Christmas to you and your family! ❤️

    1. Awwwww, thank you, Nina! I hope you and your sweet family are doing well and are able to find that magic balance this year, too. 😉 Big hugs and merry Christmas!

  4. Hi Rachel, Your beautiful green & white Christmas decor touched my heart. I have decorated our home for Christmas with a green & white palette for over 20 years and enjoy it more each year. Your tree draped with bead garland, white ribbon and brass bells hanging is magical! I’m smitten with unique asymmetrical mantle decor; I might have to copy your creative design. Thank you for a delightful tour of your lovely Christmas home.

    1. Oh Annie, you are too kind! Thank you so much for your sweet comment; I’m so happy you were touched by this space! May you and yours have a sweet, special time this holiday season.

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