We actually got our tree back up a few days ago amidst boxes and general chaos (here it is the first time when we set it up in the old house). We figured we’d never be 100% organized and unpacked before the holidays hit, but taking an hour to get into the spirit in our brand new house for our bean’s first Christmas was just what the doctor ordered. We found the perfect spot for our tree in the corner of the living room (right near the sliders that lead out into the sunroom and the doorway that connects to the kitchen).
We also hung my beloved Pottery Barn wreath (a gift from John’s mom a few years back) on the back of the fireplace in the living room that will someday be double-sided. I just stare at that empty green bookcase and picture a blazing fire…
And the other side of the fireplace (which is located in the eat-in part of the kitchen) looks like this:
I know, I know – that paneling, dark brick, and red tile is ka-raaaazy. But there’s still something sweet about seeing our stockings (John and I share one so Clara and Burger each get their own), my little faux presents, a few feather trees, some ceramic fruit/birds, and our cardboard snowflake wreath up there to keep things festive until we can break out the primer and paint to lighten things up.
Oh and as I was unpacking I spotted those cute silver zebra-ish plates (from Crate & Barrel a few years back) and decided to stick them up on the mantel as well. Why not- it’s a kitchen, right?
They add a nice little shot of holiday sparkle. So I try to rest my eyes on those little gems (instead of all that paneling- oy!). Can’t wait to brighten things up in there. Oh and speaking of painting, we actually tackled Clara’s room this weekend. It felt good to be back in our painting clothes! We went in a totally different direction than we did in her last nursery, so we’ll have to snap some pictures and share them soon…
Update: You can check out all of our favorite holiday decor finds here – many of which are under $15!
Reenie says
I believe that one can make a house a home…..with what you have to work with ~ until you have the time and money to re-do it. =) I’m glad you put your tree up in your new home. Can’t wait to see Clara’s new room.
susan says
It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas…….susan
Julia @ Hooked on Houses says
You guys are amazing! I can’t believe how much you’ve gotten done already–while blogging about it, too. You’re making the rest of us look lazy. Ha.
We painted our daughter’s room first when we moved into our house, too. We wanted her to feel right at home here. Can’t wait to see what you went with this time! :-)
anna says
The first time I saw feathered trees was on your blog and I fell in love. I ran across some on Hobby Lobby, on sale (yay me!) and had to have them. Thank you for the inspiration!
Happy Holidays!
August says
It looks great and the fireplace in the kitchen is so cool, double sided it will be wowza! Merry Christmas to you!
Chrissy Henry says
Those red tiles are CRAZY ugly! I am so excited for you guys and your new place. Can’t wait to see how little Clara’s room looks now :)
Merry Christmas!
Amanda says
That dark wood trim behind your christmas tree looks IDENTICAL to the trim in my new house – I can’t wait to see how you transform it. I’ve been to afraid to try painting it myself – the previous owners painted white over the dark trim in the bathrooms, and they clearly did something wrong becuase any little nick takes a CHUNK of paint off, showing the dark, slightly shiny wood underneath. It looks awful. I guess it took many layers of primer and paint in order to cover the dark wood completely, which has resulted in our currently problem. Can’t wait top see this house progress!! Happy Holidays to the YHL family!
Kristen says
Love the new house. SO looking forward to seeing what you guys do with the place and can’t wait to see Clara’s new room!
Just had to ask…did poor Burger’s stocking get left in storage this year? I noticed there was only three stocking hung by the chimney with care?
YoungHouseLove says
No way! Burger has a stocking along with Clara, and John and I share one- of course both kiddos have to be represented!
xo,
s
Donita says
You guys are good!!! You have more decor up then I do, and I didn’t just move. :-P
Merry Christmas!!! The tree is perfect!!!
Mommy G @ 40 weeks and then some says
I love the grey stockings. Where’d you get it? Are you going to get another to make it 4?
YoungHouseLove says
Hey Mommy G,
We got those at Target a while back- and John and I share one so Burger and Clara each get their own!
xo,
s
Lauren says
Love it! Can’t wait to see pics of Clara’s room.
Heather says
You guys are champions! I can’t imagine moving around Christmas! Your tree looks beautiful, and I can’t wait to follow your next design adventure!!!
Tracie @ Gurtler + Home says
Definately looking forward to how you’re going to turn all of this new house around. I have faith considering what you did with your beautiful last home, but I don’t think I’d have the guts to take on so much work. Good luck! Can’t wait to see how everything turns out.
Crystal says
It’s so bizarre to see your decorations up against that crazy paneling! =) Glad you are getting the chance to enjoy Christmas even in the midst of moving! I can’t wait to see what you do with everything!!
