Our Scandinavian-Inspired, Minimalist-Friendly, Christmas Decor: Home

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As far as holidays go, Christmas is the least minimalist-friendly of the lot (Halloween is a close second). It's like there's some subliminal mandate to overstuff and overdecorate your home.

With the holiday season being such a hectic time, I like the idea of slowing down and keeping things simple at home; we tend towards minimalist decor, in general. So, why should the holidays be any different?!

If you haven't already, check out last week's post on minimalist Christmas decor inspiration!

This week, I'm sharing our Scandinavian-inspired, minimalist-friendly holiday decor home tour. Hope you enjoy!

If you've been following along for a while, you'll know that our design style is a combination of cozy minimalist and Scandiboho. We're into neutrals and modern/mid-century furniture with a warm, inviting feel. I wanted to take the same approach to our holiday decor this year, so we went with a Nordic theme.

You might have noticed our tree looks a little meagre. We went a bit crazy with the literal trimming of the tree this year. It sits right in front of the only window in the living room, so hacking off branches here and there allows for more natural light. Also, a sparser tree seems to blend in better with our existing decor! Rest assured, big, fluffy tree lovers: this isn't what it looked like when we picked it up at the Evergreen Garden Market.

For the longest time, I've wanted a Christmas tree in a basket. I love the simplicity and earthy feel of this look---not to mention the ability to hide that unsightly tree stand! This year, I finally found a basket big enough (well, sort of...) from H&M Home.

Our massive tree stand still didn't fit in the basket. To accommodate the stand, I had to cut the basket open and remove the bottom. I used a couple of pieces of twine to suture the basket back together around the stand (that medical degree comes in handy at the strangest times!). It still gapes open at the back (good thing I’m not a surgeon), but you can't tell unless you take a close look under the tree!

I draped a plush blanket overtop for added texture and better stand concealment. If you've read my post on clever living room storage for kid's toys, you'll know that blankets atop baskets are one of my stealthy storage staples!

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Large Wicker Basket With Handles ($36.98, Amazon.com).

I prefer subtlety when it comes to holiday decor (well, any decor, really...). So, instead of bright reds and greens, I've opted for black and gold accents. I'm also a sucker for sheepskin in the winter! Click here for more on how we decorate our home for the fall and winter.

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Black Velvet Pillow Covers - set of 2 ($12.99, Amazon.com). These are the exact ones we have.

Gold Chenille Pillow Cases - set of 2 ($15.99, Amazon.com).

Faux Sheepskin Throw ($17.99, Amazon.com).

As for ornaments, I'm drawn to natural materials like wood, paper, and felt. I love their simplicity and laid-back vibe.

My husband brought this yurt ornament back from a trip to Mongolia. We used to try to return with an ornament from each place traveled. We gave up on this after spending hours hunting for non-tacky ornaments in the Caribbean! Think Santa in scuba gear...

This is a clay handprint from my son's first Christmas. Can't believe that was four years ago!

Digging these gold geometric ornaments for a touch of modern sparkle!

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Wool Acorns - set of 10 ($19.20, Amazon.com).

Geometric Ornaments - set of 8 ($23.99, Amazon.com).

Baby Handprint Christmas Ornament Kit ($12.99, Amazon.com).

100 LED Warm White Lights 32' Long ($9.99, Amazon.com). These are the string lights we have up on the tree (just one pack for the seven foot tree!).

What I love most about these dainty LED string lights is just how versatile they are. They look great draped around and piled on just about anything!

To accommodate for the extra holiday decor coming in, we put away some of our pre-existing decor. This prevents our home from appearing too cluttered.

If you've read my post on minimalist Halloween decor, you'll know I'm a fan of the seasonal switch out! This time, I stole this clever idea (spotted on Etsy) to bring a little Christmas cheer to our gallery wall.

We're big fans of Home Alone.

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Home Alone Quote Printable JPEG ($6.99, Etsy).

I'm team 'real' (vs. fake) Christmas Tree. The same goes for garland. The real thing adds life to a home in a way the fake stuff just can't.

This year, I bought a 25' cedar garland and one bunch each of spruce and eucalyptus branches from the Davenport Garden Centre, here in Toronto.

I used the bulk of the cedar garland along the stairs and cut up the rest to use elsewhere. I interspersed the spruce, eucalyptus and fir pieces (trimmed from our tree) amongst the cedar garland for varied tone and texture.

Can't have too much greenery. Just like Frank's Red Hot: I put that s#!% on everything!

Housekeeping tip: hang your garland below the railing, it's a lot easier to vacuum fallen pine needles from the floor than it is the stairs!

For our centre piece, I draped some leftover leaves and twigs haphazardly around a candlestick holder.

Nuts are a great addition to any table. They make for a healthy snack and easy decor. They look terrific in a wooden bowl.

My husband brought these carved gourds back from a trip to Peru---subtle, yet festive, decor!

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Wooden Bowls - set of 4 ($21.99, Amazon.com).

In the front entry, I replaced our usual art piece with something more festive; I tied a string to each end of a spruce branch (with some cedar and eucalyptus peppered in), and hung it from a paper mâché deer head. Cute, right?

There's an almost sleigh-like quality to our red, vintage streetcar seat. Don't you think?

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Faux White Deer Head ($49.99, Amazon.com).

In the kitchen, we have this vintage nativity pyramid from Germany (a gift from my husband's aunt) up on the shelf. When lit candles are placed in the holders at the base, the heat from the flames causes the fan to turn; this spins each tier of the nativity scene. My son is entranced by it! I love that it's made of wood, is neutral, and fits with the rest of the Scandi decor. It's one of the few old Christmas decor pieces that makes the cut every year.

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German Nativity Pyramid ($149.99, Amazon.com). You just can't beat vintage, but this one is fairly similar to ours.

So, that's what our home's looking like these days. Hope you enjoyed the little tour! Have you started decorating yet? Stay tuned next week for my Christmas Gift Ideas for Minimalists (I know, it sounds like an oxymoron)!

neatntiny

decor • declutter • simplify