Now that Halloween is in our rear view mirror — honestly, I was over it by the time the storms ripped through the other night — I can officially share my first Christmas creation of 2020! Each year, part of the fun in Christmas decorating, for me, is inventing new color schemes and tree concepts. I like taking on new holiday themes and testing fresh color combos and looks throughout the house — and by the way, my full Christmas Home Tour will be launching on November 17 and you can be alerted when it’s live by signing up for emails HERE. After taking a break from having a large Christmas tree in the dining room this past year, I’m back this year, in a big way (times two!) This year, my dining room is decked in snowy whites and frosty blues and it may just be my favorite look this room has seen, yet!
*This post is written in partnership with At Home Stores; as always, all opinions, concept, and creative are my own. Posts on KelleyNan.com may contain affiliate links. Click HERE for full disclosure.*
All featured Christmas decor is from At Home; permanent room sources, wall colors, etc. can be found HERE.
Snow & Ice Christmas Dining Room
When we started our Conversation Room makeover — set to be finished and revealed in early 2021 — I quickly decided that the room across the entry, our dining room, would be transitioning a little too. I’ll be adding some wall detail and the pale blue that has covered this space since 2015 will be disappearing. But, I decided to hold off on any big moves until the holiday season is over, specifically to give a cool background to my dining room Christmas color scheme. While I’ve done snowy scapes and glittery trees before, I’ve never decorated in this year’s theme — snowy whites and icy blues. The result? Well, check it out…
I first set up twin trees in Eliza’s Christmas nursery this past year (HERE), and loved the result — yes, a little over the top but so fun. In the past, the dining room has seen elaborate holiday tablescapes, the tradition of a wreath hanging from the mirror, and a tree in the far corner, opposite the sideboard. This year, I flipped my typical and took a totally different approach. Matching trees, flanking the buffet? Yes, please!
Each year, I make the trek to At Home to get inspired, check out potential color schemes, and choose new pieces to add to my collection of Christmas decor. While they have color schemes and themes split by sections and aisles to make it easy, I love mixing pieces from all the collections together to come up with something totally unique. You also get a lot of bang for your buck, especially when it comes to holiday 😉
Before deciding on and committing to my dining room theme this year, all I knew before setting foot in-store was that I wanted flocked trees. Two of them. It’s been a couple years since I set up a flocked tree and with green as the primary color and vibe in the rest of my house, I wanted something snowy — with pronounced needles — to set a winter scene. You can check out their collection of flocked trees HERE; THIS is the one I ultimately decided on. It has long needles and is more lightly flocked than others available and I love the look!
You can check out how I add ribbon to my Christmas tree in my ribbon tutorial HERE.
When I saw the barely-there, pale blue, frosted poinsettia picks, my wheels started spinning. I landed on solid white, with a few icy blue accents, and just a few incorporations of gold. With my light blue walls as the background, I think my dining room was destined to wear these Christmas colors at least once before being painted.
Because there is so much going on with the trees, I kept both the sideboard in the background and table in the foreground simple so as not too clutter the visuals and let the trees be the stars of the show. On the table, I opted for clear hurricanes in varying sizes with white pillar candles and rock salt sprinkled in the bottoms, to serve as snow. A few frost-tipped pinecones sprinkled in, and that’s it.
I do use two neutral runners on my table, running laterally, almost year-round, to help break up some of that brown in the wood; if you’re having trouble with a centerpiece or think your tabletop looks too spansive, try breaking it up with runners/fabric, like this.
Instead of setting each place, I kept the plates and dinnerware stacked on the corner of the table. Still complete but again — less visual clutter than setting each seat.
Even though I wanted the sideboard to be simple so the trees would stand out, I wanted to do something on the mirror that wouldn’t distract too much. Instead of my usual — a big wreath — I strung snowflakes at varying heights with fishing line for an on-theme detail that doesn’t take away from their surroundings. I used packing tape to secure on the top back of the mirror 😉
A few ornaments and a couple ceramic trees were all I used on the top of the sideboard.
When you set up trees in other rooms, it can be a little tricky when it comes to what to put underneath. In our house, we only place actual gifts beneath the main tree in the living room. To make the trees in secondary rooms more complete, I add boxes, jars, lanterns, bowls, open boxes with extra ornaments, etc.
