When decorating for the holidays, I try to push myself a little and not do the same thing every year. I like to remix some key pieces that I've acquired over the years, switch up my color schemes, and showcase something different without feeling obligated to buy something new. This year I was inspired by the pillow covers that we've been collecting since spring to create a black and white Christmas.


Giving a nod to the vintage furniture company Chairish and their "What do you 'Chairish'?" campaign, I decided to feature one of the most sentimental pieces in our home, a vinyl Mid century modern chair that belonged to my late maternal grandmother. After she passed away, I remember our family going through her pieces and my mother asked me what I wanted to take home with me. Hidden underneath a few articles of clothing was a chair that looked to be in almost perfect condition. Somehow I had never seen it before, but my family said it had been there for years. My mother, sister, and aunt looked at me with confusion when I said that I wanted it. I had just finished design school so I knew what a gem it was. They thought I was crazy, but who in their right mind leaves a Mid century modern ANYTHING behind, especially if it's part of the family? The chair went home with me.

Flash forward a handful of years... after keeping my grandmother's chair in our office for so long (due to the fact that I didn't quite how to work with its avocado vinyl) I finally felt confident enough in my style to make it work. I decided a few months back to take the leap and integrate it into our living room along with all of our brightly-colored furniture and accessories. The pillow covers I chose for our mini holiday makeover embraces the avocado vinyl and the chair looks right at home.   


How perfect is that leopard pillow? Also, the blue sequinned one gives a nod to the star of our room, our movie sofa


Notice how the top of the arms are a little lighter than the rest of the frame. After I acquired the chair it went into my parents garage where it resided for a full year. When I Brandon and I finally got our own place, I took the chair home and began to wipe down the frame. To my surprise, the stain came right off to reveal the wood grain underneath. Instead of re-staining, I decided to keep it that way. I think it gives the chair more character.


One day I may have it re-stuffed and recovered. But for now I think it looks just fine. Because my aesthetic is very modern, and I often find great deals on brand-new items, I don't own many vintage pieces of furniture. There is however something to be said about adding one to your space. It gives a room some soul. It gives the room a story. I'm glad that I was able to make it part of our home. I'm sure my grandmother would approve.


Bright and delightful... 

Around this time of year, I always get a little frustrated about the amount of expectations placed upon us creative folk. Not that I can't rise to the occasion - shop until I can no longer stand, decorate a beautiful tree, morph into a professional gift wrapper, and sprinkle holiday goodness all over the house while holding a perfectly-crafted holiday martini in my hand. I must admit, Instagram and Pinterest have completely done me in to the point where I feel like I almost can't keep up. The professional bloggers I follow post gorgeous images of the fresh, new pieces they're using to decorate with for the holidays, all while I'm struggling to find a moment just to assemble our artificial tree. 

What I'm getting at is this: Does the illustrious imagery of social media make us feel bad about ourselves, like we're not putting enough creative content into the social atmosphere? How am I supposed to handle the holiday hustle and bustle gracefully, a midst working the full-time design job I love and spending spare time with the people I love? There must be a balance. Well this year instead of running myself crazy, I decided to stretch myself creatively by simply decorating with what I have and being grateful for it.  This year I made a few small changes (instead of trying to keep up with the Jones') and I'm so glad that I did.


This year I decided to go with a monochromatic look and use my chandelier crystals along with the feather ornaments that I made last year. The CB2 orbs served a different purpose this year...


I wanted to try something different and showcase a few of the toys that Brandon has been acquiring from his loot crates and Mr. Lovenstein art pieces. Above is a Mr. Lovenstein ninja star original.


Game of thrones, anyone?


And how would a Christmas decor transformation be complete without a baby Transformer?

So long story short... this year I'm doing what I can with what I have. I mean isn't that what the holidays are supposed to be about? Being grateful for who and what we have? I may never be able to keep up, but I love my life and I'll continue to share what I can (when time allows) right here on my little piece of the internet. :)