A Moody, Minimal Lake Cottage Christmas

I know. I know.

Most of you over-achievers out there have already finished your holiday decorating, wrapped every last gift, and moved on to planning your Christmas dinner menu (and probably the damn table settings too).

But I’ve shared a Christmas home tour every year on this blog for a decade now, and I’m not about to slack on you this year. So better late than never, here is my 2025 holiday home tour…

With so much going on right now (launching my Etsy shop and trying my best to wrap up client work before my boys get out of school this week for Christmas break), holiday decorating got put on the back burner this year.

And while I even gave myself permission to forgo a holiday tour altogether ….decking the halls is truly just how I get into the Christmas spirit- even if it is just a few simple festive touches here and there.

Welcome to my little lake cottage tucked away in the marshes of a little nature reserve in Southeast Tennessee.

Here in the foyer of my 1970’s home, I ditched the hat gallery wall I’d lived with for years now in lieu of this minimal modern art and brown velvet bench.

And while I tried to do a different holiday color palette for 2025… I quickly realized red was just too overstimulating for me to live with. Don’t get me wrong…I absolutely respect it in other people’s homes (just not mine). So within 30 minutes of this harsh realization, out came the more muted wine and burgundy ribbon.

Moving into my black, moody living room (or what I like to call the Netflix and chill zone), just as I can’t seem to break away from the old, trusty burgundy ribbon, I also cannot seem to get away from my flocked Christmas tree and garland (despite the fact that I am obsessed with the scent of a real evergreen).

While I have tried a real tree in here before, I just love the high contrast of the white flocking against my charcoal walls (Iron Ore by Sherwin Williams) . The multi-colored velvet ornaments on my tree were actually the only holiday decor purchase I made this year (well that…and a plethora of Frasier Fur candles to make up for the lack of that beloved fresh cut tree scent).

Playing well with all of my moody earth tones, I foraged some sedum from my backyard and placed the dried stems in a stone vase. While I typically use pampas in this thrifted piece (given there’s also a bounty of that on my land too), I’m actually loving the muted pop of color the florals add to the space ( not to mention how perfectly they pair with the olive green pillow on my linen loveseat).

As usual, I placed a wreath above my leather sofa (this one is pre-lit but doesn’t photograph well) and added a small piece of pine swag over my minimalist canvas art- all with velvet burgundy ribbon of course.

Heading into my kitchen which shares a double-sided fire place with my living room, you will see a fire burning at all times during the winter months…

Recently, I scored this antique buffet on Facebook Marketplace and decided to use it as a coffee bar. I styled it with some fancy syrup dispensers and all of my espresso paraphernalia, and y’all… I am so obsessed.

Espresso martinis + a burning fire = cozy, festive vibes all winter long. Let me mix you one!

From this view of my kitchen, you will see the 10ft. pencil tree I can never seem to find the damn plug to illuminate the top lights of. Nonetheless, the view of mother nature is a good distraction for my half-a$$ed attempts to deck the halls.

Come to think of it, espresso martinis are also a good way to distract from my short comings in general. Bottoms up!

Now for the last room of my very underwhelming tour, the dining room…

While last year’s Christmas table centerpiece went viral-ish, I always feel pressured to do something different so you’re not getting regurgitated content.

And so..I scaled back the decor on the dining table this season, and added a centerpiece and garland to the floating live edge behind my table.

You may also notice I broke up the set of matching abstract canvas art that used to adorn the live edge to create a more layered look- pairing one of the original abstracts with this “vintage” landscape painting (which is actually not vintage at all, but from McGee & Co.’s Target line).

And here is my favorite little seating area off the dining room. Not only can you catch a great view of the wildlife here, it makes me so happy to catch a glimpse of the Christmas tree every time I round the corner and gaze through the mirror.

For your shopping convenience, I have included affiliate links to the products used in my home tour directly below. As a Reward Style and Amazon affiliate, I earn commission on sales at no extra cost to you.

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As we come to a close -not only of this tour, but of the year- I just want to take a moment to thank you for putting up with my shenanigans. This blog would truly be nothing without your support.

With that, I’m wishing you and yours a very Merry Christmas and a happy New Year.

I will see you again in 2026!