Christmas Home Tour: Modern Rustic

Are you looking for fresh and modern decor ideas blended with a warm, cozy, and timeless aesthetic? Modern rustic and cottagecore decor come together perfectly for an updated Christmas decor aesthetic while retaining a classic and inviting feel! Lots of budget-friendly ideas as well as creative DIYs!

The Blends of Modern Rustic and Cottagcore

When it comes to decor styles, there’s a lot of overlap, in my opinion. I’ve always struggled to label my decor style.

I’ve run the range of ‘farmhouse’ to ‘rustic farmhouse’ to ‘modern farmhouse’ to ‘modern rustic’ to ‘cottagecore.’ And at times, mixing in minimalist and boho too!

It’s definitely an eclectic mix, and I have never liked being put in a box.

I know I like warm and inviting, open and airy, uncluttered and clean, while including aspects of timeless vintage, weathered rustic, and romantic cottagecore. Yeah – it’s hard to put a label on that!

When I was trying to ‘call’ what my Christmas decor style was for this year, I came up with my own title: modern rustic – cottagecore fusion.

If you’re new to either of these, let me go over a few of the basics.

Modern Rustic Decor Style

Rustica Interior Design Guide defines modern rustic as follows:

1| Highlight reclaimed wood and natural stone

2| Incorporate a warm or natural color scheme

3| Bring out organic shapes and textures

4| Use distressed metals

5| Bring in natural light and scenery

6| Choose modern, minimal, but luxurious furniture

7| Use the country for inspiration

Cottagecore Style

I did a full post on cottagecore home decor style, and here are the basics:

1| Rustic furniture with its imperfections or vintage appeal

2| Natural materials: wood, linen, cotton, stone

3| Vintage and antique accessories

4| Warm, neutral, earthy color palettes, for a cozy vibe

5| Second-hand furniture – repurposed or antique

6| Incorporates personal decor items: family heirlooms, meaningful or nostalgic gifts, personal photos, pieces that tell a story

7| Classic or antique books as decor (shelves, coffee tables, etc.)

8| Fireplace mantel (real or faux) with candles and elements from nature

9| Dried flowers, herbs, dreamy florals, or plants – bringing nature indoors

10| Handmade decor or crafts – quilts, beeswax candles, pressed flowers

As you can see, there’s quite a bit of overlap between the 2 styles: materials from nature such as wood and stone, organic themes from nature, distressed pieces, using the country for inspiration.

They splinter off with some differences, with modern rustic including distressed metals and modern accents, while cottagecore leans more vintage… but they really do complement each other beautifully.

Today, I’d like to share how I blended these two styles using Christmas decor.

My Personal Blend of Modern Rustic and Cottagecore Christmas Decor: A Home Tour

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While I’ve done variations over the years.

You can see my past home tours here:

Rustic Farmhouse Christmas Home Tour 2019 (+ Cheap & Easy Decorating Ideas!)

Rustic Glam Christmas Decor Home Tour 2020: Budget Friendly Inspo!

Neutral Rustic Christmas Decor 2021 (Budget Cozy Cottage Home Tour)

Cozy Rustic Farmhouse Christmas Home Tour 2022

This year, I wanted to stay with the neutrals of white, black, green, and gold, mostly.

However, I’ve been missing red the past few years, so I did add red in a few particular ways.

First, I used lots of berries. Just about any place you see red, it’s a berry accent, which I just LOVE. It stays true to using the elements of nature, and I adore berries as Christmas decor.

I also used touches of red in textiles – like blankets, scarves, and napkins. Usually, they were plaid, which evokes a cozy, rustic feelings.

I did you use some red with ornaments as filler, but they were also paired with berries as well.

I also tried to include budget-friendly DIYs. I’ll link to any DIY I created, to help you incorporate some of these ideas in a frugal way!

I shopped a lot locally for decor when I needed – Home Goods, TJ Maxx, etc. but I’ll link when I can!

Many items I buy on clearance the year prior so they aren’t available anymore – but if I can find a similar substitute, I’ll link that as well.

Living Room

Here are a few shots of the long view of our living room. Then I’ll zoom in to some particulars.

And here’s facing the other direction:

In a broad overview, you can see the rustic elements: plaid blankets, a mix of wood and metal on the furniture, wood accents.

You can also see a lot of organic elements including berries, greens, and garlands.

OK, let’s zoom in just a little:

This is sort of our entryway view. You can see this area from the front door, although it’s not a true entryway but part of the living room.

A vintage DIY poster I designed along with lots pops of red in both berries, ornaments, and a cozy blanket.

A vintage pitcher and bowl (a thrift store upcycle painted using the baking soda method!) filled with frost berries and winter greens.

The apothecary jars (another DIY) are filled with simple red ornaments.

The bottom shelf is a basket I use every season, with a different seasonal blanket. The stamped books have a vintage feel, also another easy DIY.

Moving to the left is the chair and the Christmas tree.

This year, I wanted a very simple, minimalist, vintage-feel tree. I used clip-on candles, neutral colored ribbons and ornaments, and white lights.

And I absolutely love, love, love this tree. No fluffing, pre-lit – set up in 15 minutes. I’ll never go back again! This is a link to a similar tree in the same price point – mine is no longer available!)

Behind the tree are floating shelves with potted cedar trees in shiny gold planters, to match the gold beads (Dollar Tree!) and ribbon on the tree.

There are also some framed coordinated gift bags in frames for a simple Christmas gallery.