Ami @ beyondpeasandcarrots says
looks great! Can’t wait to see Clara’s new room!
Stacie says
Congrats on your new home! So excited to see how you will transform it. I noticed in a pic that you have a woodburning stove….do you plan on keeping it or tearing it out. Just curious as we have one as well and at times it looks like an eyesore.
YoungHouseLove says
Hey Stacie,
When we make the fireplace double sided we’ll be replacing it with a double sided fireplace insert (not sure what type yet though)…
xo,
s
carolinaheartstrings says
It looks great even if you have not begun to put your spin on it yet. Merry Christmas!
AnaLisa says
Always fun to see how people decorate for Christmas. Thanks for sharing!
Jen says
I’m curious – why remove the built-in shelves next to the fireplace? I figured you’d paint them for sure, but I’m surprised to see them gone. I would have thought that built-in shelves would have been a good thing in your eyes. Granted, I’m not seeing them in person so maybe they didn’t actually have as much potential as I thought :)
YoungHouseLove says
Hey Jen,
They were super imbalanced (there was nothing on the other side of the fireplace, so even if they were painted, once we put things on them we felt like it would be side-heavy if that makes sense). Sometimes we just like to have some empty corners and nooks for the eye to “rest”- we learned that felt more serene and welcoming in our last house- you know, as opposed to sticking books and plants and lamps and stuff in every corner and cranny.
xo,
s
Mandy says
Off topic, but I was just watching Clara’s “log” video on Flickr. Are you still using a Flip? If so, which model are you using? I love the quality of your videos!
YoungHouseLove says
Hey Mandy,
Haha, that video cracks us up! We’re using a Flip HD video camera (we linked to the exact model up in our “Shop” tab by our header). Hope it helps!
xo,
s
Lisa says
ohhhhh, This is totally off Christmas subject, but I am so excited to see what you guys do with the molding in the room with the tree. Our new to us house is filled with very detailed wood molding and I am having a hard time painting it.
Cecilia says
J&S – Just had to share with you how much your current move provides my husband (Jeff) and I with support and solidarity you didn’t even know about! We moved into our 1938 cape cod 10 months ago, and are SLOOWWWWLLY remodeling and making it our own. It needs a lot of love before it looks the way we want, and it can get frustrating to wait to save before taking on each project. So, like you, our Christmas decor is up, but we’ve got dark brick on the fireplace and a poor excuse for a mantle…but it definitely perks things up to have the stockings on there. And, our 19 month-old son loves the “pretty pretty” decor even if it looks imperfect to us. Thanks for providing so much inspiration to us all! We can’t wait to follow you through all your projects!
Sanja says
House is turning into a home :) So glad for you.
K (Barking BabyMama) says
I’m so excited to see Clara’s room!! I have a guess at the paint color – excited to see what you came up with! :)
Nathalie says
Have you guys considered pulling those planks off the wall and using them on the floor? They look awfully pretty and would probably make a gorgeous hardwood floor if it was technically possible! Then you could just hang drywall.
YoungHouseLove says
Hey Nathalie,
Great idea! They’re actually way too thin to use as flooring but that would be so cool!
xo,
s
Blair R says
Love the plates on the mantel, they look great!
Heather says
Good for you guys! We’re gutting our house room by room and sometimes I don’t even feel like vacuuming the unfinished parts none the less decorating them :)
Mindy@FindingSilverLinings says
Making a house your home is in the details. The paneling and all that will get done (I can’t wait to see it all!) but for now, the stuff you have done looks great.
Here are some of my decorating on a dime ideas:
http://fisilis.wordpress.com/2010/12/15/christmas-party-decorations-fsl-style/
Most of these ideas are free or really cheap.
xo
Mindy
misa says
sherry, i have a question about the paneling. are you going to paint it with flat paint or semi-gloss (or something else entirely)? we are about to paint the panelig in our sunroom and i’m not sure which way to go.
YoungHouseLove says
We’re going to paint it with primer followed by satin paint we think (we used flat in our old house but since it’s a kitchen we think we need it to be more wipe-down-able. For your sunroom I’d recommend flat- it’ll hide the most imperfections!
xo,
s
misa says
you’re the best! thanks, sherry!
Elizabeth S says
Hi,
Odd comment, but I love your stocking holders and have been looking for them everywhere…where did you get them? Thanks! Good luck with the new house!
YoungHouseLove says
Hey Elizabeth,
They’re from Target a few years back (we saw them there the other day so it looks like they still sell them).
xo,
s
nikki says
I so love your new house! I can’t wait to follow the progress as you remodel! Did you two make the cardboard snowflake wreath? I love it!
