Is anyone else obsessed with that scene in just about every holiday movie where the extended family descends upon the house for Christmas, greeted at the door by a huge wreath and swaths of twinkle lights, beckoning them to shake the snow off their Sorels and get cozy by the blazing fire inside?
There’s something about a warm and welcoming decked-for-the-holidays front door, and this year I wanted to go all out with mine.
Continuing my theme of natural-inspired touches that I carried throughout my interior decor, I carried that sense of woodland fantasy to the outdoors, using greenery, pinecones, and glowing lights to create a timeless look that reflects my love of organic, found-in-nature decor. Elle from Gracious Garlands created the gorgeous mixed evergreen garland that she draped across the entire entrance, with a matching wreath on the front door.
Scroll on for more details and a few shopping sources to recreate the look at home.
Our front door opening is quite large, and in past years I’ve struggled to add enough oomph to really make an impact. I’ve found that streamlining to just a few elements (greenery, lanterns, mini Christmas trees) but going BIG with them is the key; it’s really all about scale here. Elle used clear suction cups and green floral wire to attach the garland at each point, and then another suction cup to attach the wreath. She made the wreath double sided so that the evergreen was just as full and beautiful from the inside of the house as it was from the outside.
To fill out the rest of the porch, I placed a few faux pre-lit trees with the bases simply wrapped in a piece of burlap, and I lined the steps with a few lanterns that I filled with battery-powered flames that are timed to turn on and flicker when the sun goes down each night.
Malta Glass & Metal Lantern – Bronze Finish – Pottery Barn
Standard Flameless LED Pillar Candle – Ivory – Pottery Barn
5′ Pine Cone and Cedar Artificial Christmas Garland – Northlight
3ft Pre-Lit Clear Lights Artificial Christmas Tree
Outfit deets: My top is this short-sleeved cashmere t-shirt; jeans are these, beanie is this one. Oh, and here’s the plaid scarf (wow I’m living in a J.Crew world this holiday season.)
Ribbed Beanie with Faux-Fur Pom-Pom in Ivory – J.Crew
Tartan Scarf in Red Black Multi – J.Crew
Merry Christmas, y’all! Wish I could welcome each of you through these doors for a warm cup of tea by the fire, but since we’re social distancing – know that I’m sending you the warmest, coziest, most heartfelt wishes for a magical holiday season.