Underneath the tree are faux wrapped gifts in neutral colors with some winter floral accents for a cozy look!

Now we’ll spin around and see the coffee table as well as the entertainment center with the TV.

Let’s start with the top shelf (another DIY!)

Thecenter wall art piece (Any old school Amy Grant fans here?!?) is from my Etsy shop, and it goes up every year!

To incorporate good styling techniques for mantels, I used a birch tree and manzanita branch vase for height on the ends, while layering in different Christmas decor in between.

I have applesauce gingerbread ornaments hanging from the tree, which gives a cozy, cottage vibe. Among the pine garland, I included a simple wooden lantern and a wood tree with berries.

And now, here’ the TV stand below the shelf.

I kept it simple with pine candle rings and faux birch candles for the outside shelves.

For the inside shelves (which you can’t see unless it’s opened), I just included gold votives, ornaments, a snowy lantern, and wooden trees.

On the top of the cabinet are beaded trees, and a DIY sweater vase filled with berries and greens.

Then, you do a 180 turn and face the couch and window – a dough bowl with ornaments, tin candles, and candy dishes.

Then, next to the TV, moving right, there’s a small area with a hookboard on the wall and a basket on the floor with a scarf and pillows.

The wreath is a simple DIY as is the cinnamon candle (the Legos on the TV center are just for fun, lol. My kids actually live here!). 😊

The beautiful ornament in the middle of the wreath is custom made by my sister, The Girl Creative!!

Beside that, there’s a cube cabinet I use to store my sons’ toys, with decorations on the top.

This was one of my favorite areas this year.

The large frame is filled with neutral scrapbook paper.

I have two signs with lyrics from ‘O Holy Night’, one of my favorites.

The smaller one is a printable from my Etsy shop: “Long lay the world, in sin and error pining, til He appeared, and the soul felt its worth.”

The larger sign, “The weary world rejoices” is a clearance find from Kirklands.

I included a wooden manger scene from Hobby Lobby, and added in more berry themed decor.

So that takes care of the living room!

Let’s move to the dining area.

Dining Area

Technically, my dining table is attached to the living room, so I do my best to coordinate all the decor.

This area consists of the table and 2 small cabinets, which act as a sideboard.

Here’s the dining table. This year, I wanted more pops of red.

I used wrapping paper as a runner, which I think has so many possibilities in the years to come! And, you don’t have to worry about stains!

For the table garland, I used a mix of layered eucalyptus greens with candle holders on top.

In the center, I placed a chunky candle holder from Antique Farmhouse, faux candles from Hobby Lobby, and berry garland.

For the place settings, I used a braided charger, plaid napkins, white plates, and adorable pine tree salad plates from Dollar Tree!

For the cabinet area – I decorated both side with coordinating Christmas vignettes.

Lots of chunky pillar candles in varying (but coordinating!) colors and heights.

And this little burlap tree is another simple DIY you can find here!

And technically, right outside the dining area is our deck. A few days before Christmas, we had a permanent gazebo put up, so I quickly added a Christmas tablecloth just to blend it all together!

This gazebo is amazing! It looks so good all year long and is so durable (even held up to a freak snow storm we had the following January!)

I didn’t have time to full decorate it this year for Christmas, but that’s coming!

Kitchen

I don’t do a whole lot in the kitchen each year, but I have a wall where I hang coffee mugs that I add a little Christmas decor to, in addition to wreaths on the cabinets and a Christmas-tree shaped cutting board.

Den and Mantel

The den with our fireplace is right off the kitchen.

In that room, we have a 2nd tree that the kids can decorate with all of our family and sentimental ornaments. I really love this tree too.

It’s full of memories and such a good reminder that our homes aren’t about being Instagram or Pinterest-perfect. It’s a place where you live life and create memories with your family! That needs to be represented, too!

The boys have a space to decorate their winter wonderland, but they know that the mantel is my space, lol!

I aimed for a clean, classy look this year. A mistletoe theme sort of evolved, but I really love how it came together. Lots of black, white, and red berries, accented by the greens and golds – candlesticks, mirror, and bells.

The brick is a little busy in the background, which makes decorating a bit challenging, but we all work with what we have, right?!?

I swapped out the jute rope on the bells for black ribbon, just to add a little extra contrast and emphasize the black accents.

The ottoman has a Christmas tray vignette to add some cheer to the room, along with some Christmas pillows and blankets on the sectional.

Then there’s a coffee bar to the left of the fireplace. It’s not a large space, so I have disposable Christmas coffee cups along with a cute Christmas basket (repurposed from a gift we’d been given years ago, lol) holding Christmas K-cups.

I also added a Christmas mug (thrifted) filled with Christmas chocolates.

Even though I probably could have used the space more efficiently for a coffee bar, I put a Christmas tiered tray (another DIY) here as well, just for some extra decor.

You could easily add coffee necessities like sugar, creamers, and stirrers on the tiered tray also.

Porch

Just one small picture or 2 of the porch. I thought I took more, but cannot find them! You’ll just have to look closely here, lol.

The porch has a very classic rustic feel – lanterns, plaid rugs, blankets, and pillows, wooden signs, a vintage window, flocked trees. The picket fence DIY Noel sign brings in a touch of cottagecore.

I think the window with the wreath shows the vintage side of cottagecore, with an updated modern rustic wreath.

So that’s the whole deal! I hope I gave you a few Christmas decorating ideas that you could use – some budget-friendly tips, DIYs, or just some things you can include for modern rustic and/or cottagecore!