I love this time of year! It forces me to clear the counters in the kitchen, give them a good wipedown, and make a few festive improvements. Today, I’m sharing how to create Christmas vignettes in the kitchen. I guess you could call it a mini kitchen countertop tour of sorts. I’m also joining in a Holiday Decorating Ideas mini hop hosted by Amber from Follow The Yellow Brick Home.
If you’re visiting here from Thistle Key Lane, welcome! Did you know Michelle and I love not to far from each other? Not that we have time to get together, but we could. 😉
How To Create Christmas Vignettes in the Kitchen
Christmas Kitchen – sorry, it was a dark and cloudy few days.
The above photo is what you see as soon as you walk into the kitchen from the entryway. As a result, I want it to look merry. And I’m not much of a cook so if I have to be in there, it should be pleasant.
The vignette I always tackle first is the island. I enjoy keeping everyday items handy and corralled in a basket. For Christmas, I added seasonal greenery and something you don’t see every day. That’s the first tip for creating cheerful vignettes.
But before I begin, I wanted to remind you that vignettes look best when things are displayed in odd numbers and with varied heights. It’s not a hard rule. There are exceptions. You’ll notice it below.
Vignette Tip #1 – Use everyday items as seasonal decor.
A glass canister makes a great display piece. I filled it with vintage Christmas cookie cutters. And because they were a tiny bit hard to see, I added leftover greenery inside. A velvet bow around the knob looks even more merry. So cute.
If you don’t have cookie cutters, you can add tea cups, Santa mugs, candy canes, seasonal fruits, ornaments, or pinecones. The ideas are endless, really.
Vignette Tip #2 – Incorporate Christmas greenery or seasonal plants where possible.
Of course, I could use one of the plants I already have around, but this time of year, I change things up. Choose a Christmas plant like Amaryllis, a Poinsettia, or a potted Cypress tree. Remember, we are creating festive spaces for the season!
Vignette Tip #3 – Upgrade your vessels.
When I have the silverware out for a quick grab, it’s usually in a Mason jar. Upgrade the vessel instead! I’m using a vintage gravy boat this time and have already received a few compliments.
We usually have a white ceramic dish that holds the keys, chapstick, pocket sanitizer, etc. For the holidays, I changed it out to a silver plated dish. It instantly looks better!
You know the dog treats can’t go in the pantry! 😉
Vignette Tip #4 – Raise the bar!
The black wooden piece in the corner is a vintage kids’ stool. It was being used as a bookshelf when I bought it. You could use a stool to create a coffee bar or cocoa station. Or what about holding cookbooks? It would also be a great pie or dessert space. We’ll use it to make a little more room on the counter and spruce it up with Christmas decorations. Who knew a little stool could be so handy and quickly become a favorite decor treasure?
Vignette Tip #5 – Use dishes to decorate for Christmas
If you have holiday dishes, display them instead of keeping them tucked away until you need them for parties or dinner. If you don’t have any that look specifically like Christmas, pull out a favorite platter and display that instead.
When adding fun decor to your vignettes, don’t forget about the little details. I had the Mister use black ribbon around the nutcracker. He’s quite the gentleman now with his velvet necktie.
Vignette Tip #6 – Elevate your food items
Typically, I put all food in the refrigerator or pantry. I don’t want to see plastic containers of cookies on the counters, or a half-eaten pie sitting inside a large Ziploc bag. But it seems once Thanksgiving arrives, extra food is everywhere! Instead of cluttering up your counters, use your pretty stuff in a vignette to contain your food.
All I did for the cookies was add a wreath to the bottom of the plate. You could tie a ribbon around the handle or use a decorative holiday plate instead. You could also put a decoration in the center of your plate. Maybe a small tree or ornament, or how about a pretty place card holder with the description of the food item? That’s cute!
I have a lot of friends that don’t decorate their kitchens. They want all the counter space they can get. I understand that. But now that you know how to create Christmas vignettes in the kitchen, maybe you can see how exchanging a few items makes the room a bit more special.
If you’re going in order, you’ll want to pop over to Follow The Yellow Brick Home. You’ll love Amber’s trendy Ralph Lauren and Little Women looks. Bring on the plaid!
Merry Christmas friends!
Hold the phone~ Michelle lives close to you!!! How did I not know this? We really should get together. Ok, back to your charming kitchen decor~ I LOVE it! The kids stool is genius and I love the grouping you did in the basket. So clever. Happy Christmas!
