Planning My Holiday Home Part 2 | Pillows, Throws, and Table Setting

Today in holiday planning part 2, I am sharing “soft” goods — pillows and throw blankets — plus the table setting. Oh my!

The Plan, Part 2

I hope you enjoyed part 1 of this series, Planning My Holiday Home.

If you missed it, last week I shared sources, dupes, and ideas for the greenery and decor I will be using to decorate for the holidays.

You can get all the info here!

This week, I am talking pillows and throw blankets, plus my table setting.

And as in Part 1, I am also providing mood boards and a link to my Pinterest boards.

Everything you need to plan and shop for your holiday decor!

Or better yet, plan and reuse what you have, with a few new additions, to create something fresh!

That is exactly what I am doing!

I know time is short as we head into the holiday season, so let’s get right to it!

Living Room

Mood Board

As you all know, I love to switch out throw pillows and blankets seasonally.

I also change the slipcovers on my living room sofas and fireside chairs. I have a warm weather and a cool weather set.

Late spring through fall, I am all about navy blue and crisp white.

And then for the winter, I cozy things up, with soft blue chenille, warm beige, and the snuggliest fleece.

For the holidays, I add in some seasonal pops of green in my throw pillows and blankets.

So there you have my color palette for the living room — soft blue, green, and brown.

Not quite traditional holiday colors, but I like how they reflect the colors out my windows and transition seamlessly into the winter.

Pillows

As always, I am more about the mix than the match when it comes to throw pillows!

Just keep your color palette in mind and go for a variety of patterns in different scales, and you should be good to go! This is a collected look not matchy-matchy.

I purchased most of my pillow covers on Etsy. I am linking them below, as well as some others I like! (Unfortunately the great tartan pillow cover is not available anymore.)

And as a very special addition to my pillow collection this year, I was gifted two Tree Trimmers Wreath Pillows from my friends over at Coral and Tusk.

I have shared their beautiful embroidered table linens and pillows previously. Last year’s spectacular Thanksgiving “Abundance” table runner and coordinating “Three Sisters” napkins in my post Abundant Harvest Thanksgiving Table Setting. And their “Blooms” and “Bluebird Nest Pocket” pillows in my post Mother’s Day Gift Ideas With Coastal Maine Style.

Coral and Tusk’s elegantly whimsical home goods never cease to charm, and I am so happy to make them a part of my holiday decorating this year.

Throw Blankets

I always like to drape a few throw blankets over the furniture. They create a cozy ambiance in the room.

But you can be sure that when the family is here, they are draped over people and not furniture, ha!

And that is exactly as it should be.

I am linking the Etsy source for my wonderful tartan blanket below. It is thick and soft and the best price I have seen for a 100% wool blanket of this quality. I have them in two different colorways. I highly recommend!

You all also know how much I love Chappy Wrap blankets.

I shared their new personalized dog blankets in my post Easy Ways to Add Fun, Comfort, and Beauty to Your Home For Fall.

Well, I would say Chappy Wrap has outdone themselves with their holiday collection! So many fun patterns!

And of course these blankets, jacquard-woven from Chappy Wrap’s signature natural-cotton blend, are super soft and plush. They are everyone’s favorite!

Check out their entire holiday collection! I will definitely be buying Chappy Wrap gifts for some lucky recipients on my list!

With our view of spruce trees lining the opposite shoreline of our little harbor, I naturally chose the Spruce Pines blanket.

It is linked below, along with a few other cozy blankets from Amazon.

Living Room Shopping Sources

Pinterest Board

I hope you found my Greenery and Decor Pinterest board helpful last week!

Pinterest has always been a great way for me to visualize how things will look together. And then the shopping links are right there too!

Here is the link to my Christmas 2023 Living Room board.

Dining Room

Mood Board

I wrote in part 1 of this series about my obsession last year with dried orange slices and how it inspired me to use orange for the season instead of the traditional holiday red. I love the pop of bright color and how nicely it goes with all my warm pine furniture.

This year I will once again be riding the orange train, combining it with my signature blue and plenty of greenery.

So the color palette for the dining area and kitchen will be blue, green, and orange.

Table Linens

Table linens are my jam.

Tablecloths, runners, placemats, cloth napkins. I love them all!

I so enjoy playing around with color, pattern, and texture to come up with a fun and unique combination!

And that is exactly what I did last week, online, looking for napkins to go with the orange and blue block print tablecloth I got from Etsy last year.

I wanted three sets of napkins — everyday (we always use cloth napkins!), Christmas breakfast, and Christmas dinner.

I chose a navy blockprint, dark to contrast with the white background of the tablecloth, for everyday.

A crisp navy, orange, and white plaid for Christmas breakfast.

And for Christmas dinner, I have enlisted a friend of mine with an embroidery machine to create some custom embroidered napkins. Well, she is a friend now. I hope this job doesn’t ruin our friendship, because it might be turning into a “thing”… But hopefully it will come off successfully and as I envision, without too much trouble on her part, and with our longtime friendship firmly intact.

You can order all kinds of digital embroidery designs from Etsy. I chose an orange slice and greenery pattern.

And if you don’t have a friend with an embroidery machine, you can order beautiful embroidered table linens for reasonable prices on Etsy too!

I have linked all my table linens below, as well as some others that I think are lovely.

Some other great websites to check out for holiday table linens are:

Pomegranate

I am seriously in love with everything in their Orange Grove pattern.

Couleur Nature

This Fig Citrine pattern would make for a wonderfully different holiday table.

I love this JSH Essentials design in more traditional colors.

Dishes

I have plenty of blue dishes to go with my orange and blue color palette.

My Arcadia dishes from Caskata will soon be gracing my hutch and are my go-to’s this time of year.

I mix them with Caskata’s Newport Racing Stripe Rimmed Dinner Plate for a layered look.

Caskata has so many other beautiful patterns to choose from too! And glassware also!

BONUS! I just saw that they have already started their Black Friday sale, with 30% off sitewide (with a few exclusions)!

Caskata is a woman-owned small New England business that makes beautiful things. Just the kind of business I love to support!

I encourage you to check them out!

I did want a little something new and different to spice up the table this year, though.

Something with, yes, a little orange!

So I combed the depths of the internet and found a pretty floral pattern, Canton Fair, from Home Beautiful. This traditional chinoiserie design, in shades of blue, rust, orange, and yellow, complements the Caskata striped dinner plates and block print tablecloth perfectly.

This pattern is discontinued, but you can find many pieces on sites such as Replacements, Ltd, Etsy, and eBay. Shipping can be pricey on china pieces, so I did a lot of comparison shopping. I ended up getting my 8 salad plates from eBay.

Dining Room Shopping Sources

Pinterest Board

Here is the link to my Christmas 2023 Dining Room Pinterest board.

This Week Into Next

Well, here we are.

Next week is Thanksgiving!

And then, let the holiday decorating begin!

I might cheat just a bit…

I am thinking I would like to decorate the bedroom next week. Just to get the holiday party going.

And then I can share it with you on the blog on Saturday.

I am excited about having a full-size tree in the bedroom this year! And I found a William Morris Co. quilt and shams set at HomeGoods this week that look great with the Garnet Hill flannel sheets I got last year. I think you will be surprised at the color direction I am going in. I have to say that even I am surprised! Somehow the bedroom has always dictated the colors to me. It has been interesting.

But I digress.

I have also gotten flannel sheets for each of the bedrooms, so maybe next week will be a cozy bedroom post. What do you think?

But first, Thanksgiving.

Wishing all of you celebrating a warm and wonderful day!

Peace and love,