Full Disclosure: before getting married and having our daughter, I was never a big holiday cheer person. I grew up in a home where my parents went all out with decorations every year, and yet somehow I grew up to be someone who just wasn't all that interested. Only to marry someone also indifferent towards the season. Needless to say, we have never established any holiday traditions.

Fast forward many, many years and life changes, however, and now the highlight of this new chapter in our lives has been the thought of decorating for the season, creating family traditions, and basking in our own kind off merriment.

Yep... I said merriment. Who are we!?

While ideating what Christmas in our new home would look like, I put together a round up of black, white, and gold Christmas decor. In our apartment, our white Christmas tree lived in the dining room, where I would also do light holiday tablescaping. Now having the options to have more than one tree + other trimmings, and tablescape — yay! — The Home Depot was an easy one stop shop for creating our Hygge Holiday Home.

Thinking about traditions, one of the very first things I wanted to do for my family was the dining room — in case you missed it, over the summer we'd decided to convert our dining room into a study — so that we could have a place to actually have our meals together...especially now that we could also have a dedicated study.

As a military family, we don't always have the luxury of spending major holidays together — last year my husband wasn't home for Thanksgiving, Christmas, or New Years. Even as a civilian, his work schedule isn't always conducive to holiday celebrations, so how could I start holiday traditions that aligned with our lifestyles?

If I've said it once, I've said it twice — Hygge isn't a design style, it's a lifestyle.

One thing we do really well together is breakfast (or brunch depending on when we all get out of bed that day) so I knew a Christmas Day brunch tradition in our jammies after opening gifts would be so us... and with that, it would be so hygge.

For a black, gold, and white them, choosing the primary & accent colors would determine the whole vibe...

Primary color vibes —

Gold = formal, glam.

White = classic, minimal.

Black = bold, modern.

I went bold & modern, but in a way that would also still create hygge vibes.

High end hygge vibes.

The dark finish of the dining table was the perfect contrast to our white seating (side chairs | arm chairs) and grey hide rug.

This trifecta of "industrial hygge" furnishings is a dining tablescape that could be casual enough for Christmas brunch then easily dressed up for Christmas dinner. Very from "day to night" look.

Never being the type to have "special occasion" dinnerware, the matte black dinnerware is perfect for any meal, complete with mugs for my daily lattes. The relaxed vibe of a matte finish paired with the modern design makes it perfect for the everyday and could accommodate any meal -- from shrimp & grits to arroz con pollo.

Layers of black found in the candles, flatware, and candle holders, combined with the metal accents complete the look.

See how Rashida Banks’ Hollywood Regency holiday home tour came together using pieces we both shopped from The Home Depot.

Thinking about how we sit down for meals as a family, anything too formal wouldn't be sustainable as a tradition, much less as a routine. The combination of pieces feels approachable for the family while sophisticated enough for the days of hosting guests.

Flanking elevated hygge adornment of the dining area is the main living room — just as festive... just as cozy. 

Starting anew for this holiday season — and after 4 years of having a white Christmas tree take centerstage — we decided to take the same bold approach with one of our holiday staples and get a black Christmas tree!

A new house meant we could go bigger & bolder, so why not?!

While a black tree, at first, may seem like a jarring choice, it's a perfect color for high end hygge, especially when paired with a white angel topper and gold ornaments.

Right below the tv, on the mantle, is a 9 foot pre-lit garland featuring 100 warm lights; and the window dressed in the snowflake icicle set provides another — cooler — layer of lighting, enveloping us in hyggebelysning (hygge-lighting).

When thinking about how the holidays would be especially different for us this year, I tapped my design bestie Rashida Banks for inspiration & insights. As a first time home owner, everything is overwhelming, however, talking through our holiday decor plans and family traditions was exactly what I needed to create a holidayscape that perfectly spoke to how we lived. As we shopped The Home Depot holiday aisles — virtually — we were both able to find pieces that fit her Hollywood Regency design just as much as it fit my High End Hygge.

Now that much of the holiday fanfare has died done, watching holidays movies & enjoying hot chocolate with the family is top of our list… especially after weeks of nonstop homemaking; but being able to do so while taking in the decor — decor that reflects our family style — is a blessing in itself & a tradition we can most certainly get behind year after year.

Quick Shop

Table | Side Chairs (similar) | Arm Chairs (similar) | Rug | Dinnerware | Tapered Candle Holders | Gold Cage Candle Holder | Flatware (similar) | Candles | Gold Chargers (similar) | Clip Rings | Curtain Rod | Christmas Tree | Console Table | Angel Tree Topper | Garland | Snowflake Light Set | Gold Ornaments | Flameless Candles (similar)