European-inspired Christmas Tour: Simple Greens & Classic Colors
Looking for a more European holiday decorating style? Take a peek at our European-inspired Christmas tour full of greenery, dried oranges, and pops of burgundy!
‘Tis the season for a late Christmas home tour! For those of you who are subscribers and regular readers, you already know how behind I’ve been this year on my holiday decorating. Typically, I start the first week of November and am ready to share (and hopefully inspire!) by mid-month. But with the move, and a remodel, as well as family here for Thanksgiving, it kept getting shifted off ‘for another day’!
But it’s finally here! To be honest, I thought about skipping the holiday tour altogether but I wanted to at least honor my promise to all of you who asked, even if it’s a little less than I’ve usually done.
And though I kept it simple I hope you enjoy getting a peek at our holiday decor this year – as well as the new house! (And for those of you asking, yes I’ll be doing a full home tour in January!)
I said “kitchen”, but you will see a bit of the living and family rooms, too!
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The kitchen! Not only is it the heart of the home, but it’s my absolute favorite place to decorate for the season. I love adding greenery and touches of the season to the place where we spend so much of our time!
Next year I’ll definitely add a wreath to the hood, but this year both my husband and I really hesitated! With everything being newly installed I was afraid to mar it in any way. But I’ll do some research and figure out a way because I love the look so much!
But to make up for that, I decorated our kitchen window with garland and I couldn’t love it more! Not only does it frame the view, but it sets such a festive tone for the whole space. (If you want to create a similar look, I used two 6′ strands of my favorite cedar garland along with this wreath).
To create a European-inspired feel, I draped some dried orange garland as well. I love the traditional element and the color that it brings. I seriously might have to do this every year! This year I used a faux orange garland, but I’ve dried my own oranges in years past and it’s easy to do. And dried oranges really contribute to that old-fashioned, simple holiday feel.
Having never had an island before, I have to say, I’m loving it! We have so much more space to cook and prep, and of course, I can’t argue with the extra decorating I get to do! 😉
This year I chose to display a sweet little tree and a topiary, along with my favorite scented candle. Not only is this candle in a gorgeous vessel, but the scent is perfect. It softly scents the room without overpowering it.
Little wreaths tied with burgundy ribbon add some color to the backs of the counter stools. I was back and forth earlier in the season about my color palette as I usually don’t do the same thing two years in a row and last year’s tour was also burgundy.
But when I took a poll on Instagram it was overwhelming in favor of me doing burgundy/red again so who am I to question?! 😉
Plus, dark red or burgundy really speaks to the more traditional look I was going for this year!
I fell hard for these realistic gingerbread houses last year and started dreaming of including them this year. So many clay gingerbread houses look fake, but these look incredibly authentic! (I used one larger house and a few smaller ornaments – I just removed the ribbon).
I love featuring them under a cloche – it just makes anything feel more special.
I went with a simple display on our dining table using clear glass hurricanes and some live greenery on my favorite linen runner. Here I also added wreaths to the two end chairs, just slightly larger versions than the ones I used on the stools.
This little bar area is probably my favorite area of the whole kitchen so I had to pop a little tree over here!
The one I used is sold out but I’ve linked some similar little trees below. I’m a firm believer in popping those things all over the house! They are charming and bring Christmas cheer anywhere you put them.
A tree dressed in burgundy, sage green and silver sits in our family room. Festive pillows with touches of green and deep red keep the color palette going.
As I’m sure you can tell, our living room fireplace remains unfinished. It is the last of our projects and unfortunately has run into some problems. But I couldn’t have Christmas without stockings and garland on the mantel so I decided to decorate it anyway and ignore the fact that it’s covered in cement mud, haha! Hopefully you can ignore that, too!
For the mantel I again used this realistic cedar garland along with a cute brass bell garland I picked up a few years ago. We always use our same knit stockings and I love the old-fashioned feel they bring!
White hydrangeas with pine sprigs and greenery in a rustic vase create a focal place on the coffee table.
On the mirror I added a greenery swag decorated with ribbon and solid brass jingle bells. It’s a nice change from a wreath and I love the European feel!
Shop European-Inspired Christmas Decor
And that’s it for this year’s European-inspired Christmas tour. Thank you so much for visiting, as well as your continued support! It means so much to have you here and I hope it gives you inspiration and ideas for your own decorating.
I’ll be sharing more holiday decorating inspiration in the next two weeks, as well as table setting ideas and a holiday cocktail!
Plus, come January, I’ll be showing more of the house, plus lots of before and afters, in a full reveal post so stay tuned!
Happy Holidays!
Sheila
xo
If you enjoyed this post, be sure to check out more holiday inspiration below:
Holiday Kitchen Decor with Warm European Touches
Holiday Decorating Essentials: My Six Favorite Decorating Items
How to Style a Traditional Christmas Porch
Your new home is beautiful! Cheers to new beginnings in your gorgeous new home!! How many hurricane vases did you use on your kitchen table? I love the table runner.
Aww thanks so much Cheryl!! I used two hurricane vases and my favorite runner (glad you love it too!) Linking the runner below (I have it in 2 sizes, 98″ and 108″ long), and the 108″ is on sale now!
https://amzn.to/4aklrH1
Happy Holidays!
Sheila
Thank you for the mini home tour, I love it! Your kitchen is beautiful, love the layout and the island is perfect. So glad things are moving along, just try to relax and enjoy the holidays, moving and remodeling can be stressful! Could I ask you what paint colors you used on your cabinets and island? We are remodeling our kitchen in January, and I can not decide on a color, so many whites to choose from! Thank you and have a Merry Christmas!
