A Maximalist Holiday House Tour with Easy DIYs
Welcome to our maximalist holiday house tour full of globally inspired DIYs, floral, fruit, and garland mixed with colorful room designs.
Greetings friend! I’m thrilled to be joining my talented friends in sharing our Christmas home tours with you all week. This festive seasonal blog hop is hosted by Marty from A Stroll through Life and whom I have the honor of following today.
If you are coming from a Stroll through Life, a special howdy! I’m Kathy, a Christmas baby (and identical twin), pianist, mother, veteran, Marine spouse, and have never met a stranger. 😉
We are a retired military family living in Fort Worth, Texas for the last three years. After so many years of renting and living overseas, I’ve discovered that I decorate with a more is more approach and can’t get enough of modern traditional style with lots of colors and patterns now that I can do anything in our home.
A Maximalist Holiday House Tour
Every year I kick off the holiday season with my friend Stephanie from Casa Watkins Living in a fun series where we create twelve days of globally inspired Christmas ideas. You’ll find lots of DIYs and references to those stories in this tour today.

And make sure to pop into the rest of the tours all week. You’ll find the lineup at the bottom of this post.
Come on in!
Holiday Minimalist/Maximalist Foyer
We have a cute little foyer that I’ve styled with a DIY copper leaf sign and not much else. I kept this area a little simpler because there is so much going on in the rest of the open layout!

The remaining area of the foyer wall showcases my new DIY pomegranate wreath and a collection of art from local artists with a signed playbill by Cole Porter. The beautiful walnut cabinet was my grandparents and you’ll probably hear me mention many of our items come from them or estate sales.

Holiday Maxamilist Piano-Front Living Room
The front of the house has a large picture window and where I teach and play the piano. Yes, that is Handels’ Messiah right now on my music rack! I’m singing in it next week. It is such fantastic musical work. Did you ever sing it in school or church?

A sweet picture of my cousin, twin, and I wore dresses my grandmother sewed was taken by my photographer Uncle. You can see one of grandma’s trees in the background. 😉

A few of my plants are getting extra sunlight and artificial light with Christmas lights in the window during the winter months.

Behind the piano is my romantic, natural, and maximalist tree. Isn’t that a mouthful? I’ve always wanted to do an all floral tree and I finally did! It was actually much easier than I thought. You can read all about how to decorate a tree with flowers in this story.

The tree is in front of my grandmother’s portrait and I think she would have fallen in love with it if she has seen it. Her trees were always show stoppers. I added DIY pomegranate potpourri ornaments and corresponding potpourri gift tags to go with the floral theme.

Just to the left of the piano is my music cabinet which was my grandpa’s display cabinet. It was also one of the first pieces I made over when we moved in.
Above it is a display of my husband’s twenty-year Marine career, needlepoint by my grandmother, birdcage we bought when we were in Hong Kong’s-Kowloon bird market, Japanese caligraphy decoupaged ornaments, and a rooster from Portugal.
Oh and the cute elephant pillow we found in a night market in Thailand. The black wood farmhouse chair came from an interior store in Japan. American styled furniture was really expensive over there so that chair will have to be a family heirloom for our kids. lol
See? It’s hard to decorate minimally when you have so many great souvenirs, family heirlooms, and an estate sale addiction. Ha!

Christmas Decorating in the Bird Office
I gave a peek into the office earlier through the French doors with garland. Our traditional ornaments are on a smaller tree in there and it is super cozy with the two armchairs that usually sit behind the piano.
My mom saved the pair of chairs for me from my grandparents’ house until we moved back stateside. They are the first and only pieces I’ve had professionally reupholstered. I feel like such a grownup. 😉


Just to the right of the doors is a desk with a large oil painting of birds by a local artist. I love that thing. It’s almost neon!


