9 Christmas Decorating Tips for the Dining Room

If you had a chance to read yesterday’s post you may remember I mentioned the dining room is adjacent to the entry, so today, I thought I would share how we decorated the dining room for Christmas.

Given we’ll be traveling for most of November and December, we’ve decided to keep our Christmas decorations really simple this year. I know a lot of you are also traveling and some of you already have every weekend booked while others of you are dealing with big projects at work.   Some of you are even dealing with construction related projects at home right now so I feel like we’re all in good company.   Here’s a look at 9 Easy Christmas Decorating Tips for the Dining Room…

I wasn’t really sure how I wanted to decorate the dining room for Christmas until I spotted these monogrammed plates while out shopping with my mom one day. I swear you guys, she is like a lucky charm when it comes to finding the good stuff at our local thrift stores. I knew the minute I saw them they would be perfect and all but ran to the cash wrap when I realized there was a set of 12!

We’re big fans of layering new and old pieces of china especially when they have such pretty details. Tip #1, if you guys can only afford one set of dishes – buy a white set – then layer with different colored chargers and salad plates. It’s an easy and inexpensive way to make each season feel fresh.

Another easy and inexpensive tip is to buy pieces of fabric and create your own table runner (Tip #2). We used this dark chocolate velvet fabric on the breakfast nook table last year so it was fun to find a way to repurpose it again this year. We love velvet any time but during the winter months it always feels extra special.

If you’re short on time, consider putting two swags or garland together to create a simple centerpiece (Tip #3). We already had the glass hurricane and candle so all we had to do was purchase two matching swags and snuggle them up next to the candle. I mean, we all have time for a 5-minute centerpiece, right?

I’ve noticed a lot of stores are putting holiday collections together which makes shopping so much easier. These swags came from the same collection as the garland in the entry, the dining room and the wreath on the front door as well. This idea brings me to tip #4 – when you find a collection you like consider using multiple items or pieces from the same collection so your home will look cohesive throughout.

We’ve even used floral picks from our favorite holiday collection to add a festive touch to the china hutch (Tip #5).

This mix of cloves, oranges and cedar smells really good! Every time we walk through the front door it smells seasonal. Yes, it’s an extra step to pierce those oranges with cloves but it also serves double duty because it looks good and smells good too (Tip #6). And bonus, it takes mere minutes to make!

Speaking of minutes, tip #7 is to layer your home with premade wreaths. I bought this music sheet wreath at my very first County Living Fair in Stone Mountain several years ago and it’s still one of my favorite buys.

Tip #8 is to use a consistent color palette throughout your home specifically if you have an open concept floor plan. The instant you walk into our home you can see into five other spaces so having a consistent and cohesive color and style palette is a must for creating rooms that feel intentional and uncluttered. Just for a frame of reference I’m standing in the kitchen.

My final tip to consider when decorating for the holidays in a hurry is just to relax. I know it’s not always easy especially when we feel like we need to “go all out” with seasonal decorating. Your decorations can be as perfect or as perfectly imperfect as you want them to be – you get to decide.

I hope these 9 tips have helped take the stress out of holiday decorating in the dining room a bit! I’ll see you guys back here tomorrow with one of the sweetest gifts I’ve even been given – a homemade advent calendar! Until next time, I’ll see you on Instagram, Facebook and Pinterest.

Many blessings,

CoCo