YoungHouseLove says
Hey Nikki,
That’s from http://www.cardboardsafari.com – love it!
xo,
s
Karen M. says
Best wishes in your new home.
Happy holidays to all!
Ali says
Merry Christmas! I was so surprised you put up your Christmas tree again! You guys have a lot of ENERGY! I love that you put all the Christmas stuff up in the new house too! :) So festive for you all and for Clara’s 1st Christmas! Way to go!
I love that teaser about Clara’s room! I can’t wait for a peek! :)
~ Ali
amanda says
I can’t believe you two find time to put up a tree amidst the chaos of moving! We moved in March and still have boxes full of things! Are you planning on making the fireplace double sided? Are you going to paint the red brick?
YoungHouseLove says
Hey Amanda,
Yup, as we mentioned in this post we’re planning to make that fireplace into a double sided one. And we’ll definitely be painting the dark paneling and brick like we did in our last house!
xo,
s
Jen says
Thanks for the answer about the shelves. Makes total sense!
Shannon B. says
I’m kinda happy you have all that wood paneling because now you can show me what to do with mine! = D Our new place has a great white-brick fireplace but the wall surrounding it is an ugly medium-dark wood paneling. And it’s starting to separate from the wall. So it’s either repair and paint or pull off and see what’s behind it. Excited to see what you guys do with yours! Have a wonderful “first Christmas” as a family of four!
Jennifer says
Wow, I am impressed! We moved 12/5 and we tackled boxes first. No tree for us this year! Add me to the list of those excited to see Clara’s room. We painted our new master bedroom first, but next up is a nursery for our Fourth-of-July baby!
caitlin says
maybe you told us a long while ago, but, does that little woodstove work?! do you get to have little fires in there?!
I hope so :D
YoungHouseLove says
It does work and the previous owners left it loaded and ready! Haven’t used it yet though! Maybe on Christmas Eve or Christmas day…
xo,
s
Nicole says
Sherry – I think it all looks lovely. I am so impressed you’ve gone ahead and gotten everything ready for Christmas. But then again, you should! This is your new home and it will be your first Christmas there and will probably be one of the most special ones you will remember. So sweet.
Amy says
Maybe I’m crazy but I like the red bricks. I could picture building a nice large surround and mantel and painting the wood out but leaving the bricks there original color.
Mary says
I love that you guy’s aren’t afraid to show off your new house, even though it’s not picture-perfect-magazine-ready! Thanks for keepin it real ;) I’m looking forward to seeing the transformations you make in the coming weeks/months!
Taylor says
Love it! Kudos to you for getting the holiday decor up in the midst of a move. I especially love the ceramic birds on the mantle and thought of your ceramic animal love when I made-over this little bear this weekend :) Happy holidays and congrats on getting more settled in!!
http://trimmedandtaylored.blogspot.com/2010/12/bear-with-me.html
Carissa says
You guys exhaust me.
I say that with as much affection as possible! :-) I’d be lucky if I could find my underwear the weekend after moving.
Sam F says
I am totally loving all of these posts related to moving and the new house. It is so fun to see things right at the beginning and to see where you’re putting things and how the house is coming together. Thank you for sharing!
Jillys says
Congratulations guys! I love the new house and I am so excited to follow the upcoming renovations! We bought our first house a couple of months ago and you have been an inspiration! I can’t get over the people who are like “why would you put that fireplace there, ugh” LOL, you handle it well. The fireplace is awesome and so great that it will be in 2 rooms! I’m totally jealy – a fireplace is the only thing lacking in our new place! Best of luck – can’t wait to follow along :)
Leah @ Leah's House says
It looks lovely! I knew you guys would put the tree up! Especially since it’s Clara’s first Christmas! It looks great!!
Karina says
I love that you call Cara bean! My immediate family still calls me Bean to this day and I am 22 years old.
Sally says
With the new color scheme for the new house, will y’all leave any of the wood trim or brick unpainted? I love the look of the natural materials and would love to see how you incorporated it. Plus, I happen to dig the flooring right around the fireplace – the sunroom in the house we used to rent had that. I could see it working with a wood floor.
YoungHouseLove says
We love painted paneling and brick so that’s definitely the direction we’ll be going! But we’ll definitely be keeping the wood floors (and refinishing them down the line).
xo,
s
Miranda says
Kudos for decorating post-move! Moving is always such a mess and it’s very impressive that you guys were able to make everything look so festive again so quickly. I think a lot of us reading your blog identify with the paneling, icky tiles, etc because we’re DIYers too. When we see the fireplace with the stockings, we’re able to look past the awful paneling too and imagine the possibilities right along with you! Merry Christmas!