Thank you Jennifer, as you’ll see, it can be overwhelming. And the paint was one of the hardest aspects. But I so appreciate your words of encouragement!
My cabinets are Benjamin Moore White Dove on the perimeter, and the island is Sherwin Williams Accessible Beige.
Merry Christmas and good luck with your kitchen!
Sheila
Yeah!! You are situated before Christmas! Your kitchen is lovely! It looks perfect! I l can see a peak of a chair in your living room by the fireplace….I can’t wait to see the entire chair as the scalloped edge is so pretty! Thanks for sharing!
Aww thanks so much Debbie!
Happy Holidays to you!
Sheila
Thanks so much, Sheila! All is gorgeous. Very impressive how much you’ve gotten done with your new home.
Could you please provide some info on your beautiful kitchen runner rug? Thank you!
Hi Carol and thank you! Love that you think I’ve gotten a lot done haha! Those remodel shows really make you think it will just be a snap and this so was not!
And I’m happy to send the link to the runner! Here you go:
https://rstyle.me/+zvCadj6C2hLr94krACq_HQ
Hope that helps!
Sheila
So happy to see an update mini-tour of your new home – thank you. Simply lovely! Your fireplace decor completely disguises the work in progress. Moving is over-whelming so please allow yourself some grace as you settle in gradually. Happy holidays, Sheila!
Aww thank you Nan! It is true – it’s a complete life-change and I might not have been completely prepared for that!
Thanks you for your kind words and for stopping by!
Sheila
Your new home is absolutely stunning, as was your previous home! Just love everything!! So festive and sophisticated!! You are so talented! Thank you for the inspiration !!
Oh wow Chris thank you SO much!! I am so touched that you feel that way! 🙂
It makes me so happy to know you’ve found any of what I share here inspiring!
Happy Holidays to you!
Sheila
Thanks so much for the holiday tour of your beautiful new kitchen and family room! I love all you have done, as usual! You are my go-to blog for inspiration in my own home, and you never disappoint. Can’t wait ’til January for a whole home tour – I know it will be fabulous! Happy Holidays and lots of enjoyment as you settle into your first Christmas and New Year in your new home.
That is so sweet of you to say! Thank you so much Gail – that truly made my day! 🙂
Happy Holidays to you as well! 🙂
Sheila
Sheila, your new kitchen is classic, lovely, and huge! I can see why you were boggled with decisions! Aren’t island the best? It’s a great place to lay out plates, decor, and food for an entertaining buffet. I have a sink in my island, so it isn’t quite as big, but I’m not sure what I would do without it! Great job!
Can’t wait to see the rest. Enjoy your new space!!!
Yes it is big! Sooo much bigger than my previous, very small kitchen which made for lots of decisions. There was actually a second sink in the island that we removed! (hopefully I won’t regret that haha!)
And as always, thanks for your kind words and lovely support JC. I always appreciate it!
Happy Holidays to you!
Sheila
xo
Everything is looking great, you must be so happy about that! Did you use Command strips of hooks to hang the garland over the sink?
Hi Donna and thank you! Actually no, we just used very tiny nails at the top of the window trim. We wanted it to be secure and I’ve done that in the past. It doesn’t show when you take it all down so it doesn’t bother me. But if you don’t want to make any holes a command strip would work nicely.
Thanks for stopping by!
Sheila
Thanks for your reply.
Sheila, y’all have done a great job with the house – beautiful and such a great reflection of your style and taste. Although I was aware you were moving, for some reason I have not picked up on where you currently are – still Southern CA? It will be special to have it “done” for the holidays. Great job. Always a ton of pressure. We move a lot, so I know the feeling. Wishing you and your family a joyful and wonderful holiday season in your new home. I always enjoy all your posts so much. Cheers to a great 2026!
Thanks so much Beth, I so appreciate that! And yes, it is a lot of work. We had not moved in over 20 years so we were a bit out of practice I think! We are now in Northern California so the same state, just a different lifestyle and much different weather!
Happy Holidays!
Sheila
Sheila,
Your new home is beautiful and you’ve done a great job of decorating for Christmas. So much inspiration for me as always! Merry Christmas to you and your family!
Aww thank you Karen, I so appreciate that!
Merry Christmas to you as well!
Sheila
There is something in the air this year! Talking with my blogging friends, we are all underwhelmed with decorating this Christmas.
I’ve never struggled with it before either…Anyway, your home is always gorg whether it is decorated to the max or minimal!!
I’m in good company then Jennifer!! And thanks for your kind words!
Sheila
I love everything about your decor. I didn’t even notice that the fireplace surround wasn’t completed!
I can’t wait to see the rest of your new home.
Oh I love hearing that Pat! Let’s hope that’s true of everyone haha!
Thanks for stopping by!
I absolutely love it, and the simplicity of the decor is what makes it so beautiful! I have implemented many of your ideas within my own decor; truly inspiring.
Have a very happy holiday season!
That is so kind! Thank you so much Summer!
Happy Holidays to you!
Sheila
Shelia, Absolutely stunning kitchen! Kitchen itself and Christmas decor. Well worth the wait. I’m so looking forward to seeing the rest of your home. Maison de Cinq is my favorite blog by far
Kelia
What a lovely thing to say! Thank you Kelia, I so appreciate that!
And thanks for stopping by!
Sheila
Everything looks beautiful! I love how you still decorated the unfinished fireplace. Life happens and it’s not perfect but your perspective made it work!
Can you please let me know where you bought your counter stools?
Haha well you can’t not have stockings right?!
The stools are below:
https://rstyle.me/+ZCNvI-k9c2u8DwMxJlj5kQ
Happy Holidays!
Sheila