The kitchen is the heart of the home and although it is a room of function over form, I decided to exercise a little Holiday spirit and share with you my Christmas kitchen.
I recently had new counters and a new backsplash installed in my kitchen (farewell shitty, destroyed laminate!) and while I haven’t figured out exactly how to style things, I did take a shot at decorating my kitchen for Christmas.
Let me tell you, this took SOOOOO LOOOOONG!
These photos are not how we live.
We leave bread on the counter for the kids to make sandwiches. Our kitchen island usually has a pile of mail and/or schoolwork and my kitchen sink almost always has at least one dish that didn’t make the dishwasher run the night before.
It’s not horrible (okay, sometimes it is), but it’s also never this clean either. So while you see a few pops of red, know that every surface was scrubbed, including the stupid blinds that I hate cleaning.
It is one bright, shining moment of perfection and I had to photograph it to have evidence that it is actually possible. lol
My Christmas kitchen
Our backsplash, a bevelled subway tile, was only completed on Monday. The final grouting went in and the range hood put back in place Monday night, so I didn’t want to cover up all of the gorgeousness that had just been installed. I know the kitchen is a bit “white”, but it’s also bright and airy and so clean that I’m enjoying it right now.
Command hooks were perfect for hanging wreaths behind the cooktop and another on the pantry door. I made these berry wreaths in 2013, and they are still a favourite of mine – so vibrant and fun!
I love that photo! It might be my Christmas card next year. lol
The counters weren’t part of the Christmas kitchen plan. They were just something that needed to get done, but I am going to brag about them; they are a man-made quartz with flecks and a very subtle veining, and so beautiful I could die! I wanted white counters, but I also didn’t want to go crazy day-in and day-out seeing crumbs everywhere. This stone has a bit of texture and movement to it which softens some of the white and gives me a tiny bit of leeway on a spotless clean.
If you’re wondering if this broke the bank – let me tell you it was actually one of the least expensive stones in the entire showroom and considerably less than granite, marble or concrete counters! It’s called Vicostone in Valley White and I worked with the amazing team at Sloan Stone if you want to know more.
Do you love this red cookie sheet
My mom made those cookies. (insert shame-face here). I was so busy cleaning and staging that I just didn’t have a batch of fresh-baked cookies in me.
I brought in a couple of Santa cookie jars and another vibrant wreath above the cupboards.
The jellybeans and Hershey’s kisses aren’t props for my Christmas kitchen photoshoot. I have a “slight” sweet tooth so the girls and I thought we’d bring in a decoration that we didn’t have to put away at the end of the season.
Did you know you can no longer fill containers at the Bulk Barn? I didn’t until I already had the jellybean container full and the cashier yelled at me. She actually made me dump out $25 worth of jellybeans in to a bag before she’d let me cash out. Grinch!
I didn’t think I was a fan of Hershey’s kisses (the girls choice), but 40 kisses in and I think I might kinda like them. lol
I really do love having treats around to enjoy every now and then, and now and then, and then in-between now and then.
I made these wood trees last year (maybe the year before) and I thought the warm wood tone would soften the look of the cool tile.
The Google hub was a gift last year and while I was hesitant to try it, it really has become something we use daily. Not only does it give you the weather, look up recipes and play your Spotify list while you’re cooking, but you can also watch Netflix on it! I’m sure there’s a lot more it can do, but I’m old – let me learn a bit at a time. lol. Goal 1 – learn how to install a Christmas wallpaper.
I planted my paperwhite bulbs a couple of weeks ago and they are well on their way to being ready for the Holidays.
I did leave a few of our less-than-decorative items out… like my tea caddy and kettle. I know the straws aren’t magazine-worthy, but it’s real life and a hot drink and a warm blanket are what Christmas dreams are made of right?
Our Christmas kitchen is open-concept to our family room, with the kids desks in between, so photographing one room means cleaning the other as well. Needed to get done, and it’s crazy-beautiful now, but it’s still a lot of work.
But soooo worth it.
That’s it for Christmas in my (new) kitchen!
A hint of red, a lot of love and I think it’s perfect.
(I’ll show you the family room soon)
Have a great one!