J&K Homestead: It's Christmas Time: The Living Room

The other day, I shared some pictures of our Christmas tree, but I thought I'd share a few pictures of the living room, which I finally finished decorating last weekend. I kept it pretty simple - using just some reds, greens, and golds to add a touch of color and that Christmas feel to the room.

The fireplace and built-ins got the most attention. Even though I can't place a lot of decor on the mantel (since the TV gets in the way), I loved hanging the garland down around it this year. Your eye tends to focus on the fireplace and garland rather than the TV when sitting in the room.

And I must say that I still have no regrets about painting the fireplace white this past summer. It's the perfect backdrop for all the red and green. On top of the mantel, I placed a bunch of individual picks across the top. Then one continuous strand of garland hangs on the bottom.

I bought the red and gold ball picks for a few dollars and stuck them in throughout the greenery. They look like ornaments even though they are just plastic balls with a green wire attached to them.

The shelves to the right of the fireplace were just layered with a few simple items. I left the baskets I normally have sitting there. I added some Christmas place mats as a colorful surface for setting the lantern, candles, magazines, and glass hurricane on. I hung the pretty glass ornament from a thumb tack I hammered behind the ledge.

The top shelf has a big poinsettia my parents gave us (we have to keep it up high so the cat won't eat it). I also added one of my favorite Christmas books and pretty candles I got last year. The 2 candle holders I recently bought at Target.

On the right wall in between the windows, I hung a new canvas print I purchased in November. I'm getting a coordinating print from my mom (it's wrapped under her Christmas Tree). The prints are beautiful for hanging during the Christmas season. There are actually about 8 prints total in the Christmas set.

Here's a view of the living and den from the other direction. I love having the tree centered in the doorway.

A few accessories I placed about the room are Christmas pillows, a Tree snow globe, and a Christmas wreath that I made in about 10 minutes using a grapevine wreath, winter-y picks, and a little nest and bird candle in the center. It hangs on the front door in the living room.