For the first time, I went Zen with our living room holiday decorations. I’ve discovered that I prefer all or nothing when it come to my personal style. I’m either attracted to over-the-top glamour with lots of bright color or a natural color palette that very calm and simple. I was really torn this year with which direction to go!

There are so many different decorating styles that I love and it’s hard to commit to one. In the end, a zen-like vibe felt right. This was a fairly minimalistic approach to styling with serene and peaceful results. Fresh evergreen roping, large white faux flowers, a few ornaments, lights and candles is all I used.

I have to admit that there was a part of me that felt like I was cheating. As you can imagine, everything went up pretty quickly. I had to convince myself that simple was more than enough. Recently, I blogged about the Basics of Hygge and have taken many elements of that relaxing lifestyle to heart. The living room is the location of our fireplace and I wanted it free of visual clutter to make it more restful to the eye.

Sarah O’Brien’s Holiday Zen Living Room

My source of inspiration for this year’s decor is this concrete Buddha head. I picked it up at Home Goods a couple of years ago.

This year, the Buddha head took center-stage on our mantle. I made a flower crown from a small preserved boxwood wreath and one large flower.

I used all natural evergreen roping and just adorned them with lights and faux flowers.

 

Below, I purchased this French Lantern at a store in Westport, CT. It hangs above the window seat and I light it in the evenings.

The bannister is one of my favorite areas of the living room. For this, I added soft gold ornaments, ribbon and a few coastal elements.

Last photos of a Christmas Fort we made so you can see the mantle at night!

 

sarah obrien

connecticut in style

ct in style blog