I don’t typically “do” big tree toppers. For these trees, I used just a few icy blue poinsettia picks and cascaded them down from the top. I didn’t use many and I didn’t use them anywhere else on the tree to allow them to stand out.
I used a couple white doves on each tree and positioned them in a cluster. Again, I didn’t want to put birds all over the tree but wanted each “family” of birds to have their own stand-alone moment.
One thing I love about flocked trees is that it’s so much easier to 1. make them appear more full and filled with ornaments (while using less), and 2. ribbon sticks to flocked branches so much better than naked pine needles. I used extra long spriggy white, sparkly sticks that looked like tentacles to give the trees a little more “wow” and whimsy — I honestly have no idea what they are. but I dig the way the look, nestled in the trees! Whenever I have long branches/picks/stems like that, I always angle them in the tree, pointed slightly upwards.
And while it’s frosty white during the day, the warm glow at nighttime can’t be beat…
After the 2020 we’ve had, we need the joy in this Christmas season! There will be a lot of holiday posts launching in the coming weeks, but in the meantime, you can visit my full Christmas project gallery HERE or some of these past favorites:
Mind blown! Can’t wait to see what’s next.
Maggie, Thank you so much for your sweet note! The season has just begun and I will be sharing more soon. I thought this was a great way to begin.
Wow!! This is so good!!
I love all things kelleynan!
I noticed you did something new with your ribbon!! Can you post a little video when you do it on the next tree?
Hi Kandis, Thank you for your kind words! I have a separate Christmas ribbon tutorial post here:
https://kelleynan.com/how-to-decorate-a-christmas-tree-with-ribbon/
I also plan to add a Reels with my method on my Instagram feed soon.
Absolutely beautiful! Can you come decorate my trees. Night shot is magical.
Barb, Thank you so much for visiting and for your sweet note! This one was a joy to do and a great way to begin the Christmas decorating.
Just beautiful! Where did you get the snowflakes that are on your mirror? Thank you!
Anne, Thank you so much! The snowflakes came from AtHome Stores. They have several sizes and designs available. I used three different varieties on the mirror.
Gorgeous! I look forward to seeing what you do each year.
Justine, Thank you so much for your kind words. I hope you have the best Christmas season!
Absolutely STUNNING!!!!!
I always love your Christmas decor and I am anxiously waiting to see your tour this year!!! Your home is beautiful and the Christmas decor added is always gorgeous. Having Gran Nan close by and little Eliza at this fun age where everything is wonderful to explore….. Christmas at your home will be MAGICAL ❤️
Brenda, Thank you so much for your kind words. You are so right that this Christmas will be so fun and special. I like to decorate early so that we can enjoy the magic of every single minute! xoxo
Wowza!
Corine, Thanks so much for taking the time to stop by. Your message made me smile…big! Thank you!
Magical!
Linda, Thank you! If there is one word that Christmas should invoke, it is “magical.” Thank you so much for seeing my vision.
So gorgeous! You have inspired me! I ordered a flocked pencil tree for my dining room yesterday. I never had a tree in the dining room! So excited to see the rest!
Lisa, Thank you! I am incredibly flattered to be an inspiration to you. I love love having a tree in the dining room. The flocking makes the trees extra special. I would love to see yours when you have it decorated.
Fantabulous! I love every little detail about this room. The trees are spectacular and will be enjoyed throughout the season.
Cecilia, Thank you! I wanted to decorate early so that we can savor every minute of this special season. We love the twinkling lights at night.
Dear Kelley,
I really admire your eye. While my own holiday style is much simpler, I still really appreciate your vision and your explanations – I’m not a visually oriented person and your explanations always expand my knowledge!!
The evening shot is amazing, I didn’t realize one could have so much warmth with cool colors!
Susan, Thank you so much for your kind words. I am so happy to know that you appreciate the details and that they help. The evening shot is my favorite too. The look totally changes when dusk occurs.
This is beyond gorgeous, Kelley. I always wait for your Christmas posts and truly am amazed at your talent.
Joni, Thank you! I felt we all needed a little extra Christmas magic this year. Your sweet words and support mean the world to me.
This is completely lovely!
