Christmas Home Tour 2019: It's Christmastime in the City

Welcome to my holiday open house at Panoply! 2019 was a year of big changes for us, as we downsized from our former home and garden to a dwelling in a century old building converted to condominiums in the center of town. You can view our former home and last Christmas here.

After living here nearly eight months, I am about 90% fully settled with places for most of the things I kept. Christmas decor is stored off premises since it is used only one month out of the year, and I am still trying to whittle it down as I go. Today I'm sharing our loft in its holiday style, and how I've incorporated much of what has been restyled in our urban space. Join me!

A little cherub donning winter accessories greets you in the vestibule outside our floor elevator.

Our loft's entry is winter ready with a pom wreath, Christmas goose and cardinal mat. 

As you step into our loft, you're looking eastward toward downtown churches and our state's capitol building in the distance (under white tarp temporarily for reconstruction). The Christmas tree was downsized this year in keeping with our overall change in lifestyle. 

Pillows and a throw were added recently for Christmas condo coordination, but the majority of memorable decorations remain and are reworked in our new space.

Christmas tree at dusk. Mixing modern / urban, traditional, vintage and antique defines eclectic style, yes?

City bridge view from living room with Christmas tree in corner, reflected in plate glass windows. Our balcony is just outside those windows.

A faux magnolia arrangement with little lights, intentionally placed to the right of the tree on the wall unit shelf, screens most of the electronics wiring.

The view of our open space and tree from the dining area. The Christmas tablescape can be seen in more detail here.

The tablescape can last beyond Christmas in its neutral, warm tones.

The dining area corner vitrine holds a vintage tole lamp, lighted Bouguereau (Song of the Angels), and small curio of a portion of my collected sterling and plated napkin rings.

Morning sunrise and sunlight streaming into the loft is a never-ending display in itself. The space directly behind the sectional sofa has two Parsons chairs and sideboard with nested tables (a second one is being used as tree stand). The chairs can easily be moved to the dining table to comfortably seat six.

A collection of small Santas and other baubles are on the left side curio / drink table.

Sideboard decor includes a squirrel nutcracker with cloisonne acorn and WV ornaments on one side, silver bocce balls in compote and simple ornaments with lights in apothecary jar on the other. Notice the stockings in the background, hanging on the edge of the counter. I simply use magnets to hang a few things on the stainless surfaces (even art!) in the loft.

The balcony boy and angel don their winter accessories.

In the main living space, the electric fireplace area is central to two rooms beyond (with track doors). You can see where the Parsons chairs are at bottom right corner of the photo. The dining table is to the left. The fireplace was a good space to display my nutcracker collection. I found frames recently on Etsy to hang antique, hand painted tiles of winter scenes dating from the late 1880s on either side of the little fireplace.

My Orphanello statue (in the corner next to my office door on the right) holds a votive candle (battery operated). Mr. P.'s personal space is the room on the left of the fireplace.

The kitchen corner is mostly utilitarian, but the little trees and angel are seasonal additions.

Stockings are hung at the end of the kitchen bar, and a tartan scarf dresses the ammo basket directly across from the bar.

The laundry room is whimsical with gingerbread people and their hanging laundry. The wreath hanging was made by my daughter #2 in preschool over 25 years ago. The crocheted potholders are another collection in the vintage wash basin. The colors of each season are brought to the surface while the bowl is full of other seasonal colors. The lights add candy-colored fun, as does the gingerbread house on the baker's rack across from the appliances.

The powder room is where my collection of sheep graze. The winter sleigh sheep and tiny orphan sheep on the commode lid are seasonal additions to the usual flock.

My office / personal space is decorated with a few more things saved in the downsize. This is the view from the side of the room where my desk is situated (the edge can be seen on the right).

The curio cabinet in my office has been empty since the move in April, and is where I intend to style much of my antique beaded and mesh purse collection. That will be a good winter project. Until then, the Santa fairies and a few family photos from the early 1960s fill the cabinet shelves.

Madonna and Child on credenza behind my desk (not shown).

The master bedroom sitting area just sports a couple of seasonal pillows, with a favorite ornament on the drink table between. A lighter hand is decorating this year was a welcome change. Buying new pillows and a few salad plates to add to my dish collection (of course!) were my only splurges this year, and I even took most of the duplicate sized pillow forms and vacuum sealed them for storage to maintain clutter control.

One of the many, ever-changing sky views from our living space.

I even downsized my nativity in that I purged the wooden stable. I love the simpler display. It doesn't matter if your style is modern, farmhouse, traditional, urban or any other label, this is timeless.

May your holidays be filled with love and meaningful moments. Try not to worry about what others might view as the perfect Christmas. I found this article on that very subject, posted recently by a niece who has three kids under the age of 12, and thought it was poignant for all of us. 

Merry Christmas 
from Rita C. at Panoply

(A special thanks to Shelley of Calypso in the Country's Decorating Ideas - Best of the Weekend 12-13-19 for featuring this post!)

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