Author
Let’s try to do that around the beginning of the year. Maybe life will have slowed a little by then?! I love that little stool. It will probably be a permanent fixture in the kitchen. Thank you Laura.
Cindy, you’ve created some beautiful vignettes! That pretty woven tray is the perfect container to display holiday decor. I love all your greenery and the cute nutcracker with the tie! So fun and festive! So great to tour with you again. Have a Merry Christmas!
Shelley
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Thank you Shelley. I intended to paint the nutcrackers a couple of years ago but have enjoyed the lighter wood. I guess there’s always next year. 😉 Merry Christmas!
The link to Yellow Brick Road is not working….S…fyi
Author
It’s been fixed. Thank you for letting me know! Hope you have a great weekend!
These are super cute ideas, Cindy, and practical! We use step stools a lot in the antique mall to maximize display space, but I haven’t done it but in one space at home. I love making the extra foods looks special but girl, I’d need a bakery display case for all that Mr. P. leaves out weekly! Lucky for me, its a hidden corner beside the fridge that I can ignore. Right now it has lemon cake, blueberry pie, jelly beans, and an A&W 2 litre root beer (zero sugar,of course. 🙄)
Love the silver tray and the basket with the plates, napkins. And, of course, I love those plates in the corner being guarded by the dapper nutcracker.
I do decorate my kitchen, btw. It makes me happy each morning as I wake up and go in for breakfast.
Author
Aww, I bet your kitchen is lovely!
Believe me, we’d have the same issue on our counters if it were left up to the Mister. I was looking at his (I don’t like coffee) coffee station today, eyeballing the mess and size of “display”, so I can be on the hunt for something to corral it with! Ayi yi yi.
I love those plates too. I found 12 dinner plates and soup bowls in Oct. for half off in an antique store! I couldn’t grab them fast enough. Then we went out of town again and found the bread and butter plates for $2 each. I bought all they had. Hoping when I go back to the farmhouse I’ll find salad plates. Fingers crossed!
Thank you for the visit and comment. Merry Christmas!
I love your kitchen for Christmas, the green paint is gorgeous!
So when our chef comes home he gets aggravated with my decorations and I get aggravated with my decorations because they are in the way so I have scaled back at this house unlike the other kitchen that I went overboard with at Christmas. Your festive island basket is a perfect solution since I can easily move it out of the way. I love those napkins by the way! I am not much of a cook either. I can cook when I want to, but it wears me out!
I also love the jar vignette with the cookie cutters and sweet bow on top and the ironstone with silverware. Is that a real plate rack with the vintage dishes or something vintage you repurposed? I need something like that for my red and green transferware.
Oh that little stool is so cute and the black velvet bow on the wooden nutcracker is perfect!
I am so happy you shared your kitchen! You inspired me to dig out my cookie cutters now!
Merry Christmas friend!
Author
I guess it’s a vintage plate rack. I’ve only used it as such. It could be from a chicken feeder but I’m not exactly sure. I found a couple of years ago and LOVE IT! I change the dishes each season and we use it every week when we play Mahjong. I haven’t moved it yet because everyone knows where to go to get what they need. Maybe I’ll move it come spring. Glad you found something inspiring. The tray with the dishes, napkins, silverware, etc. is moved often if we need more room on the island and it is most days. It’s super handy. Thank you for hosting us. Happy Christmas!
Every vignette is so charming Cindy! I just love the little combinations that you come up with. I mean how cute is the jar of cookie cutters, a gravy boat holding flatware and the pretty Christmas napkins! The sweet step stool looks like it has a new home on the counter. Love that, and the ribbon around the nutcracker! Hope we can get together soon my friend! Merry Christmas!
Author
Aww, thanks Michelle. Since it feels like I walk in there a hundred times a day, I need it to be cute. Otherwize, I’d choke myself or plan to snap someone’s head off from all the cleaning! 😉 It’s my own fault. I tell them just to put their dishes in the sink because I can get way more in the dishwasher than they can. Anyway, let’s plan a lunch date in January. Maybe meet in Grapevine? Happy Sunday and Merry Christmas.
I absolutely love your kitchen all dressed up for Christmas, Cindy! Every vignette is so charming, and that nutcracker with the tie just made my day—too cute! I added my vintage cookie cutters to a jar last year and never quite achieved the cozy charm you’ve created here. Everything looks beautiful, my friend. Happy Holidays and Merry Christmas! Always so fun to hop with you. Hugs!
Author
Aww, I bet your cookie cutters were fun. Your decorating always makes me smile. Glad you saw something worth the visit. Thank you and Merry Christmas Kim!