Christmas is a time of celebration and family, so avoid the stress and make decorating your home simple and effective. For this French country home in Aurora, Missouri, homeowner Cindy Blackenburg of the blog Edith and Evelyn Vintage uses natural elements and dresses up her year-round décor to create the spirit of Christmas. “I don’t purchase a lot for Christmas,” she says. “I use what I already have.” The result is both simple and elegant—the perfect Christmas combination.

French Fantastique

Many of Cindy’s antique and vintage collections originate from France, giving her home a romantic, French feel during Christmas. “I’ve always collected old religious antiques and nativity sheep, and I use them in my Christmas vignettes throughout the house,” says Cindy.

In the family room, an old repainted French provincial cabinet is filled with Cindy’s collection of French religious statues, including Jesus, lambs and sheep. Rather than remove her collection during the holidays, Cindy incorporates a wreath and moss balls into the display to give it a festive look.

The foyer holds a large statue of an angel that came from a church in St. Louis. She is also a year-round piece, but Cindy gives her a long candlestick to hold and places a crown on her head during the holidays. “She was missing her wings at the auction, but my husband found a company that sold metal wings and fixed them to her back,” says Cindy.

Her sheep can be found in almost every vignette of the house, including the birdbath-turned-manger for the baby Jesus in the foyer, where they can be seen among the clippings of evergreen.

Outdoor Décor

Another key component to Cindy’s look is her use of natural elements in her holiday setup. She incorporates pinecones, dried hydrangeas, moss balls and evergreen clippings into every room of the house to spread Christmas cheer without breaking the bank. “I love to go to home improvement stores,” says Cindy. “They give out evergreen clippings to make wreaths and garlands.” With this simple trick, she can hang greenery from mirrors and several surfaces, often adding lights for a festive look.

This idea also extends to the Christmas trees throughout the home. It was said in Cindy’s family that if you found a tree with a bird’s nest, it would bring you luck for the following year. “I never have a Christmas tree where there’s not a bird’s nest tucked in there,” she says.

Traditional Meets Contemporary

Though the trees have similar natural elements, they vary in color palette from room to room. “I stay pretty neutral with blues, lavender and pale sage green in my home,” says Cindy. This allows her to have a red and green tree palette in one room and a gold and pastel palette in another.

Her tree in the family room is filled with red and gold ornaments, and a plaid ribbon bow tops it off. “We had a huge basket of really large pinecones, so we stuck them in with the ornaments,” says Cindy. The flocked tree in the master bedroom, however, has a wintry look, with dried hydrangeas, gold ornaments and sparkly snowflakes. To keep the trees as focal points, Cindy kept the presents neutral, using white boxes and ribbon that matches the tree they’re under.

Cindy’s tips for achieving a simple yet elegant Christmas interior.

• Steal stuff from your yard. Depending on where you live, you may have an abundance of Christmas décor right outside your door. “Go to the woods and gather up natural elements, like dried flowers and branches,” says Cindy.
• Shop home improvement stores. Most stores will hand out free evergreen clippings that you can use on your mantel, staircase or mirrors.
• Elevate what you already have. Instead of hitting the stores right away, see what you can do to dress up your current décor pieces. Adding small accents like candles, wreaths and bottlebrush trees will be a less time-consuming and more cost-effective way to decorate for Christmas than buying all new festive décor.

If you find an 18^th century gem, it can be a challenge to update and make it your own without taking away its aged appeal. When Nora Murphy, designer and owner of Nora Murphy Country House, and her husband Rick moved into this 1767 home in Newtown, Connecticut 15 years ago, they fell in love with its location and structure and settled in with some initial improvements.

“Any house we live in, I let the house tell me what to do,” says Nora. “When we moved here, our previous stuff didn’t work with the feel, so I introduced an earthy palette.” Years later, when her son Conor moved out, Nora needed a change. “I call it Project Refresh,” she says.

Light and Bright      

Nora draped the home in a white color palette, painting the walls different shades of white and covering all her furniture with creamy white cotton denim fabric slip covers and tying them with white twill tape bows. “[The slipcovers] are washable and easy to take care of,” says Nora. “I can now drag chairs to different parts of the house, and they’ll still work.”

Along with the easy care comes a casual elegance from the draped furniture that adds a romantic look to the outdoor accents. “The architectural simplicity of the home gave direction to what the inside of the home should look like,” says Nora. “I wanted it light, bright and nature inspired.”

Home in the Garden

Among the neutral color palette that Nora carried throughout the house is her outdoor garden theme. Wooden tables, outdoor lanterns and large-scale plants and florals grace every room of the home to add a touch of the great outdoors to her interior. Nora also collects vintage copper watering cans and antique gardening tools that reside in the hallway gallery. “Everyone is always asking me about my antique French harvest basket,” says Nora. “It’s perfect for holding seasonal flowers.” The gallery connects the 18^th century parts of the house to the newer parts, creating a seamless transition with its checkered flooring, made to appear old.

Old Additions

 They made additions to the home, but you wouldn’t be able to tell by looking at it. “The house was in good shape when we moved in,” says Nora, “but the bedrooms were really tiny and had low ceilings.” To compensate, they raised the ceilings and added large windows and doors to bring in natural light and showcase the surrounding nature.

