I have had a wonderful time decorating my dining room for Christmas this year, and for the first time ever! Although this is our third Christmas in this house, I have never decorated this room for the holidays before.
We are calling this a gold & greenery Christmas dining room because of all the gold accents. But I have also included some plaid and nostalgic Christmas touches. So Gold, Greenery & Touches of Nostalgia might be a better name!
In our old house, our big 9-foot Christmas tree went in the dining room. It had a huge window at the front of the house, so the tree made sense there. Oh, and those tall ceilings... so fun!
So the dining room was almost always the first room we decorated in our old house.
I do not know if you can tell from the photos, but that room was so much bigger than the dining room we have now.
So when we moved that large farmhouse furniture into this traditional Cape Cod-style home, the pieces were simply too big.
Then we hosted Thanksgiving in our dining room last year, so I skipped decorating it for Christmas altogether.
This year, though, I have all new-to-me (antique) furniture, did not host Thanksgiving, and had a fun time decorating! All the while I kept in mind how it will look in the newly made-over room next year. I tried to buy only new pieces that will still work after we finish the dining room makeover.
My wheels are already turning on how I will decorate it next Christmas!
Dining Room Sources: 7.5 Slim Aspen Fir Tree | Christmas Tree Collar | Furniture is all antique or old | Large Greenery Wreath (sold out) | Hanging Clustered Bells | Table Top Trees | Wooden Bowl | Candle Sticks | Tapered Candles | Olive & Charcoal Area Rug | Nostalgic Christmas Salad Plates (already sold out) | Nostalgic Santa Salad Plates | White Beaded Plates | Gold Chargers | Tartan Plaid Table Runner | Gold “Silverware” | Magnolia Garland (similar)
I was so excited that the smaller, newer furniture meant I could fit a Christmas tree in the dining room. I started with a new 6.5-foot flocked tree, but it never felt quite right. I had bought it because it matched the Christmas tree in my office across the hall.
Then I realized I needed a taller, non-flocked tree. So I bought this 7.5 Slim Aspen Fir Tree, and it was the magical missing piece! I love that I now have two Christmas trees in the front windows of the house. And the glow of Christmas lights everywhere I turn makes my heart so happy. I added gold ribbon bows to the tree for a festive look. (I also put gold ribbon bows in a few other places.)
For the table, I knew I wanted a new runner. I love everything plaid at Christmas, so this tartan plaid table runner was my first purchase. It is the only plaid in this room, but I think it helps tie it to the rest of our house. It is just a little peek of plaid on the table, and that works!
I had been wanting Christmas plates for years, and now that I have more space, it was the perfect time to treat myself to these Nostalgic Santa salad plates. I love how each one shows a different scene, and I especially love the train plate. (I bought both the Nostalgic Christmas and Nostalgic Santa plates, but unfortunately the Christmas ones are already sold out.)
Christmas Dining Table Sources: Nostalgic Christmas Salad Plates (already sold out) | Nostalgic Santa Salad Plates | White Beaded Plates | Gold Chargers | Tartan Plaid Table Runner | Gold “Silverware” | Magnolia Garland (similar)
I also finally bought myself a new set of white dishes. We got the Target version of these dishes as a wedding gift 12.5 years ago. (We thought everyone was as broke as we newlyweds were, so I put cheaper things on my registry. Why did I not ask for the nicer Pottery Barn dishes?? I have no idea!)
But now that I am 40, and the Target plates are all scratched and chipped, I decided to treat myself to these white plates that have been on my wish list for more than a decade.
I got the gold chargers for only $5 each, which I thought was a great deal. But I just checked, and as I write this they are down to $3.50. Ha! They are not anything fancy, but they look great under my place settings, so I am thrilled!
I went with a few simple but oversized decor pieces on the buffet. This huge greenery wreath and bells came from McGee & Co. It is so much larger and fuller than I ever imagined! The clustered hanging bells are a lovely accent too. I will use this wreath in here for years to come! (It is sold out, but it is my first McGee & Co. wreath, and I will not hesitate to buy another one. It is so well made!)
The large wooden bowl with candles and pinecones was a random purchase that I absolutely LOVE! I did not even notice the gilded gold edge at first, but I am obsessed! It is so beautiful and makes the perfect statement piece no matter what you fill it with!
I simply added a few of my old tabletop trees to the mix and called it done. I love decorating with larger pieces because it can be so simple.
It was also fun to decorate the china cabinet with festive plates and holiday baubles. I realize I do not have many spare little Christmas decor items, so I will need to collect things for this cabinet. But it was fun to decorate with things I already owned!
China Cabinet Sources: White Pedestal Ceramic Bowl | Ceramic Houses | Mini Nutcrackers | Pear Plate | Nostalgic Santa Plates | Mini Deer Figurines | Larger Deer Figurine | Tabletop Trees
Christmas Entryway
I also snapped a few photos of the foyer next to the dining room. I usually just hang some mistletoe on the pendant light and add a couple of festive pieces to the entry table.
The plaid picture frame on the table is new and so cute! I love the photo of my girls in it! It adds another touch of plaid, which I find so festive!
Entry Sources: Pendant Light | Mistletoe Swag | Brass Hooks (similar) | Console Table | Console Basket | Wood Framed Mirror | Adjustable Brass Lamp | Plaid Picture Frame | Faux Amaryllis in Pot (similar)
And then you can see my office reflected in the mirror across the entryway from the dining room. I am not going to take new photos this year because it looks exactly like it did last year. I love it so much that I will probably decorate it the same way every single year!
Thank you for coming to see my fancied-up Gold & Greenery Christmas Dining Room and the rooms next to it. It makes me smile to look in there every day while I work at my desk. I cannot wait to tackle the makeover in January and decorate a whole "new" room next year!
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