This year’s holiday decorating is inspired by neutral French Christmas decor. Lots of white, silver, mercury glass, twinkle lights, and greenery are evocative of nature and create a feeling of simplicity.
Christmas is hands down my favorite time of year. From the Christmas tree lights, to spending time with family and friends, to eating my favorite sweets (peppermint bark!), I’m always appreciative of the reflection and joy the season brings.
Today is my first holiday tour of the year, and I’m excited to share this year’s neutral and natural decor! This year is very different from what I’ve done in the past.
I’ve used lots of white, silver and natural elements to evoke the feeling of a European Christmas.
I love the creativity of decorating for my favorite season, and bringing beauty to these four walls is another way I show my love.
Almost every year I plan my Christmas decorating the year before, and this year was no exception! During December of last year I started dreaming of what this year would look like.
I love to change things up, but I also didn’t want to spend a lot or buy loads of new items. Most of my Christmas decor is fairly neutral to start with, so this was more of a return to my roots than a new departure.
To start with, I decided to get a Noble fir Christmas tree – something I’ve never done before! Nope, never. My husband grew up with Nobles and when we were first married, he mentioned getting one from time to time. But that was when we used to buy a live tree and they were almost twice as much as other types, so it always got ruled out.
And to be honest, in years past I really didn’t love them. I grew up with chubby, full Douglas firs and that was what I gravitated to.
But I wanted a simpler, more neutral French Christmas feel this year and the Noble fir really evokes that feeling to me. And I couldn’t love it more! Not only is the simplicity something that speaks to me, but they are much easier to decorate and I love that you can see the ornaments!
The ornaments are all white pinecones and silver mercury glass, and I decided to forgo adding ribbon or garland to keep it simpler. And I didn’t load it down with a ton of ornaments, choosing instead to be able to see the green of the tree. I also added some frosted pine cones to emphasize the natural elements of the season.
Rustic urns hold a mix of faux and real greenery along with some white berries. A vintage Belsnickle Santa and some ornaments in a bowl complete the decor on the sofa table.
I love sprinkling ornaments everywhere – it’s such an easy way to decorate and really makes it feel festive.
The garland on the mantel is a mix of 3 different faux garlands, including my fave realistic cedar garland and this eucalyptus one.
I also added some pine cones and white berries to the garland for some texture and interest.
The only other purchase I made this year was to buy this little tabletop tree! I absolutely adore having some small trees to sprinkle around, and my old one was about 10 years old and showing wear. Plus, I wanted to continue that European feel with a little Noble. 😉
Even the Mora clock got a little holiday cheer! I used this cedar swag and then added some live pine branches from the yard as well.
I love bottle brush trees and cloches, so I thought I’d combine them for a sweet vignette on the coffee table.
Thanks so much for stopping by! I hope you enjoyed my neutral French Christmas living room and that it inspires some of your own decorating for the season. 😉
I’ll be back tomorrow with another holiday tour featuring my family room so I hope you’ll stop by for that!
Shop Neutral French Christmas Decor
*affiliate links have been added for your convenience*
Here’s to the beginning of the most wonderful time of the year!
Sheila
xo
And be sure to visit some of my talented friends who are also sharing their holiday decor below!
Shabbyfufu | Designthusiasm | StoneGable | Maison de Cinq
On Sutton Place | A Stroll Thru Life | Southern Hospitality
If you enjoyed this post you might want to check out some of my other holiday posts below:
Marni Gibson says
I’m just new to this site, and am loving it! Have you ever shared the wall and trim colours?
Sheila says
Hi Marni and thank you – that is so nice to hear!!
I have shared them but not really in one place (sorry!) My downstairs walls are Muslin, all trim, cabinets, doors, etc (including kitchen) are Cloud White, and my bedroom is White Dove. All paint is Benjamin Moore.
I also wrote a post all about neutral paints (many of the ones in my home). You can read that here: https://maisondecinq.com/my-favorite-paint-colors/
I hope that helps! And welcome to Maison de Cinq!
Sheila
J says
Hi! Did I miss the resource list? I’m looking for some of those neutral bottle brush trees. Thanks! Your home is just lovely.
Sheila says
Hi and thank you so much!
They’re right below the photos of the cloche – you can click and shop the photos. They’re also in the Shop the Post area at the bottom of the post.
Hope that helps!
Sheila
Donna M Colotti says
Everything about this post speaks to me. I have always been a tone on tone person…..love neutrals. May I kindly ask about the small circular table you have between the two side chairs? Gorgeous piece..
Sheila says
That’s so kind – thank you Donna! And that table was from Arhaus but unfortunately, it’s discontinued. I’m looking for similar ones and I do link some similar ones in the Shop my Home part of the blog but they are not the exact same.
Happy Holidays!
Sheila
lynne says
your entire living room is just lovely….. loved your neutral tones; as i have very little red in my house anymore…. and my greens aren’t the traditional Christmas “green” that i always used…. and i learned what a noble tree is today….. thanks for the beauty and education!!
Sheila says
You’re so welcome Lynne! I’m glad you were inspired – thanks for your kind words and for stopping by!
Sheila
Lory says
Just gorgeous, Sheila! I absolutely love the tree and I always favored fuller ones too. You did the perfect job decorating it!
Sheila says
Thank you my friend!
Sheila
xo
JoAnne McGee says
Would you mind sharing your resouce for the noble fir tree? Have so many ornaments that get buried in the fluffy trees… want (ideally) a nearly 9′ tree. Thank you!
Sheila says
Hi JoAnne! My tree is sourced in the post
(right underneath the tree photo and again at the end in the “resource” list) but it’s the one right here: https://rstyle.me/+cUfcblpGfMXlAk4LbmuOwg
Hope that helps and thanks for stopping by!
Sheila
Marty says
Love your tree, so simple and so elegant. I love a green tree and this one is stunning. I think the Nobel was a fabulous choice. Everything looks so beautiful, I love all the silver and white. Your garland on the mantel is beautiful too. I like that you added in some Eucalyptus, that gave it another dimension.
Sheila says
Thanks so much for your kind words Marty!
Merry Christmas to you!
Sheila
xo
Janet says
So stunning Sheila…pinning this for future reference!
Sheila says
Thanks so much Janet!