Today we are taking a look back at the house that I decorated for last year’s Holiday House Tour in Niagara-on-the-Lake. I’m hoping that these photos can give you some inspiration for Christmas decoration ideas this upcoming Holiday season!

This fresh floral wreath was the perfect bright welcome to the house featuring garden roses, tulips, anemone, pinecones and more. 

Holiday House Tour

Last December I had the pleasure of decorating a home for the Niagara-on-the-Lake Holiday House Tour. The home that I decorated was one of 6 homes on the tour, each decorated by a different designer. The Niagara-on-the-Lake Holiday House Tour is an annual event and the funds raised through ticket sales go toward charity projects spearheaded by the Rotary Club. As a florist new to the area, I was grateful for the opportunity to decorate a home on the tour which is attended by thousands of guests over the course of the weekend. The homeowners of this house were lovely to work with and our personal styles really aligned. While I am not decorating a home on the tour this year, the Niagara-on-the-Lake Holiday House tour is a wonderful event to attend if you are in the area. Tickets can be purchased through their website here.

Christmas Decoration Ideas

Planning for the house decoration started months before the design came to fruition. I wanted to respect the design of the cottage home with traditional details and nothing too heavy, large, or overbearing. It was all about the details so that the visitors walking through would have an experience that triggered every sense to really create the warm feelings of the Holidays.

I wanted to share these photos with you with hopes that they can start sparking some Christmas decoration ideas for you this year!

Vintage candles played a big part in my design concept – pillar and taper candles alike. When it comes to candle stick holders I use gold, silver, brass and crystal all together – mixing metals and materials is a-ok in my books!

The Dining Room

The dining room is the heart of the house during the Holiday Season. This table called for something subtle and festive that would compliment a large arrangement that sat at the end of the table. I created this tablescape using Italian Ruscus. Italian Ruscus is a simple, long lasting, and beautiful solution for a rectangular table. During the holidays I pair the Italian ruscus with cranberries, pears, and lots of candles for a festive feel. If you would like to recreate this look, read all about how to do your own simple tablescape with Italian Ruscus.

This large arrangement was jam packed with garden roses and anemone, trailing bits of jasmine and more. I spent most of my weekend standing beside it and talking to guests as they walked through the house. SO many people asked me if the flowers were fake…they really were THAT perfect!

I am a big fan of personalized place settings. This small gift adds to the visual of the table and also is something thoughtful for each guest. This past post shares how to make 3 creative napkin rings – these ideas can also really enhance your Holiday table.

If you have trouble visualizing a complete and beautiful tablescape, this post on 5 steps to decorating a table can definitely help! I followed these 5 steps with this table and the result was simple, festive, and complete.

The Living Room

This sitting room was so lovely and a spot where you just want to sit and spend time. It was full of wood and antique elements and had a cozy feel.  Cut crystal, wood, and evergreen was the perfect combination to give a masculine but sophisticated feel.

Carrying with the theme of masculine sophisticated, a silver urn filled with just berries is a simple and effective way to decorate a surface. Oranges, pinecones, candles and greenery also make a good and accessible combination. This sort of application as seen above would work beautifully on a fireplace mantle if you are looking for an option besides traditional evergreen garland.

Wow, excuse the terrible photo!? Needless to say my photography has improved since this time last year! Regardless, this picture frame filled with flowers was such a crowd stopper! I would love to make an installation like this on a larger scale for an event one day (hint hint…anyone want one?! I’m thinking above a fireplace at a beautiful venue! ;)).

The Details

Keeping in line with the decor of the rest of the house I kept things light and airy on this banister with Italian Ruscus so that the stair case did not demand too much attention. This is a very simple method of decorating the banister and I actually just attached the greenery with double sided tape.

Take your gift wrapping to the next level with different textures through paper, ribbons, and natural elements. I used a colourful selection of Rifle Paper Co. wrapping paper (seriously, click this link and all your wrapping paper dreams will come true!) from Indigo and used silk and velvet ribbon on each gift. Add a natural element like a pine cone or sprig of greenery to your gifts for an added touch.

 

A wreath in every window. This is a great way to decorate your house for a really classy feel. This is especially lovely in older homes with beautiful and detailed window panes like we had here.

    

Saje Essential Oil Diffusers have become one of my favourite things to have in the house. I run mine for a few hours each day with a lovely anti-stress blend that is so relaxing. To enhance the feel of the Holidays, on the Holiday House Tour I had a Saje diffuser in a few rooms of the house diffusing Christmas-y scents. SO many guests commented on how lovely the house smelled! Think of a freshly cut Christmas tree…in every room!

A Minimal Christmas Tree

Finally, the Christmas tree! The house was quaint and lovely, so a full sized tree just didn’t feel right. We went with a small and very sparse Christmas tree in the entry way. I used lovely Anthropologie vintage style ornaments from Anthropologie Queen Street. These ornaments are quite small and are SO perfect for a small tree. They are detailed, delicate, and beautiful. And, as always, the Anthropologie Christmas decor this year has me in serious swoon mode!

Do you have plans to decorate your house for the Holidays? Let me know in the comments what you look forward to the most when it comes to Holiday decor!