Hoping to put some fresh farmhouse Christmas decorating ideas to work in your own space? We’ve selected the essential aspects of farmhouse Christmas decor –these practical, expert-approved tips and ideas will ensure your home reflects a cozy and rustic aesthetic with a truly festive spirit.
Farmhouse Christmas decor ideas
From statement wreath ideas to sustainable Christmas decorations and neutral color schemes, we’ve gathered our favorite farmhouse Christmas decorating ideas so you can recreate this popular look with ease.
1. Elevate a kitchen-diner for Christmas
Even if you prefer a more casual Christmas, with lunch eaten in the kitchen, you’ll want a table that’s dressed for the occasion and tempts your guests to linger long after the feast is eaten. ‘Your Christmas table is one of the most important aspects of the day or evening (we’d argue the gifts are a close second) because it’s where you and your family and friends will spend most of the event,’ explains Rachael Thompson, from lifestyle brand Bed Threads (opens in new tab). ‘A beautifully designed spread won’t only elevate the dishes you serve, it will change the overall atmosphere. Let this fresh and inviting farmhouse-style table inspire your kitchen Christmas decor ideas. ‘It embraces understated yet chic holiday flair with simple floral arrangements, linen tableware, and a dialed-down color scheme of olive and oatmeal,’ Rachel says. ‘The look has been elevated with a selection of ceramic dinner plates which make the aesthetic just that extra bit bright. This spread has all the ingredients for a merry gathering.’
2. Curate a festive welcome
Dressing up the front of the house and adding a festive touch with Christmas porch decor is a seasonal tradition, but don’t forget what lies just beyond the door. Your Christmas hallway ideas can start in the entryway, providing an immediate welcome to your home. ‘The entrance is a great place to decorate because both you and your family and friends can enjoy it all season long,’ says Jennifer Walter, owner and principal Designer for Folding Chair Design Co (opens in new tab) in Baltimore. ‘We love using objects from the home like chairs and consoles to drape green, ornaments, and one of our favorites – cloches with treasures inside of them. Even a bundle of poinsettias grouped together creates a “collection” that is very impactful!’
3. Dress your island for the festivities
Chances are, your farmhouse kitchen will be busier than ever during the holidays – so don’t forget to dress it for the occasion. Even a smaller room can be styled with a festive display that won’t interfere with valuable prep and cooking space. ‘If you don’t have space for a kitchen Christmas tree, you can still add a touch of festive style. Think about grouping candles in varying heights on a kitchen island to make,’ suggests Rebecca Nokes, head of design & brand creative at kitchen design firm, John Lewis of Hungerford (opens in new tab). This island, part of the Pure Kitchen collection from John Lewis of Hungerford, is the perfect place to create a display of domes filled with pine cone Christmas craft ideas, or tree decorations, with the flicker of candlelight reflecting on the glass.
4. Add typography for a personalized touch
Bring a festive message to your farmhouse Christmas decor ideas with a greeting, good wishes, or simply a personalized name sign, in a handwriting font. You could draw this yourself and fill it in with paint, or take the simpler option of putting up a customized decal. ‘Our wall decals are thoughtfully designed to put a playful twist on traditional wall decor,’ says Jennifer Matthews, co-founder and CCO of Tempaper & Co (opens in new tab). ‘Whether you’re looking to add a festive touch to your windows or a cheerful sentiment above your fireplace (or any other smooth surface in your home), our easy-to-apply decals can be simply removed at any time or can stay in place long after the new year.’
5. Hang Christmas circlets at your windows
If you love the idea of a wreath in the window but don’t want to obscure the view, a festive circlet is a pared-down alternative. In this space, decorated by Folding Chair Design Co, the circlets complement the easy, laidback glamor of the farmhouse dining room ideas, without overwhelming the look.
6. Dress up your kitchen shelves
Open storage and kitchen shelving ideas are simple to decorate – you simply need to add a seasonal flavor to your vignettes when styling a shelf. ‘Hanging groups of baubles from shelves and utensil racks is a quick and easy idea to add some Christmas charm to your kitchen,’ agrees Rebecca Nokes, Head of design & brand creative at John Lewis of Hungerford. Here, the brand’s Pure Kitchen is trimmed simply with festive bunting and paper honeycomb decorations.
