A charming home is dressed for Christmas with whimsical Parisian flair.
While pale blue and gold details and whimsical holiday touches make this home feel like a vintage Parisian escape, it’s actually located in Northern Ireland. “We bought it 20 years ago when we moved from Scotland due to my husband’s job,” says Louise Mair, known on Instagram as @thevintageroom.
The home’s interior is an ode to her travels to Paris and her love of all things vintage. “I very much like to decorate my home at Christmas in a way that reflects my usual style,” Louise says. “The traditional holiday colors of dark reds and greens can feel a bit jarring amongst my décor, so over the years I’ve built up a collection of decorations in my favorite pastel colors.”
From France to Ireland
In every room, there are touches of duck-egg blue, hues of pink and, of course, plenty of holiday sparkle. “The living room is my favorite at Christmas time,” Louise says. “It’s where everyone gathers to enjoy the twinkling tree lights and it’s so cozy when I light the fire and have all the candles burning.” She painted the original living room fireplace white and added two blue antique china plates with flowers to each side to give it a more vintage feel. “Our kitchen was remodeled in 2019, and we changed absolutely everything, including all units, worktops, flooring and stoves,” she says. The stunning cabinetry is painted in Powder Blue by Farrow & Ball.
Louise carried the soft blue theme into the primary bedroom as well. “This room was definitely inspired by my visits to Paris, and I wanted it to have a chic French feel and to be a real sanctuary to retreat to at the end of each day,” she explains. After plenty of research and testing out different colors, she landed on the perfect paint color. Gold-framed mirrors and paneling that she and her husband added themselves complete the Parisian theme.
Little Things Make a Big Difference
In every corner of the house, unique and thoughtful details capture the magic of Christmas. “I love to evoke memories of my childhood, and items like my vintage baubles transport me back in time,” Louise says. Her large collection of 1950s brooches, Christmas Hummel figurines, villages and more adorn side tables, bookshelves, the mantel and
almost any place you look. “The vintage postcards hanging on the mantel are all over a hundred years old and have sweet little messages written on the back from all those years ago,” Louise says. “I have collected them for years.”
All Wrapped Up
Louise’s holiday garland is a true work of art, layered to perfection to create a dreamy staircase banister. “It’s quite time consuming, but the result is always worth it,” she says. She begins by wrapping the banister with a string of lights, then adding both faux eucalyptus and ivy garlands. “I use green twine to make sure the garlands stay in place before adding faux pink sparkly roses and clusters of pink berries which have little clips on the back,” she says. Next, she adds bows, baubles, and sometimes even includes her 1950s brooches for extra sparkle. “At the very end I add stems of real eucalyptus just by pushing each piece into the garland,” Louise says.
Then of course there’s the baking. Every year Louise makes French macarons and hand paints tiny Christmas scenes on them with edible paint. They’re practically a decoration themselves. “Another seasonal favorite of mine to make is a pavlova wreath with an edible bow,” she says. From the baked goods to the one-of-a-kind vintage items in every corner of her home, the holidays with Louise are a sweet and magical place to be.