Maximalist Living and Dining Room Decorated for the Holidays
And that brings us to the actual living room and dining area. Our house is just under 1800 square feet and has 3 beds, 2 baths so it isn’t that big. But after coming from two duty stations in Japan, it’s plenty for the four of us. And I kind of feel like we are living more eco-friendly with small square footage.
At least that is what I tell myself when I trip over the dog or shove a chair out of the way just to get to the next room. 🙂

Greenery is really all this room needed for Christmas. I decided to completely clear off the coffee table this year for a DIY advent wreath centerpiece. I love how large it is and the wreath matches the greenery on the mantel.


Step around the sofa with me and you’re in the dining room. The close quarters do make movie-dinner night easy peasy. I’m pretty sure it was meant to be the breakfast area with the dining room being where my piano studio is. We make it work!

If you love the more is more approach to decorating, I would love for you to read about my globally inspired holiday table and chandelier decor! I really had fun setting it and the family and I have used it every night. We even had a four-course meal one evening. So fun.


You really can see the whole house standing almost anywhere. I’m not a huge fan of the open layout as I would love to have more walls to wallpaper, paint murals, and hang things on but this little house has grown on me. 🙂
Join me on Instagram for behind-the-scenes, DIYs, decorating tips, room tours, and home inspiration. I’ll see you over there!

I didn’t do much in the bedrooms this year but I love using garland and there’s a floral tinsel tree decorated to match our master bedroom decor.

I hope you sign up for my free 5-day decorating course and newsletter if you love this type of home style. Thanks so much for coming by!

And that’s the house all ready for Christmas! Please leave a comment if you have any questions on where things came from or DIYs. I’m happy to answer those for you!
Next on the tour is Our Southern Home who always has a beautiful home to share! I’m taking a break from blogging the rest of the week to enjoy home tours every day while I sip my coffee. You should join me!

Monday, Dec 6th

A Stroll Thru Life – Up To Date Interiors – Our Southern Home – Southern Hospitality

This Is Our Bliss – Southern State of Mind – Inspiration For Moms
Tuesday, December 7th

Making it in the Mountains – Decor to Adore – Pink Peppermint Design – Thrifty and Chic

Cuckoo4Design – White Arrows Home – Hymns and Verses
Wednesday, December 8th

StoneGable – Whispering Pines Homestead – Worthing Court – Grace In My Space

DIY Beautify – Remodelando la Casa – LeCultivateur
Thursday, December 9th

Designing Vibes – The Stonybrook House – A Pretty Life – Calypso in the Country

Clean and Scentsible – 11 Magnolia Lane – Chalking Up Success
Friday, December 10th

Fox Hollow Cottage – Follow The Yellow Brick Home – Casa Watkins Living – Quarters One

