Our New Living Room At Christmas!

Christmas Tree: Hayneedle // Chair: Crate & Barrel // Plaid pillow: Amazon // Fur Pillow: c/o Pottery Barn // Coffee Table: c/o MegMade // Sofa: Interior Define // Rug: old, but similar here // Bamboo table: Vintage, Beehive Chicago // Teak Bookshelf: Craigslist // Light Fixture: c/o Bellacor

 

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

Can you believe it’s this weekend!? The time has flown by so fast, I don’t know which way is up. There are so many things we have to be thankful for this Christmas. Sometimes I feel so lucky that I could pinch myself. Do you ever feel that way, too?

For one, this is the first Christmas Neal and I have ever been able to celebrate together. Usually, I’m across the country with my family in Oregon, while he spends Christmas with his family in Chicago. This time though, I’ll be in Chicago with the Loftus clan. (YAY!)

While it’s bittersweet being the first Christmas holiday I’ve ever spent away from my family, it’s a wonderful first for the both of us to be able to spend it with one another, and something I know I’ll remember for the rest of my life. I know it’s pretty rare to love your future in-laws the way I love Neal’s family, and I don’t think that’s something I will ever take for granted–I’m really excited to be part of their Christmas traditions this year!

On the flip side, I know it’s going to be a strange feeling calling my family and wishing them a merry Christmas, instead of seeing them on Christmas morning in our pajamas, getting the cameras ready for my nephews to come down the stairs to see what Santa brought. I guess this is all part of growing up, right?

Speaking of firsts: spending this holiday season in our very first home is another big milestone of ours! Of course, we lived together last year too. We put up a little tree in our teeny apartment–but decorating the first home you own for the very first time together? That’s priceless.

We’ve made quite a lot of improvements to our little place since the last time I shared photos–especially in our living room! Since this summer, we’ve gotten new furniture, new fixtures, and perhaps the most exciting of all–we remodeled the fireplace!

What used to be a modern slab of marble is now a white brick fireplace with a rustic wooden mantel. We love it SO much, I’m so excited to finally be able to share it with you!

It’s crazy how such small changes can make such a big difference, right?

Our new MCM inspired light fixture (it’s only $354 from Bellacor and looks like it’s twice that amount!) was the finishing touch on our living room–we installed it a couple weeks back and now it finally feels like it’s really finished. It’s crazy to think how much one light fixture can tie a room together, but I get a little jolt of joy every time I look at it now. This is one of my favorite sites for light fixtures, they have SO many to choose from in so many price points!

Another update is our new coffee table from MegMade! It’s vintage, with these amazing marble inserts. We had her stain it a dark espresso color. (Neal wanted it light brown, I wanted it black, we compromised at espresso). I love the character it brings to the room–it’s truly one of a kind! That’s why I love MegMade so much–she finds the coolest vintage furniture and brings it to life with your own personal touch.

When it comes to seasonal decor, I kept things pretty simple, simply for the sake of not really having much time to actually decorate the entire house. I picked up a runner for the mantel (shamelessly) at Home Depot and ran this cute garland from Minted through it! My favorite though is definitely our lightly flocked Christmas Tree from Hayneedle. We got such a good deal on it, and it’s honestly the prettiest tree I’ve ever seen. It came in just three (yes, three!) pieces and wasn’t hard to assemble at all. (BIG WIN.)

Anyway, aside from updating you on all the fun stuff going on around here, we wanted to take a second to say, thank you SO much for everything. Whether this is your first time stopping by the blog, or your millionth, it means so much to Neal and I. 2016 has been an insanely fast, and absolutely incredible year, and we feel so fortunate to be able to share it with you.

We hope you have a wonderful holiday with your loved ones, and we can’t wait for what is to come in 2017! (Granted, we’ll see you a couple times before now and then, but, you know, just wanted to throw it out there how excited we are–the best is yet to come.)

Happy Holidays!

Love always, Neal & Jess