Perhaps the biggest addition was their master bedroom suite that used to be a chicken coop. “We wanted an old structure for the add-on, so I looked up dismantled antique buildings and found a company that will take apart antique barns and build them back up at your location,” says Nora. The coop was built in 1857 and closely resembled the exterior of their home, blending the new structure with the old.

Curated Collection

This look could not be pulled off without Nora’s sense of simplicity. “It’s a good thing to part with things,” says Nora. “The things that don’t fit anymore, I sell or give away. That prevents things from accumulating, as my tastes and style evolve.”

Creating a neutral canvas with her white slip covers allows her to easily decorate throughout the seasons with a few minor changes. “During winter, I bring in tartan wool pillows and change my artwork,” she says. “It changes the entire room.” This look ensures that your aesthetic won’t be static, but will instead change like the color of falling leaves in autumn.

Like Nora’s house? See the spotlight shine on her fall dining room!

Decorating for fall can be overwhelming, especially with the added pressures of hosting a dinner or party. Save yourself some stress and plan on an elegant, yet simple table setting this year. Designer and homeowner Nora Murphy of Nora Murphy Country House proves that all you need are a few essential pieces to make your dining room an autumnal paradise.

“It’s very simple, but everything has a European garden feel,” Nora says. With large rosemary plants, vibrant maple leaves and an antique bee skep hidden away in the corner, Nora brings the wonders of her garden indoors and uses it as a natural base to style her fall dining room. “I’m a gardener, so I always go fresh first for entertaining,” says Nora. The branches, leaves and pumpkins are all fresh to create an authentic look in the room, but you can always use faux options if you prefer.

Color Palette

With a mostly white palette, Nora brought in black Windsor chairs and painted an antique bench to bring contrast to the space and create a cohesive set. They look as if they could just as easily belong to an outdoor table, which helps the garden vibe.  To continue her white color palette, Nora chose to keep her dishes and décor of the same shade. “I like to use what’s in season, so I loved the idea of white pumpkins and keeping everything to one color: creamy white,” she says. However, she incorporates bits of red through the leaves and placemats for pops of color.

Autumnal Dining

To set the scene for her get together, Nora started with a 10-foot 19th century work table as her base on which to build her tablescape. She then put hand-blown hurricane candle holders from Simon Pearce in the middle of the table and placed creamy white candles inside of them as the start of the centerpiece and sprinkled pumpkins in between to finish the look. “Set the large pumpkins first, then the medium and small,” she says. “When a group is meshed together, it creates an impactful look. That’s the beauty of the centerpiece: it’s bold, yet simple.”

Nora finished the look with a white baby boo pumpkin on every plate as the place card holder for an elegant autumn look that is sure to please family and friends.

Like Nora’s dining room? See more of her home here!

Having a small space can actually be a benefit to your home’s style, according to the homeowner of a 400-square-foot apartment in Paris, France. “Small spaces are cozy and easier to style than larger homes,” says Adriana Anzola. “You just need the right things in the right place.” This apartment simply consists of a kitchen, a living room and a bedroom, but it comfortably fits Adriana’s everyday needs and vintage treasures.

Romantic Luxury

Her style can be described as “Old English cottage meets French glamour,” with lots of florals for a cozy and relaxed feel. “I get a lot of inspiration from living in this beautiful city and from the vintage markets I visit regularly,” says Adriana.

Because she rents the apartment, all her changes are decorative. She painted the walls, but the ornate ceiling moldings are original to the structure and complement her vintage furniture. “Pretty much everything in my house comes from a vintage market,” says Adriana. “I like objects that have a soul and can tell a story. Unique finds create a unique place.”

One element she carries throughout her home is the distressed look. “I’m always in search of that piece with a perfectly aged patina,” she says. “It adds the right touch of rustic and country that I love so much.” Whether it’s a piece of wooden furniture or a faded rug, almost everything in her home has an aged look that adds history and romance to the space.

Small Spaces

While small places have their benefits, they can be quite tricky to plan. “You have to be very organized if you want to keep [your home] tidy and looking pretty,” says Adriana. “Storage is the key. That way, you only display what you wish to display.” She demonstrates this idea by using her vintage finds for decorative storage.

A desk, trunk, armoire or even a small cabinet can make all the difference in how your space flows. Everything that you love can sit on top of the piece, while your everyday items can be hidden within it. “I say, if it’s not pretty don’t exhibit it!” she says.

Neutral Balance

Though Adriana makes it look easy, some preparation is required if you dream to fill your home with vintage finds. “Before going to a flea market, make sure you know your style, your color palette and your taste,” she says. “There are so many amazing objects at the markets that you risk coming home with things that are not going to have a place in your home.”

To make it easier for everything to blend well, start with a neutral wall base. “For me, a white space is the perfect canvas to start decorating and adding those special accents,” Adriana says. A soft color palette such as the whites, pinks, yellows and blues of her home will maintain a relaxing atmosphere, but you can also experiment with beige or light gray for a neutral background.

Like Adriana’s style? She has an Etsy shop, MyShabbyWhites, where she sells one-of-a-kind vintage french decor!