Thank you for joining us on the blog as we share our 2019 Christmas tablescape! Thank you to our amazing host, Kristen, from Ella Claire & Co. for organizing such a fun tour this year!!

I would just like to start out by saying this has to be one of the most fun tablescapes I’ve created. We moved our Bell’arte table into our kitchen to transform what is normally our informal eating area into a glam dinner party for the holidays. A little switch a roo action always makes for a good time!

When setting the table I wanted it to be warm and rich in holiday colors but I also wanted it to have a glam factor. By adding in some tall candle holders, live garlands draped in lights and then paired the plates with champagne flutes it immediately did the trick! As soon as I lit the candlesticks the light they gave off against the warm, rustic tones of the table immediately set the tone for the rest of the decor.

One thing I love about my job is that I get to play around with different look for shoots and posts! I adore Christmas and creating this beautiful and fancy tablescape to share with you this season was so much fun!

Photos of my styling and home taken by Sharon Hughes Photo

• Bela Dinner Plates
• Bela Cereal Bowl
• Serendipity Place Setting.
• Bell Arte Dining Table
• Adele Dining Chair in Weathered
• Fresh Boxwood Wreath
• Fresh Mix Eucalyptus Garland
• Layla Pillar Holder
• Layla Taper Holder
• Luster Flutes

Now grab yourself a hot drink, be it a coffee, chai tea or hot cocoa and get your scroll on! These others bloggers are so incredibly talented, you are about to get your inspiration socks knocked right off of ya!

xoxo

Ella Claire & Co. | French Country Cottage | Craftberry Bush | Julie Blanner

Maison de Cinq | Rooms for Rent | Beneath My Heart | Home Stories A to Z

Dear Lillie | The Handmade Farmhouse | Zevy Joy | Inspired by Charm

Maison de Pax | Keeping it Cozy | Kindred Vintage | My Sweet Savannah

Recently we teamed up with the LLumar team to help me fix my window issues.  If you don’t recognize this brand that’s okay!  I’ve got your back.  LLumar is from a company that provides window treatments for your house.  Specifically, this means they offer tinted film for installation on window panes to help dampen the impact of sunlight. And yes, they also offer automotive window tint for car windows.

What’s the best about this collaboration is that both Rob and I love what these films do.  I’ll start with why I like and Rob will discuss what he enjoys.

As a design influencer I take the look of my house very seriously.  We bought this house for many reasons, but one of them is for how it looks.  I love the large just-off-the-floor to ceiling windows.  And I love the small French panes in the windows.  I really love how they look and the view we see looking through them.  So I really did not want to cover them with curtains or blinds, which is what I thought were my only options before the LLumar team stepped in.

Installing window film on your windows gives you a great third option that doesn’t change a room’s look as the first two would.  Specifically, in my kitchen, there simply wasn’t room for either curtains or blinds since we sit down for dinner right next to our windows.  And that brings me to the second benefit of window film.

One of my concerns, when I had the film installed in the kitchen, was that I didn’t want to “see” the film.  But my kitchen faces south so it’s noticeably hotter than the other rooms.  For this space, I choose a film that was essentially transparent but blocked something like 50% of the sun’s heat. And just look at the results.  I 100% cannot “see” the tint.  The installers (more on them later) did a perfect job of placing the tinted film directly on the glass that I cannot see an uncovered section to compare.  I am so happy with how they turned out.

Hey world, Rob here.  SQ asked me deliver my two cents on why I really like LLumar film.

Our six-foot high windows in the dining/living room, which are charming don’t get me wrong, are absolutely not private.  Everyone can completely see into our house from the street.  It’s not cool to wave to neighbors when you’re not feeling social.  Worse, I was really tired of pretending I didn’t habitually make eye contact with my grandma neighbor while I was only wearing undies.  For months we have both been really uncomfortable.  But on the plus side, LLumar film can help with that!

I learned through speaking with the installer, who helps people decide what options are best, that the tint options can help with different scenarios.  For the south facing kitchen we needed radiant protection.  So we chose a film that blocked something like 50% of the sun’s heat.  In the living/dining we used a film that provides a more reflective surface from the outside, thus more privacy and peace of mind.

So needless to write, LLumar window films are the way to go.  Even if you have curtains they are beneficial since it’s an additional layer of privacy and sun protection.

And as far as installers, we really loved ours – Tint To U.  They serve the entire Chicagoland area.  Jeff, the owner, is absolutely the friendliest salesperson ever.  He showed up on time, even texting to confirm the night before and when he left.  His crew and he did the install themselves and put up with my nosey questions.  They even let Reece sleep right in their way and just worked around his lazy butt.  They were just awesome.

One last “done” shot to end this blog with. 

Thank you to LLumar for sponsoring this blog post! All opinions are my own. Photos taken by Sharon Hughes Photo.

Thank you for joining us on the blog as we share our whimsical Christmas kitchen! Thank you to our amazing host, Kristen, from Ella Claire & Co. for organizing such a fun tour this year!!

This year I’m especially excited to share with you our Christmas kitchen since it is our first year decorating our new home with touches of the season. We moved into our new home end of November last year, so this year we get to be a lot more intentional on how we decorate our space. As you know from following along, Christmas is our very favorite holiday so we enjoy adding little bits and pieces of decor around our home, even in the places where you may not expect it, like the kitchen.

I know people have their own opinions about how soon is too soon to start decorating for the season, but in my opinion, putting in all the effort to decorate after Thanksgiving to only enjoy it for three weeks seems way too short! In our home especially, we love the holidays so I want to extend it as long as I can!

This nook is our main eating area when we’re not hosting. It is located within the kitchen and it’s less formal than our dining room. We wanted to dress it up by adding some live wreaths and greenery. Since we wanted to achieve a look that can be either winter or Christmas specific, we incorporated these twinkle birch trees from Arhaus instead of your traditional Christmas tree.

To add some more layers to this space, we went ahead and added a tree skirt, faux fur, vibrant pillows, and even wrapped up some empty boxes to add the warmth of the season to this space (all items from Arhaus).

Even though decorating early isn’t for everyone, my hope is to share inspiration for your holiday decor whenever you are ready! Be sure to check out my friends below for some more gorgeous holiday inspiration!

Photos taken by Sharon Hughes Photo.

Ella Claire & Co. | Zevy Joy | Inspired by Charm | Maison de Pax

Dear Lillie | The Lilypad Cottage | Maison de Cinq | Kindred Vintage

Rooms for Rent | Home Stories A to Z | Craftberry Bush | French Country Cottage

The Handmade Farmhouse | Boxwood Avenue | Nina Hendrick | My Sweet Savannah