If there were ever a year to go the merry and bright route with your holiday decor, it would be in 2020. And if there were ever a person that could show us all how merry and bright is done right, it's Kara Cofield. The blogger, party planner, and mom of three regularly creates festive scenes and creative crafts over on her Instagram account, but it's during the Christmas season that her talent shines brightest.
Need proof? We asked her to invite us in for an early peek at her holiday home decor, and lucky for all of us, she obliged. Keep scrolling for the Cofield family's bright and cheery farmhouse Christmas decor, then check out the gorgeous Elf on the Shelf arrival party she shared with us, too.
"Christmas time has become one of my favorite times of the year to decorate for," says Kara. "There are so many different styles, themes, and color schemes you could go with. As much as I want to change up my décor some years and do something totally different, like having a pink Christmas, or going all neutral, I end up just loving my modern farmhouse vibe."
While she sticks to her year-round style when choosing holiday decor, Kara admits to switching things up year-to-year by adding in or swapping out various colors and patterns.
"Typically I’m not a fan of the color red, but it just seems to pop and make Christmas décor seem more Christmas-like to me. So for the last few years I’ve had a lot of the black and red buffalo plaid in my tree and in my living room décor but this year I decided it was time to switch it up a little," she explains.
Instead of bolder black-and-red scheme, she took a soft, light approach to her decor, opting for French-inspired, feminine touches in the living room and on the family's Christmas tree.
"I love adding ribbon to my tree, it makes it look fuller and so I use two different patterns, this year replacing buffalo plaid with ticking stripe," she says. "I wanted to keep the red but make it more subtle and add a lot more cream colors. That pattern definitely screams farmhouse to me, but by adding other elements like the snowflakes and pom poms throughout the room it makes it feel modern as well."
On the railing and fireplace mantle, she added nature-inspired touched with an evergreen garland that she layered with a cream-colored pom pom bunting, which picks up the cream stockings. A final touch? Chalkboard name tags, which add to the modern farmhouse feel.
Upstairs in the kids room is a whole different story.
"Since the downstairs is more traditional I like to have fun décor in the kids’ rooms," she says. "I didn’t stray too far from my love of buffalo plaid so my boys’ shared room has a lot of it with bright pops of red. I thought adding a little theme in there would be fun as well, and what screams Christmas more to a kid than Santa?! He definitely adds the fun spirit of Christmas to their space!"
My daughter’s room has more of a whimsical vibe going on. Lots of colorful pom poms and bottle brush trees that coordinate with her throw pillows and stocking. I found the pillows on clearance after Christmas a couple years ago and then last year added a bunch of fun décor items to go with them and then I DIY’ed her throw blanket and wreath.
As for her favorite sources for holiday decor? While some of it's store bought, "a lot of my décor is purchased from craft stores like Michael’s and JoAnn’s," she says, she's also a fan of going the DIY route. "There are handmade touches also, because you can’t stop a crafter from crafting, especially at Christmas time," she says.
Since the downstairs is more traditional I like to have fun décor in the kids’ rooms! I didn’t stray too far from my love of buffalo plaid so my boys’ shared room has a lot of it with bright pops of red. I thought adding a little theme in there would be fun as well, and what screams Christmas more to a kid than Santa?! He definitely adds the fun spirit of Christmas to their space!