By Margie Monin Dombrowski / Photography by Sara O'Brien / Styling by Susan Daggett

Susan Daggett of Kindred Vintage brings winter whimsey to her living room
Winter whimsey is evident throughout Susan’s home, particularly in the living room where a flocked tree glitters and the stockings are hung with care from a length of driftwood.

People dream of creating a whimsical winter wonderland inside their home at Christmas time.  And year after year, Susan Daggett, owner of Kindred Vintage Co., dives into her holiday decorating right after Thanksgiving to create a charming scene that you would imagine belongs in a Christmas storybook.

Her 1926 vintage brick bungalow, which she and her husband completely renovated, gets decorated from head to toe in garlands and baubles, with several flocked Christmas trees placed throughout the house. “We decorate every little nook and cranny here when it comes to Christmas,” Susan says. “I try to make it as whimsical as possible.” Here’s how she does it.

Sliding barn doors, natural wood finishes and a charming sign create a cozy farmhouse feeling.
Sliding barn doors, natural wood finishes and a charming sign create a cozy farmhouse feeling.

Dreamy Décor

Putting a personal spin on her Christmas décor, Susan varies her color palette and theme every year, adding in textures and sweet details that give her farmhouse style a magical touch.

“I wanted to bring in pops of color that aren’t traditional Christmas colors—like hot pink and teal—and blend them with traditional Christmas décor,” Susan says. “I brought in flocked trees, furs, textures and pops of color that give it a different look. I love mixing vintage with new things.”

Chunky knits and faux fur stockings alternate on their driftwood display.
Chunky knits and faux fur stockings alternate on their driftwood display. These bold textures provide visual interest to otherwise neutrally colored objects.

Her fireplace mantel couldn’t hold stockings using traditional hangers, so she came up with a better solution. “I found driftwood in the lake, and we ended up bolting that to the mantel to hang the stockings,” she says. Of course, she strung up an eclectic mix of faux-fur and cable-knit stockings and embellished them with a colorful felt garland and feathers for a quirky touch. Crystal chandeliers adorn each room for a little glamour. A wall of vintage mirrors in the dining room is an eye-catching focal point that people notice when they visit.

The dining table was a refurbished barn table. An antique church pew and Tolix metal chairs create an eclectic seating arrangement.
Look closely and you’ll see rose gold hues and tiny pink details. The dining table was a refurbished barn table. An antique church pew and Tolix metal chairs create an eclectic seating arrangement.

Just Add Magic

Floral wallpaper patterns cover many of the walls, and at Christmastime they take on a different personality, lending whimsy to the entire scene. In her two daughters’ playroom, for example, the woodland-themed wallpaper design feels right at home with the kid-friendly Christmas tree festooned with old-fashioned ball ornaments and a vintage toy car beside it. During the holidays, Susan says, “that tree is lit up the entire time.”

A fairy-tale woodland inspired mural adds whimsy to the playroom.
A fairy-tale woodland inspired mural adds whimsy to the playroom.

Family traditions are important to Susan’s family, as she and her husband wrap 25 books as gifts for their daughters each year, and they unwrap and read them together, one by one each night, as they count down to Christmas.

Making their home feel magical this time of year is something Susan hopes to instill in her daughters as she reflects on memories of her own mother putting her in charge of decorating various trees throughout her childhood home. “I think that’s something I got from my mom,” Susan says, “so it’s always stuck with me.”

Christmas, Christmas Decor, Christmas Tree, House Tours, Kindred Vintage, Margie Monin Dombrowski, Susan Daggett