Happy Holiday Kitchen | Home Tour

I'm so glad you are here! Welcome to my Holiday Kitchen. I'll start by serving you a cup of something hot and delicious, coffee, tea, or apple cider? Then I'll explain that I'm learning to use my camera on "manual" and, well, let's just say I'm in the learning stages. Some of the pictures are a little lot fuzzy around the edges, sorry! Hoping to get some more practice in soon, I'm sharing this so you know that things are not always perfect here, nor do I expect them to be. {fingers crossed that you don't either!} If you've come from the Holiday Home Tour, you know that in our living room, we have a very subtle, classic white and cream color scheme. On the other side of the wall, in the kitchen and family area, it's French Country reds and blacks. I love a cozy kitchen, it's where our family and friends tend to gather all the time. Please join me to see how it's decorated for Christmas! One side of our kitchen has a small seating area, where we gather to "talk to the cook" {doesn't everyone always end up in the kitchen?} and watch moives. Our flatscreen hangs on the opposite wall over an antique dark carved Belgian commode. Slipcovers make this white couch more livable with our Lab Bentley, and our children and young grandchildren, I love the luxury of all white, but the practicality of washable slip covers. I bought the NOEL letters this year, and painted them with glittering gilt paint. The pinecone on the overhead shelf was a gift from our eldest grandchild Linden, she painted it herself with blue and green paint. I display it in this little moss pot, I want her to know her contributions to my home decor are loved. I prefer lush greens and fresh fruit to decorate with, in the European manner. The Tian below is going to be filled with fresh greens and our own oranges for Christmas, we'll be picking them off our tree in the back garden this weekend. There is an enchanting array of pillows made from antique French grain sacks, ticking, and toile on this couch, but I couldn't resist this new addition Promise of Christmas Pillow from Jennifer Rizzo, it's perfect, don't you think? A little French sign decorates the armoire where I keep our antique ironstone, antique glass store containers and cookbooks. Next to our farm sink I placed two faux conifers, planted in French style tole cachepots, The reindeer moss and little red apples add a little of the magic we love about Christmas. The embroidered reindeer towels are my favorite for this season, I like to change out the towels in the kitchen for each holiday season, and these are beautiful! Monsieur Couchon is dressed in finery for the holidays. Mr. FrenchGardenHouse is sure that the greens and/or bow will ignite when the stove is on, but I'll be careful. How could I not dress my kitchen friend for the season? I think he's secretly pleased with his attire, the large silk taffeta ribbon makes him look quite dapper. He is a gentleman pig, after all! This wreath hanging in front of the windows add a touch of holiday magic to the dessert table. The antique cake stands and compotes are ready to be filled with seasonal cakes and cookies for our Christmas day tea. Some years I plan a formal table setting for Christmas dinner, this year I opted for a more casual one. An antique French Country hand-spun runner sets the tone, in the center I added a copper elevated stand for the beeswax pinecone candles. Underneath the candles, California pepper berry stems add a pop of fresh green and red for bright holiday color. Stag horns on each side and a small red votive complete the centerpiece. It's the most fun to create different tablescapes for Christmas dinners and parties, isn't it? For this table I placed square green chargers at each place, then added vintage white and red plates I bought in Europe long ago, topped with green majolica salad plates. My antique carved antler flatware is accompanied by the French Sabre tartan flatware from Paris. The Joy napkins are from Target ~ I love the black & gold. A little polka dot straw in each red tumbler is a detail for my girls, I know they love little touches of fun! Our hot drinks station is always at the ready to serve tea, coffee, hot chocolate or apple cider. Antique glass jars hold miniature candy canes, marshmallows, instant cocoa and apple cider mix. {The large jar with the tag contains Bentley's dog treats, he seems to want a dog biscuit when we have tea.} This year, this gorgeous Holiday Red & Gold teacup is prominently displayed on the silver tray. I love it! It was a gift from my dear friend Cheryl who owns Paris in a Cup Tea Salon, I'm drinking tea and hot chocolate out of it daily. My Saint Nicholas is a treasured piece I gave my Mom a few years before she passed away, now it graces our tea tray. Each time I see it, I think of her, and how she loved Christmas. The little watercolor of Saint Nick behind the tray is also from her home, I painted it for her when I was younger and my "giving" budget was not large, I made most of my gifts. A little chalkboard sign, with one of my favorite Psalms. One of the things I love making in my kitchen, the Victorian Cranberry Cake I shared with the readers of Victorian Homes Magazine a few years ago. It really IS delicious, it's the perfect cake to box up beautifully and gift to neighbors. I added this shot of our tree glimpsed from the kitchen at night. It's one to be improved on in the camera settings, that's for sure, but you get the general idea. Thank you for your visit. I cherish my time during the holiday season in our cozy kitchen, it's where I wrap gifts, write our Christmas cards, do crafts with my grandchildren, drink those delicious hot beverages we all love this time of year, and gather our family and friends around the table. What do you love most about your holiday kitchen? Be sure to follow me on instagram for more holiday inspiration!