Christmas Trends & Traditions – Rockwall Holiday Home Tour

One of our favorite events every year is the Rockwall Holiday Home Tour put together by our sweet friend Michele Howell of Vintage Home Designs. We go to Holiday Home Tours in multiple cities and this one is by far our favorite. We decided this year that as we ventured through each home we’d keep our eye out for Christmas design trends that are fun to dabble in short term and then traditions that we believe will always be a part of the season. If you want to see each home individually you can scroll to the bottom to see a gallery of each.

SCROLL TO THE BOTTOM TO SEE GALLERIES OF ALL HOMES!

TREND: MINIMALIST TREE

We kicked off the tour at our friend Christi’s who has the sweetest historic house titled ‘Cottage on Clark’ in the galleries below. The first ‘trend’ for Christmas that I noticed when walking into Christi’s home was her minimalist tree. I love that it allowed the other items in the space to shine. She has curated such an amazing antique and vintage collection that this simple tree goes perfectly.

A few of my favorite things about Christi’s home were her original exposed shiplap, her vintage looking fridge and her amazing mirror collection leading you up the stairs. She really let her 117 year old home shine and tell the story with its character.

I also love that she even thoughtfully decorated outside spaces for the season. I love when Christmas is not just contained to the living room. I know it’s a little more work, but it adds something special to create Christmas nooks all around 😉

TRADITION: FULL TREE & GREENERY

Our next stop on the tour was our friend Stephanie’s home. Something I feel that is more traditional in her stunning modern farmhouse is a full tree. Stephanie’s tree was full to the brim with ornaments and every single one was thoughtfully placed.

As mom also mentions in the vlog, greenery is also something that will never go out of style with Christmas design and Stephanie uses it well in her spaces from her mantle to stair railing throughout the kitchen and the rest of her home.

SHOP THE LOOK

There are many other details that made Stephanie’s home so special and one thing we loved again was the outdoor spaces. In garden beds that would typically be empty in the winter she has placed Christmas trees! She included signs that said ‘cut your own tree’ and staged her own little mini tree farm. The potting shed was also perfectly decorated and we of course had to snap a photo of Quinn in a pot! Also, across from the outdoor fireplace is a vase with marshmallows on a stick. It really is the details my friends.

TREND: STOCKINGS HUNG CLOSE TOGETHER

Next we ventured to our friend Shannon’s Ranch Home! The first thing I noticed was her stockings hung tightly together. This is a trend I’ve seen everywhere and that we even used in our own Christmas decor. It’s such a simple touches that completely revamps last year’s look so you don’t have to spend any extra money on decor.

You’ll notice so many other details through Shannon’s home. I love the pops of red and again the greenery all throughout her home. The red dish wall in her dining room makes me want to start collecting dishes specifically for seasonal decorating.

TRADITION: POPS OF RED

The next home we visited is a historic farmhouse in Downtown Rockwall. This home was 125 years old and the character was thoughtfully highlighted. The pops of red gave such a cozy feeling. Even the chandelier in the dining room was embellished with red ribbon.

I also loved the stockings on the stair railing. I highlighted this as a trend in the vlog because it’s another fun way I’ve been seeing stockings the last couple of years. If you don’t have a fireplace this is a great solution.

TREND: CHRISTMAS IN UNCONVENTIONAL PLACES

We’ve touched this trend in multiple homes, but it felt right to give Colleen’s house this trend as she truly had Christmas in every space of her home. Even her home gym had Christmas y’all! It was amazing! You’ll see in the vlog how much we loved that!

She is so gifted at being able to layer pieces and make it look so effortless. I was inspired by the amount she used to decorate without it feeling cluttered at all. That is a true talent!

While touring these beautiful homes I realized every trend could be a tradition and every tradition can be trending. It was so much fun to notice the difference in color choices and volume of accessories and even where Christmas was placed in a home. I’d love to hear your thoughts and see if you notice any more trends and traditions as you scroll through the complete gallery of each home below. What’s your Christmas style and how did these homes inspire you?

We can’t wait for the 2020 tour! Thank you so much Michele for allowing us to photograph again this year. Last year’s tour was such a success on the blog that Food Network Magazine reached out to us and asked to use a photo for their Christmas issue. These homes are truly that gorgeous!


COTTAGE ON CLARK STREET

The Cottage on Clark Street is owned by our sweet friend Christi! Her home was built in 1902 and the character shows it’s history. Every little nook is so perfectly and thoughtfully decorated. Even her outdoor spaces are so special. She has a little prairie house in her backyard that she furnished with mini pieces of furniture for her grand baby to have a place to play one day. Of course we put Quinn in that perfectly sized bed in the Prairie house for a photo!

BLOOMING IVY LANE

This is the second time Stephanie of Blooming Ivy Lane’s home has been in the Holiday Home Tour. I was so impressed with how she refreshed her home to look so different for people who attended last year. We’ve also featured her home on the blog decorated for every day and it’s equally as beautiful. My favorite change about Stephanie’s home is her upstairs bonus room. The bold color is AMAZING. We also had a great time at Stephanie’s because we found little vignettes perfect for photos of Quinn 😉

THE WILSON RANCH

Shannon is also a friend of ours and we were so excited that her home was on the tour this year. We have featured her home on the blog decorated for every day and couldn’t wait to see it spruced up for Christmas.

HISTORIC FARMHOUSE

Unlike the other three above, this was the first time we had visited this home. We were instantly greeted with historic details and stories of what it once was. The owner is the coach of the high school football team who is going to State this year. It was really fun to listen to all the excited words about the game while touring the home.

UNEXPECTED CHARACTER

We love walking in a newer home where the owner so thoughtfully adds their own dash of character. This is exactly what Coleen Owen has done in her home. It’s beautiful and gives you all the vintage feels when you walk in. There’s not a space in the home that doesn’t have a touch of Christmas in it.

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