Last year was exactly the same as the year before, so I skipped taking photos of the house decorated for Christmas (so why spend the time or money?). But this year, two new pieces of furniture have appeared (our amazing barb sofa) I was excited to decorate, show, and communicate. But November is almost March frenzy for content creators, so I didn’t have time to really work on it. plan;Instead, I made it using what I had in my garage and what I went to the Mill End Fabric Store. So, I was trying to pull things together somehow, but on the day of the shoot it was difficult (at first). The first big pullback shot took two hours to complete. It’s like a one-shot, with 80 different little changes to style (I’d be really pissed if I didn’t like it that much). I tried every combination of pillows, throws, and coffee table accessories with no success until I landed on this version above with pops of pink and ocher. It wasn’t what I expected (I was going to lean into the Ralph Lauren trend but it didn’t work out!!). Here’s a playful and quirky Scandinavian version of the living room, complete with a family tree sprinkled with DIY and sentimental decorations. It’s very cozy and fun.
Lighted fake tree |Tree skirt (unavailable) |Garland (clear glass or colorful) | twinkle light curtain | burgundy pillow | blue pillow | throw blanket
Entries are a dream to photograph and Caitlin always pulls it off. This year, I bought some plaid taffeta (fashion fabric) by the yard and cut it into wide, long ribbons. I love how it pops out in the light and how it ties together That wonderful anthropology blanket and school building pillow (target pillow Behind it! ).
blue velvet lumbar pillow | sweater | skirt | tights |Shoes (vintage)
Everything sparkles here day and night. I can’t really see it the light of the curtains It’s in the picture, but with the right windows it’s 100% worth the splurge. It’s very delicate and sparkly. When I did the sweater fashion shoot the week before, I had a different pillow, but once I got that red plaid blanket, I wanted to enhance it a little bit and really like it here. shout to illuminated alpine trees Again, adds maximum shine and lots of impact with almost zero effort.
lit garland | round bell | bigger bell | blue square pillow | green check blanket | woven basket | blue round pillow | burgundy blanket
I love this vignette. No one ever sits here, but every time I walk down the stairs I look at it and feel that dopamine burst that only style junkies have. I added more books and frames to give it a cozy library feel (all the golden frames are filled with Santa photos collected over the years, a great hack and a tradition that’s never too late). I also really like the juxtaposition of the traditional floral banquette and the more modern lamp. There is a scent of cobalt. school building pillow and throw.
lit garland | round bell | bigger bell
Garland that lights up with plug-ins This is great. I added over 10 strips of fabric or ribbon to the left side to offset the asymmetry. world market bell. (TBH, I just threw out the one I had from last year and added the pattern and bells on top of it).
burgundy round pillow | burgundy blanket | ocher striped bolster | paper tree | snowflake mug | candle | custom mushroom stool
This was a shot that took me two hours to complete. It’s definitely less cohesive than some of my other designs, but I actually quite like the feel of it. After adding quilted mushrooms from Artburn, accordion tree (From AllModern) On the coffee table, I was like, “Okay, let’s go pattern, color, and have fun.” And yes, my family made paper chains from leftover wallpaper pattern samples (although you can barely see the pattern in person).
blue barb sofa | round pillow | blanket | velvet lumbar pillow | mini faux prelit alpine | white ceramic house
I love this shot. blue barb Barbing feels inviting and fun, like people want you to have a good time (which is very accurate). We’ve never had an adults-only party. We are a frat house geared towards families with young children, so I think it’s right to go more on a whim. I love well-chosen trees, but I love family trees even more, where each ornament has a story. “Henderson Ornament Night” is where I am unashamedly at my “peak nerd” and as much as I’d like to say it’s disgusting, my kids love it too 🙂
Elliott got home in time to jump in for a shot with me. Listen, I try not to involve them in work or photos, but it’s really hard when she wants to snuggle on the pillow with me. This year I made a little more mantelpieces, but sometimes I wondered if I was doing too much. But mostly, I love it.
wood bead garland | gingham bow | fake lease (Similar) | stocking garland | flocked reindeer (Similar) |Green Wood Trees (Unavailable) | fake garland | wooden nutcracker | flameless taper candle |Stockings (not available)
Most of the styling was what I already had, but I added the advent stockings (filled with candy and kindness prompts) and painted the black mirrors with dark roses. This really softened the whole vignette in the best way. fake taper The schoolhouse stockings are very playful and fun, and the white really pops out. large gingham check ribbon It’s new (from Anthro), and nutcracker It’s old, it’s from Michaels. It’s a lot, but I’m quite happy with it.
rechargeable table lamp | multi-colored waist | burgundy pillow | striped velvet lumbar | floral tapestry pillow | blue round pillow | lit garland | round bell | bigger bell
small nook has been upgraded The cutest pleated rechargeable lampand changed the pillow to be a little more bouncy. I’m obviously obsessed with mushroom stools (not a typical obsession, but here we go).
plaid dog bed | pink barb sofa
By about 3pm it was very bright and cozy (a few hours later it got even better, but it was very difficult to photograph!). It’s certainly busy and hierarchical (which is why I kept the kitchen style simple), but once you’re in the room, it feels very cozy, warm, casual, and inviting. Oscar is our model new pendleton dog bed From Chewy (obviously too big. I bought two “large” ones and am currently using them as floor pillows in my family room) survivor I spent the night by the fireplace and in front of the TV, but I ordered a medium to come in instead, but he couldn’t get there in time). But I love the plaid color palette in this room.
I really, really love this combination. It’s not the “Ralph Lauren” vibe I was planning, but as you know, I have to shoot again this week for a magazine (for 2026). green alice sofa And let’s see how much I can lean towards red/green/kitchen. You don’t have to ask me twice to give it my all…twice:) Here’s a sneak peek, I promise (and definitely about the story).
*Photo provided by: caitlin green
Source: Emily Henderson – stylebyemilyhenderson.com