I absolutely do not have the patience to do this much decorating myself (or the desire to store this much stuff!), but I love the end result that you have created 👏
Sally, Thank you for your sweet words! I totally understand your sentiment. It does take time and patience to decorate and then “un-decorate.” I definitely prefer the decorating step!
Absolutely beautiful!!!
Thank you so much, Pam! The flocked trees were my initial inspiration point for the look. I hope you have a wonderful Christmas season!
Oh Kelley, this might be your best work yet. But then again, I say that every year. Your home and decor is impeccable. Do you do all of this yourself or do you have an assistant?? Can’t imagine how long it takes but it’s all totally worth it. Thank you!
Elise Ann, Thank you for your kind words! I do most myself, but count on my mom for feedback and some other assistance. Calendars, planners and to do lists are also great helps!
I love the two trees flanking the buffet. Keeping the color pallet close keeps them from looking too over the top, yet they are dressed to the nines. I’m in love 💕
I’m need to get my totes up and start decorating my house. I think we all need that extra bit of cheer this year.
Joanna, Thank you so much for your sweet words. You “get” my vision perfectly, which is so gratifying. I love that you say the trees are “dressed to the nines.” I started early because I think we need a little more sparkle this year. Hope you have a wonderful time decorating!
I said to my friend that I needed some extra sparkle this year and she said “Was she not enough? “ Lol Let’s add that extra sprinkle this year!
Hi Joanna, I’m with you! I think this is the perfect time and year to add as much extra sparkle as possible. Let’s do it! xoxo
So inspired to decorate early!! Love your colour palette , as always a perfect tree. You never disappoint!!!
Denise, Thank you for your kind note! I think we all need a special Christmas this year. I say, the earlier we decorate, the longer we have to enjoy it. I hope you have a wonderful Christmas season!
Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!
Sharon, Thank you for stopping by. Your comment definitely brought a smile to my face!
Gorgeous! I can’t wait to see the tour on November 17th. Each year, I don’t think you can top the previous year, but you always do!! Your Christmas trees and decor are always beautiful and inspirational.
Hi Margie, Thank you so much for taking the time to stop by and for your kind note. I believe this year’s Christmas will be important for us all! We need all the joy and sparkle we can get after the strange year we have had. I can’t wait to share! xoxo
Kelly todo hermoso… si la Navidad siempre es única y todo lo que hace uno por hacer un ambiente especial y cálido, acogedor…y eso lo logras tu Kelly…me encantó Muchas felicidades!!
Dolores, Thank you so much for stopping by and leaving this sweet note. You are so right that Christmas is a very special time of year. I am so happy that you have captured the spirit I wanted to portray. I hope you have a wonderful Christmas season!
Wow this is breathtaking!! Your so so talented. I can’t wait to see the rest of the trees this year. I really learned so much last year from your tips for the ribbons. Thank you!
Hi Mariam, Thank you so much for your kind words! I am so happy to know that the Christmas ribbon tutorial was helpful to you. The rest of the tree decorating is well underway and I can’t wait to share with you soon!
Stunning!!!
Angie, Thanks so much for taking the time to stop by! I hope you and yours have a wonderful Christmas season. xoxo
Kelley, I love everything you do especially at Christmas! I was thinking of trying a white tree this year. After seeing the pictures of your beautiful trees I can’t wait to try it.
Looking forward to all your Christmas ideas!
Susan, Thank you so much for your kind note! Like you, I wanted to return to having a flocked tree (or two!) this year. They certainly add a little extra magic for this special season. I hope you have a wonderful time decorating yours. I bet you will love it!
Stunning as usual. You inspired me to try a flocked tree this year. Those white ornaments are huge! What size are they, and did you get them from At Home as well?
Hi Crystal, Thank you so much for your kind note. Yes, all items on the trees came from AtHome. I’d say the large white ornaments are at least 6″ in diameter. I hope you have a wonderful Christmas season!
So gorgeous! Is there somewhere you link the exact ribbons, ornaments, etc you use from at Home? I don’t live close enough to shop in person, so its hard to tell online exactly which items you have.
Hi Paige, Thank you for taking the time to stop by and leaving your kind note. To my knowledge, AtHome does not have an e-commerce site. I do not have the items linked, but did a detailed tutorial on Instagram that shows lots of close ups of the ribbon and ornaments that I used. Hope this helps!