to look a lot like Christmas in the Cos Casa! Got the tree up late yesterday afternoon. Lights and the angel are on but no ornaments yet. We had such a busy weekend we just ran out of decorating time! Dining room is 90% decorated and I'm tweaking the living room. This year I've decided to go with a Red, Silver & White theme throughout the entire house. One of the problems of having lived in several different homes (including a couple of transitional, short-term rentals along the journey) is that what looked good in one house, doesn't look good in another. Our house in NY was the most contemporary house we had lived in -- a lot of glass and brass (don't judge! It was 20 years ago!). The house in Cincinnati was a little more rustic (not "country" but definately the most "homey" house we've had -- stone fireplace, wood mantel, medium wood cabinets in the kitchen and all the baths, parquet floor in the foyer, wood trim everywhere, etc.). This house is what they call "traditional" -- white mantel w/ marble surround, white cabinetry, light baseboards and moulding, etc.
So, I've decided to streamline and just go with a theme that looks good in each room. My dining room linens are red with white snowflakes. I have silver placemats and other than my Christmas china, all of the accent pieces in the room are red, white or silver with a snowflake motif.
My mantel this year is kind of sparse (I prefer the term "simple elegance) but KJ isn't a fan. I've got a lot of white taper candles, red glass and mercury glass. KJ said it looks like a menorah.
While the these are not photos of my house, below is some of my inspiration for this year's decor:
