Here is a compilation of our holiday home tours over the years. It’s awesome to look back and see how Susan’s styling has changed over the years. At how much our babies have grown (tear). And reminisce on the huge effort it takes to get the house ready for filming. Here they are in all their glory. Also, I’ll add a little background in the effort it took to get everything together.

2022

Each year, the decorating starts off with the fireplace room. It’s the main room of the house and has both the front door and stairway upstairs. What is challenging is the room is off-centered. Susan often has Cath, Grandma, and me trying several different combinations of tree placements in order to get it right. This year we tried all four corners until we landed back to the original location. Then out of the blue, SQ got the idea to add two smaller trees on the side. I think it looks awesome.

We kind of try to have a “big reveal” each year.  For 2022 the reveal was the kitchen.  That was a ton of work to get that all set.  Susan briefly went into the whole effort on the IG post but here are a few more details.  The whole effort started because SQ wanted to feature these Arhaus chandeliers without swaging them because we had swaged lights in the two rooms that connected to this one.  And I’ll admit, she was right even though I knew that not swaging them was going to lead to so much more work.

In order to string the electrical wire we needed to remove a ceiling panel. That was a chore in and of itself because they were actually inch thick knotty pine – the good stuff. But when I finished cutting out a rectangle and we found 1880’s floor joists, I knew the whole ceiling was coming down. Really, the exposed beams are awesome. I think they look great and when Susan saw them, her eyes just lit up. I love it when she gets like that. Her mind just races to figure out how best to show off this amazing, beautiful treasure that was buried for years. SQ dreamt up painting the subfloor (on the ceiling white so there was a good contrast between that and the wooden floor joist beams.) Then that led to painting the rest of the dining are in the kitchen white. Lastly, while Susan was in Australia, I painted harlequin squares on the floor that she said would add interest. Here’s the technique I used in case you’d like to paint these in your home.

The song is a Silent Night cover by Steelings.  Very cool.  We went back and forth on the song choice this year and ultimately went with this because it has a whimsical feel to it.

2021

2021 is definitely one of my favorites.  I really like this one.  Here is the Handsome and Gretyle’s home page and link to this song called December.

This year Susan faced the challenge of having to get over an artistic block. Nothing looked quite right and it was an effort to get started. Unfortunately I cannot help with new decorating ideas. She’s got to be the one to decide what looks good. So SQ went to her favorite sources for inspiration – store displays, Pinterest, reimagining spaces in our home. And then ultimately what did it for her was thinking back to those holiday moments from when she was a little girl, looking at pictures of her mom and grandmother using tinsel on her trees and boom, the whole thing came together! The feeling of an old fashioned Christmas Is always something Susan strives to create each year. We got the biggest tree that could fit in the room and SQ, Cath, the girls and Grandma showered the tree with tinsel for hours. It looked just amazing.

From there everything came together pretty smoothly. Our big reveal was an update to the kitchen again (only using paint) and a ton of new paint jobs throughout the house. We installed wood paneling on the far side of the kitchen to add texture and depth to the walls and then painted that and the floor a deep shade of blue. I’m a huge fan of the look and am always so impressed by SQ’s ability to add subtle changes to have a big impact. Huge thank you to my friends Joe and Brandon for coming over to help me get everything ready.

2020

Lastly, here is 2020. (The girls have grown so much!) The story behind this is SQ had recently done a video house tour that was done on her phone the year before. While it was good, she knew that she’d like to do more to really show off the decorations and our holiday home. We had met Joel through a few family get-togethers (He’s Cath’s, husband’s, sister’s, friend’s husband) and knew he was super talented. We were lucky enough that he agreed to shoot our house and both SQ and I were blown away with the result. He truly captured everything we were hoping for and am so grateful for his work.

This year our big reveal was the concrete on the walls.  Originally the concrete was supposed to be only on one wall but because it looked good, SQ asked to have the entire space done.  I’ll say this, it was generally easy to do because it’s just slathering on the walls and doing your best to smooth it out while the concrete is still semi-wet.  But my shoulders were sore for a week!

The song is Angels We Have Heard On High by Future of Forestry

Lastly, in 2021 we recorded our fireplace mantle for people to stream on their TVs.  Cath and Dave suggested this since they don’t have a fireplace at their place but really enjoy playing wood burning fireplaces on their tv as a backdrop while hosting friends.

Videographer

Our videographer is Joel Krogman. I cannot write enough about how much of a stud muffin this guy is. Truly a genuinely nice person. SQ and I always question if we’re “professional” enough for him since he’s worked on movie sets before and we never even have 100% of any room done before shooting starts. A lot of times, Joel is recording a room while Susan, Cath, Grandma, and I are rushing to stay one room ahead of him. But he’s always patient, reassuring, and even goes out of his way to help us set up. He’s just an absolutely awesome guy and if you’re in the Chicago or St. Louis area, I highly recommend reaching out to him for any videography help you need. Here are all his links:

https://www.instagram.com/joelkrogman/

https://www.linkedin.com/in/joel-krogman-a6569b33

YouTube

You can find us on YouTube here.  Be sure to follow us!

The Holiday House Walk is my favorite home tour and I am so happy to be a part of it again this year!

I would like to send a huge thank you to Jennifer Rizzo, our tour organizer, who is an amazing blogger, friend, inspiration! Make sure to visit her charming home, you can check her out at jenniferrizzodesigncompany.  Her home is always so warm and inviting.  And every year she seems to be able to create a sense of nostalgia that improves time and again.  Definitely make sure to check out her tour.

If you’re following along the house walk and coming from Jenn’s site at Clean and Scentsible, welcome!  Her home is so charming and she is just amazing.  I really love the way she put a spin on the traditional green and white Christmas décor.  You’re going to love it!

This year the house tour is going to look a little differently from me.  If you follow along on Instagram, you probably know that I just returned from a 16 day trip to surprise my sister on her birthday in Australia.  So the decorating at our home was put on hold; however, you better believe I still had the decorating itch so I surprised my sister by decorating her mantle for the season.  Let me tell you, it’s totally different shopping for Christmas in a different country but I think it turned out pretty cute!

I arrived home from Oz on Thanksgiving and have been working to pull Christmas together here.  One of the first places I couldn’t resist decorating was our dining area in the kitchen.  We recently made some huge changes to this space.  While attempting to hang our two new chandeliers we found that we had to take the tongue and grove boards down from the ceiling.  One thing led to another and we now have our gorgeous floor beams exposed.  Now this is what I would call a happy accident!  I just love the way they look and the entire room feels more warm and rustic which is a nice balance to the glam and elegant table setting.  I just love mixing the two styles together.

The beautiful dining room was pulled together using items from my very favorite store Arhaus.   I will link everything at the end of this post.  I love the way that these color glasses pop against the rest of the place settings.  They add an unexpected twist to traditional Christmas décor.

While I was away, Rob surprised me by painting our floors in this amazing harlequin pattern!  He knew it was something he knew it was something I had dreamt of for our kitchen floor.  I picked the colors and he did all the hard work.  I have the best husband and I love him so much!  I cannot believe how much it has transformed this space.  Here is a sneak peek of one of the corners.  More to come soon.

Another room I was able to finish this week was our daughter’s bedroom.  It brings me so much joy to see our two girls laughing while decorating their trees.  For their room trees they pick out whichever ornaments they want to decorate with and place them where ever they wish.   Truth be told, they are some of my favorite trees ever.  I just love the organic, whimsical way they look. Not to mention these scenes are what Christmas is to me.  It’s all about family and making our home magical for our girls.  Artwork is by Lindsay Letters.  I’ll link them below.

Thank you so much for joining our holiday home tour this year.  Make sure to follow along on Instagram as we finish decorating for the season.

Love, Susan

If you want to start the tour from the beginning and get endless decorating ideas for the holiday make sure to start here!

Dining Room

• Sutherlin Gesso Chandelier
• Adriana Dining Table
• Bottoni Dining Chair
• Hair On Hide Placement
• Luna Dinner Plates
• Luna Cereal Bowls
• Acadia Gold Taper Holder
• Tannon Wine Glasses
• Francis Area Rug
• Natural Woven Cane Christmas Tree Collar

Girl’s Room

• Watercolor Christmas Tree Art
• Tide Pool Art
• Knit Beanie
• Front Cable Cardigan
• Cozy Rib Pajamas
• Dearfoams Slippers

First up…the star of the show: the tree!

1. Faux Snowy Norway Spruce

2. 5′ Pre-Lit LED Indexed Flocked Balsam Fir 

3. Fraser Hill Farm White Flocked Pine

4. Faux Snowy Pre-Lit Norway Spruce

5. 7.5′ Pre-Lit LED Slim Flocked Balsam Fir

6. 7′ 5” H Green Spruce Tree

7. 9′ Scarlet Fir Artificial Christmas Tree

8. Pre-Lit Snowy Faux Calgary Fir

9. Faux Silvertip Fir

Tree Toppers

1. Lyra Tree Topper

2. Pre-Lit Mirrored Star Tree Topper

3. Gilded Iron Bird Tree Topper

4. Starburst Tree Topper

5. Holly Pommed Snowflake Tree Topper

6. Modern Brass Angel Christmas Tree Topper

7. Modern Brass Star Christmas Tree Topper

8. Verdigris Stag Tree Topper

9. Aged Iron Star Tree Topper

10. Light-Up Snowflake Tree Topper

11. Pre-Lit LED Christmas Tree Topper, Flower

Tree Skirts + Collars

1. Natural Woven Cane Christmas Tree Collar 27″

2. Cozy Bobble Tree Skirt

3. Knit Wool Tree Skirt

4. Faux Fur Rabbit Tree Skirt in Ivory

5. Faux Sherpa Tree Skirt

6. Embroidered Forest Tree Skirt

7. Stargazer LED Rattan Vine Tree Skirt

8. House of Hackney Florika Tree Skirt

Christmas Stockings

1. Textural Woven Holiday Stocking

2. Chunky Rib Knit Christmas Stocking Oatmeal 

3. Chunky Wool Stocking

4. Chunky Knit Wool Stocking

5. Flynn Wool Stocking

6. Embroidered Vera Stocking

7. Bobble Knit Holiday Stocking Cream

8. Herringbone Knit Stocking

9. Dorsey Stocking

Shop some of our favorite brands and some of the best deals for Labor Day!

Arhaus

SALE: So many good discounts including my favorite Amelie gold mirrors!

Loloi

SALE: Loloi rugs best deals at Wayfair, Amazon, and Rugs Direct. One of my favorites is this collection here.

Anthropologie

SALE: Take an extra 50% off all sale items! A few of my favorite sales include this stunner quilt, this cozy blanket, and these super cute monogram water bottles.

West Elm

SALE: Up to 70% off! These Auburn Chairs would be dreamy in a library or fireplace room. This gold bath caddy is perfect for your littles’ tub or for you to enjoy a glass of wine and a good book. I always love a good side table and these ones would be a perfect addition to any space.

Urban Outfitters

SALE: Take an extra 40% off all sale items! I love this hanging rattan chair, these adorable good morning mugs, and this little planter! If you’re looking for bedding this checkered duvet and this more neutral embroidered duvet are an amazing deal.

Walmart

SALE: Discounts on all sorts of categories. We have this steam mop and it makes cleaning floors so much easier. This pizza oven is on my wishlist!

Target

SALE:Up to 30% off! This Sherpa Bed Rest Pillow is perfect for my girls and only $9 when you buy online!

Lindsay Letters:

SALE: 15% off site wide! One of my all time favorite custom collages from Lindsay Letters in my home includes these four pieces: Blush Bungalow, Daughter, Sea Salt, and Island Storm.

We are currently redoing our daughters’ bedrooms and getting ready for Christmastime, so I’m sharing with you our new Lindsay Letters favorites!

If you would like to shop my entire collection over at Lindsay Letters you can do so by clicking HERE!

When shopping, be sure to add code ” KindredVintage ” at checkout to receive 15% off now through the end of Christmas.
Click Links Below To Shop Lindsay Letters Art

1. Simple Cross

2. American Sign Language Alphabet

3. She Found Herself In The Country

4. Fearfully + Wonderfully Made

5. Rah Rah Rocket

6. Fall Harvest Mini

7. Our Planets

8. Star Gazing

Click Links Below To Shop Lindsay Letters Art

1. Candles Aglow

2. Light The Way Mini

3. Christmas Cottage

4. Christmastime In The City

5. Glowing Birch