7. Trim your tree with heirloom baubles
Farmhouse style is imbued with a love of family and a sense of place, and at Christmas, the tree is the centerpiece. For your Christmas tree ideas, always mix heritage pieces with new finds and on-trend trimmings. ‘I love the holiday season and decorating my home for Christmas – my tree is a piece of art on its own,’ says Susan Spath, president of California-based Kern & Co (opens in new tab) and principal designer of Susan Spath Interior Design. ‘I decorate the entire tree, top to bottom, with beautiful Jay Strongwater (opens in new tab) ornaments, mixing in family heirlooms here and there. I like to create an elegant look for the mantel. I add in some fresh greenery mixing in gold deer, decorative gift boxes, candles, and stockings.’
8. Aim for a softer festive palette
We’re used to red and green as the predominant festive colorways. And even if a room is neutral, traditional trimmings will tend to be bright and bold. But you don’t have to opt-out of your own personal aesthetic to fit a festive moodboard. ‘A farmhouse palette tends to be softer and more neutral – if there are colors, they are muted pastels, gentle olives, and cool blues,’ says Lucy Searle, global editor in chief at Homes & Gardens. ‘Complement a gentle farmhouse color scheme with festive trimmings in similar tones – dusty pink, warm ochre, and sandy colors can all be picked up in foliage garlands, ribbons, and candles.’
9. Don’t forget to decorate your front door
‘Christmas porch decor ideas have no limits but we like to keep it pretty simple with the overall look,’ says Jennifer Walter, owner and principal designer for Folding Chair Design Co. ‘A garland around the door is a classic and timeless touch. Bulk up the garland so it doesn’t feel skimpy. We love a thick, lush garland framing a painted front door. In an outdoor space like a porch, you can add large planters with evergreens, berries, or pinecones.’ ‘We also love a statement swag or wreath. Greens like this can get pricey but we typically buy the simplest versions and embellish them ourselves. Our trick: buy scrap fabrics like denim, velvet, and cotton from your fabric store, cut or rip them into long strands and tie them into irregular lengths from the wreath.’
10. Create a focal point with a Christmas wreath
Traditionally, we think of Christmas wreath ideas for front doors but this year you could use it on the Christmas dining room table as a centerpiece or on the wall as a festive focal point. ‘For use on the table, simply add candles at regular intervals for a gorgeous glow,’ says Meaghan Hunter, senior stylist, and art director, Neptune (opens in new tab). ‘For an extra layer of detail, use a richly scented seasonal candle, perhaps a pine and cinnamon mix, in the center. If you’d like to update or refresh your existing wreath, or want to personalize a shop-bought one, bring in touches from your Christmas tree. Smaller decorations can be added with wire for instant impact. Choosing a decorative ribbon to hang your wreath from will add color and texture, too.’
11. Adorn your kitchen with fresh foliage
Bring a festive feel to your home by adding a touch of Christmas to every corner of your home, kitchen included. Tapping into nature with fresh foliage, rustic materials and simple adornments is a fuss-free way to decorate your farmhouse kitchen for Christmas while creating a warm and welcoming look. The key is to opt for a cohesive style for maximum impact. Rustic Christmas decorations are appealing because of their effortless, authentic appearance, while a palette of natural greens and off-whites paired with materials such as linen and hessian complements almost every interior.
12. Stick to a neutral color palette
Making sure your Christmas tree ideas are merry and bright is the most important decor choice you’ll make this holiday season. For an ultra-stylish look, it’s important to keep your Christmas tree decor consistent. ‘Just like design, decorations must have one idea, one image bringing together various parts of the space being decorated,’ says Ana Agapova, creative director of O&A Designs (opens in new tab), and a strong advocate of Christmas tree themes. ‘It should be decorated using one color palette – preferably in pale neutrals – and, in keeping with the rest of your farmhouse Christmas decor ideas. One important aspect to consider when decorating with neutrals is to bring in as much texture as possible – an important factor when strong colors are out of the picture. Consider warm metallics such as brass and bronze or natural wood elements alongside linens and chunky knits elsewhere in your decorating scheme.
13. Dress a dining table to impress
Whether you’re planning on serving a big feast or will be hosting a small intimate affair, a well-dressed Christmas dining room is more often than not the focal point for everyone’s family celebrations. Restraining your color scheme to muted jewel tones provides the perfect backdrop for the main event on Christmas Day – the food. Turkey and all the trimmings will take center stage in your scheme, while plenty of candles and paper decorations will add depth to the scheme.