Noting Grace – CitrineLiving – County Road 407

- Make a Beautiful DIY Flower Garland with Fairy Lights in 5 MinutesMake a beautiful flower garland with fairy lights, flowers, and floral wire for a unique Spring decorating accessory! I adore coming up with a quick seasonal DIY using crafting supplies I already have. So pull out your fairy lights and I will share how to make flower lights in minutes! DIY Flower Garland Lights Welcome…
- Try a Beautiful and Easy DIY Moss Wreath for SpringLearn how to make a DIY moss wreath with blossoms on a grapevine wreath form for a simple and beautiful Spring wreath! You are in the right place friend if you would rather make beautiful Spring decor rather than put out generic store-bought home decor or spend $$$ on designer decor. It’s much more fun…
- How to Make an Elegant Spring Basket Wreath with Repurposed ItemsCreate an elegant basket wreath by repurposing baskets and faux floral stems you already have. Step by step instructions and video included. I’m so giddy about today’s basket wreath. Threshing baskets are so easy to come by and you probably have one or two around the house. With a little creative imagination, you can transform…
- Simple Tips for Decorating with Fake Flowers for SpringAdd a splash of seasonal decor to your home by decorating with fake flowers that look real and you can use them year after year! Artificial flowers have come a long way, so I decided to use them again in our early Spring home tour this year while I’m waiting for our garden to bloom….
- A Simple Formula for Mixing Metals in the Bathroom BeautifullyRules are made to be broken! Get creative with decorating by following easy tips for mixing metals in the bathroom tastefully. You may be wondering if you can mix metals in a bathroom. Around here, we love to break out of traditional design rules to input our personal style with our favorite decor and design…
What a gorgeous and inspiring tour! I adore your music room. We are also a retired military family living in the Fort Worth area. It’s a joy to be on Miss Marty’s tour with you. Have a wonderful concert!
Thank you Laura! I would love to meet you in person sometime!!
Seeing your beautiful cheerful home always makes me happy. It all looks so pretty and I love the view into your bird office. It’s my favorite. Merry Christmas
Thank you my friend! Happy New Year!
You do maximalist decorating so beautifully, my friend. Wishing you and yours a Merry Christmas. Fabulous tour!
Thank you Erica! That means a lot. Happy New Year!
Such a bright and beautiful Christmas home tour! Your office is always my favourite room I don’t know how anyone could fail to be creative working in such pretty surroundings!
Thank you Jayne! It is a fun place to work in. 🙂
I love all the color and the pretty details! So gorgeous!
Shelley
Thank you Shelley!
Your grandma is most definitely smiling from above looking at that gorgeous tree. Magazine worthy! Love touring your home. Merry Christmas!
Aw, thank you, Christina. That makes me so happy to hear.
Kathy,
I absolutely love your home and style. It makes me want to go and add color and wallpaper to each and every room. A total feast for the eyes!
Thanks Christy! That’s how I feel. lol Not enough walls… Hope your Christmas was wonderful!
I always love seeing your home, it is filled with so many intriguing vignettes and such fabulous color and pattern. I love hearing the history of so many wonderful pieces and family memories too. Such a great tour again this season, thanks for joining in.
Thank you so much Marty! I can’t believe we are already thinking about Spring tours! lol But I know it will be fun. xoxo
First time here…and I’ve loved every minute of it! Your home is a visual delight!! Thanks for the tour! 😉
Aw welcome, Donnamae!! I’m thrilled to have you here. Thank you for the kind comment!
I love how your house tells such a beautiful story. I love all the color and that green velvet couch is the BEST! Your Christmas tree and all the pomegranate touches are lovely!!
Aw thanks Kristin! That is so kind of you to say. Hope your Christmas was fabulous.
Kathy, you crack me up. I laughed at how you tell yourself you’re living eco-friendly in an 1800 sq. ft. house and that you feel like such a grown up having two chairs professionally reupholstered. If I had your talent for decorating and your eye for color at your young age, I’d feel like I should have my own magazine! Everything is beautiful. Love every detail. From the bells on the chandelier to the bird sitting perched on the tree. So adorable and elegant. Thanks for sharing and happy to hop with you this week.
You are so sweet Cindy! Thanks so much. I hope you had a wonderful Christmas.
Kathy, I love your colorful style! I’ve never seen a Christmas tree decorated with flowers like that. Amazing! Happy to join the tour this year.
Thanks Lori! I was going for something different. 🙂
I love seeing your eclectic home tours, and the bright colors feels so merry! Your tree is a stunner!
Thanks sweetie!
Your title spoke to my Christmas loving heart. We are also reitred military and post retirement lived in East Asia for over 13 years and did lots of travel. Maximalist, I love it. Iwas just told our number of bins was a bit excessive. Ha! Having tthe resources and space and stablity in one spot is wonderful! I did decorate when we lived the nomad life, but in our home now…maximum is the word of the season!
Wow! I love meeting other military spouses Linda. Thanks so much for sharing that! I hope you had a wonderful holiday.
How wonderful your home is Kathy…so many personal and meaningful touches, I love that so much! And your flower tree is amazing, what a great idea!
Thank you! I really appreciate that!
Love the term maximalist! lol! I love your music room and that sweet photo from your childhood. You definitely have a talent for decorating with color! Merry Christmas to your and your family!
Jenn
Thank you so much Jenn!
Your home is always such a feast for the eyes. I just love the color and all the fun, unique accessories! Merry Christmas!