White Christmas Décor

Try casting aside traditional holiday colors for a heavenly spell.

The holiday season is about revisiting memories and creating new ones. Here, we illustrate how to embrace your traditions and introduce new, simple twists that focus on a wintry palette.

It was the Victorians who, in the mid-19th century, popularized fanciful Christmas decorations. They styled their home with delicate bulbs, mistletoe and sparkling tree-toppers. Decorating with a white and silver palette is not only fitting for the season, but also a refreshing alternative from the expected red and green. Traditional Christmas bauble is also replaced with elements such as rosary beads, angel wings and religious statues.

How to Get the Look:

·         For your living room:

o   Paint an antique mantelpiece white. It will strike a serene pose that could soften Scrooge.

o   Pair an old arched window, found at a salvage yard or flea market, with white angel wings and a string of antique rosary beads.

o   Camouflage a wall with tattered scripted paper from antique books to hide the holes; add a touch of sparkle with mercury-glass candleholders.

·         For your bedroom:

o   Fragrant paper-white narcissus is an easy bulb to grow and adds a festive touch in like-colored pots on a windowsill or tabletop.

o   Dress up an antique French armoire with a fresh bouquet of Christmas roses.

o   For a dramatic look, adorn an antique silver bedside tray with candles, pink roses, juniper twigs and winter greens.

o   Embellish plain candles with rustic string, crystal beads and medallions. Overall, the setting is ideal for the true romantic.

·         For your kitchen:

o   Combine simple styling, shimmering candles and natural elements for a serene, wintry effect.

o   Add silver accents for sparkle and sophistication.

·         For your office:

o   Achieve a nostalgic, vintage look through the inclusion of old books and photographs, antique silver pieces and angel wings hung on a weathered window.

o   The silver and white color palette exudes a classic, understated elegance.

10 Vignette Ideas

Fresh out of décor ideas? Here are 10 of our favorite vignette ideas, picked out just for you. We hope that these photos will inspire you grab whatever’s on your back shelf and turn it into something beautiful.

Photograph by Jaimee Itagaki

Add a dash of panache to your craft table by adapting antique tableware to serve your creative purposes. A silver condiment caddy makes an excellent ribbon wrangler and salt-and-pepper shakers made wonderful glitter dispensers. –Jacqueline deMontravel

Photograph by Jickie Torres

Outfit a work space that is just as lovely as an afternoon lunch. A hobnail tumbler and a matching milk-glass compote make for a special table setting with flowers and punch. Brighten up your desk and use the vessels as the perfect organizational tools for the home office. Keeping your pens and tools in them makes a dull space prettier—and infinitely more inspiring.  –Jickie Torres

Photograph by Mark Tanner

To get Lizabeth K. McGraw’s cheery look, keep the area uncluttered; with more space between things your room will “breathe” easier—and so will you. Cover a wood table with a cozy tablecloth, and soften a sofa or chair with a slipcover made of an oatmeal-colored natural fabric, such as cotton or grainsack. Toss comfy throw pillows into corners and on floors for an easy, casual feel. Bring elements of nature—like the hydrangea centerpiece and red fruit on the table—into your décor. Make white the primary color in the room; use other colors sparingly for pops of color. Red and blue accessories always look right with white for a traditional summer palette –Meryl Schoenbaum

Photograph by Jickie Torres

Backyard barbecues are one of the best parts of summer entertaining. Pesky insects finding their way into your refreshments? Not so fun. For your next cookout, repurpose an oversized cookie jar as a drink dispenser. A large ladle makes it easy to refill glasses and the lid keeps unwanted bugs out. –Jickie Torres

Photograph by Jaimee Itagaki

Looking for a new way to put antique tins on display? Vintage cookies and cracker canisters, tea tins and a variety of other metal jars make wonderful vases. Just check for water tightness, and if you detect a leak, simply line the canister with a plastic sandwich baggie. –Jacqueline deMontravel

Photograph by Mark Tanner

When the warmer weather beckons us outside, dinner gatherings are more likely to happen in the garden than in the dining room. Sometimes, however, cool breezes can wreak havoc on the tabletop, blowing up tablecloths and away napkins. A cute solution for the latter? Use an old clear glass candy jar with a lid and stack alternating patterns of fun, colorful paper napkins. It looks attractive and keeps napkins in their place. –Jacqueline deMontravel

Photograph by Mark Tanner

Got a vintage milk crate, egg basket or bread bowl? These small, colorful receptacles make perfect kitchen herb gardens. Line the bottom, if needed, to make it water safe, then plant a variety of common edibles such as parsley, cilantro or thyme. A delicious dish is just a snip away. –Jacqueline deMontravel 

Photograph by Jickie Torres

 This miniature wire dress form is a statuesque beauty on its own. However, why not put her to work the fashionable way? On a vanity it’s the perfect accessory to hang earrings, brooches and other fancy baubles. –Jickie Torres

Photograph by Jickie Torres

For your next dinner party, skip the fancy vases and rescue something that  would likely be destined for for the trash. Small marmalade, tapenade and baby-food jars make excellent bud vases. Use a set of three or four along the length of a table for a sweet centerpiece. –Jickie Torres

Photograph by Jickie Torres

Have a stash of Christmas cards saved from holidays past? Turn them into place cards for this year’s dinner festivities. Also try using vintage Christmas cards to add a sweet nostalgic touch to your holiday decorating. –Jickie Torres