14. Decorate with layered neutrals
A restrained color palette can have a calming and elegant effect in a farmhouse Christmas scheme. For dining room ideas that work through the seasons, opt for natural simplicity, leaving bold patterns and brighter hues in favor of muted tones, clear glass and natural materials. Here, the wall paneling has been painted in a soft, stone-like neutral that is comfortingly familiar. A traditional wooden dining table (this one is an antique from Maison Artefact) and rush-seat chairs continue the rustic feel, while candlelight provides an atmospheric glow. Decoration has been kept to a minimum, with woven placemats, linen napkins and foraged greenery, while the theme is followed to the windows with large paper stars. The farmhouse Christmas scheme is cozy and convivial.
15. Welcome visitors with a tree near the entrance
It’s already a pretty big deal to have an actual tree inside your home, so sometimes keeping your Christmas hallway ideas simple is best. A pared-back look can be incredibly elegant, especially if you invest in quality decorations. If sustainability is on the agenda this holiday season, then look to homemade, hand-crafted, recycled wood, glass and papier-mâché decorations. Thinking outside the box can inspire some alternative Christmas tree ideas too, such as this tree decorated almost entirely with paper ornaments.
16. Make your own rustic wreath
This year’s festive wreaths are showpieces. They are big and bold, colorful and shapely, so much so that we say why stop at the front door? Use them to add a festive touch to every part of your home: hang them above the fireplace or over a mirror, in a window or in multiples up the staircase. Foraged natural Christmas foliage and berries are the key elements of this pretty heart-shaped wreath. The design shown here includes rosehips, medlars, fir, oak leaves with acorns, viburnum berries, blackberries, and horse chestnuts.
17. Set the scene for guests come Christmas
At this time of year, there’s plenty of opportunity to have a little fun with your farmhouse bedroom ideas by introducing festive decorations that add color, texture and intrigue. Ensure guests receive a warm welcome to your home this Christmas by dressing your spare room in Christmas foliage, monogrammed stockings and a few festive treats upon arrival. Experimenting with texture and style, whether modern farmhouse or classic country, is a great way to break away from your everyday aesthetic. But try to opt for a scheme that complements your existing interiors rather than competing with them.
18. Decorate your mantel to perfection
If you don’t tend to do things by halves, then you certainly shouldn’t leave your fireplace unadorned over the holidays. For your Christmas mantel decor ideas, you could go big with a sweeping arrangement of foliage, including draped elements of ivy, baubles or even clove-studded clementines on the ribbon, and festive stockings (although make sure these are well out of the way of flames, or easily removable for when the fire is lit). The real trick to creating an authentic farmhouse Christmas decor scheme is to be even more strict than usual with your palette. Choose one dominant color, such as gold, and use the secondary color, here green, to support and calm down the dominating tone. Avoid anything too overtly ‘modern’ like fairy lights, bold colors, or glitter and instead, rely on the sparkling of the metal decorations.
19. Set the table for a festive feast
Celebrating the season with an abundant display of greenery, real or faux or even a mix, creates such a welcome and you can style it all in advance which is a real time saver. ‘I love to add in real flowers and greenery just a couple of days before the main event,’ says Chrissie Rucker, founder, The White Company (opens in new tab). We have some amazing faux wreaths, swags and garlands and if you mix these up with fairy lights and lots of candles it’s a truly seasonal statement. Candles, of course, never fail to please mixed in displays with pretty small bud vases, which bounce the light beautifully. And don’t forget that lovely glass vases can often double up as storm lanterns, too, when you pop a candle inside. ‘I always stick to white and when it comes to flowers for the table I like them to be simple, not too arranged – I love them to feel loose and natural. Sometimes I use just greenery and I mix in one white stem. For larger displays I mix lots of seasonal greenery or herbs into my arrangements and favorite flowers, which include ranunculus, hyacinths, white roses, flowering eucalyptus, snowberries and fresh rosemary.’
What colors are good for a farmhouse Christmas decor scheme?
A restrained color palette, featuring a plethora of off-whites, antique golds and faded pinks should make up the basis of your farmhouse Christmas decor ideas. The key is to opt for a consistent and complementary color scheme for a cohesive and considered look.
