During the holidays, one of my favorite things to do is drive around to look at Christmas lights and see how people have decorated their homes. We've done it since I was little, and we carried the tradition on with our own kiddos. The memories that this pastime has created gets me so excited to decorate my own home every year; to give drivers-by a home to look forward to seeing each Christmas. This year I chose to decorate our front porch and tree with Scandinavian style decor, and I'm thrilled to share it with you!
Welcome to our home! I'm so excited to invite you to our Black and White Scandinavian-Inspired Christmas Porch! No matter the size of your front porch or entryway, there are plenty of ideas here that you can piece together to work perfectly in your space. So grab yourself a cup of coffee, enjoy your virtual visit to our house, and let's get you inspired to create a Scandinavian Christmas at your own home!
The front door is the first "welcome" that your guests will receive when they come to your home, so it's really special when it's warm and inviting! The Scandinavian style is minimalistic and clean, so I wanted to create a wreath that was very simple, yet pretty. I chose the Vickerman 24" Cashmere Christmas Wreath with Warm White LED Lights to exude a warm, welcoming glow, then used hot glue to adorn it with Frosted Pine Cones. A simple bow made from Black & White Striped Satin Ribbon finished the wreath off perfectly...and matched the black and white color scheme beautifully.
Each side of the front door was graced with a Vickerman 36" Anoka Pine Christmas Tree - Unlit, then decorated with homemade ornaments (more on those below). Copper Lanterns filled with Craft Snow and glowing candles echo the warmth of the lit wreath, and cast a welcoming ambiance for the guests as they arrive.
A Chalkboard Easel with Distressed Frame is the perfect height to create visual balance between the tree and the lanterns, and I absolutely love that it can be personalized with any message! My favorite thing about the easel is that it is double-sided, so you can put a holiday message on one side and a winter message on the other, and it can then be used as decor for your front porch that can last through the winter season, even after the holidays are over. I used my cutting machine to create a message with white vinyl, but you can absolutely use White Fine & Chisel Tip Chalk Markers, if you'd prefer!
A DIY Large House spray-painted white lends to the Scandinavian theme and also adds height balance to the front door display. A Green Frosted Sisal Tree and Natural Pinecones arranged around the house give it a homey vibe. If you'd like you can tuck a White Battery-Operated Tea Light Candle inside to give the windows a luminescent glow.
Even when the weather gets cold, we like to sit out on our front porch, wrapped up in cozy blankets, and sip on a warm cup of coffee or cocoa. I absolutely love how the Vickerman White Handknit Cable 14" x 20" Cotton Throw Pillows tie into our Nordic decor, and they are so comfy! Just looking at that pretty cable knit gives me all the warm and fuzzy feels. Isn't it so pretty and inviting?!!
Keeping with the black and white, minimalistic decor theme, I carried the Scandinavian feel onto our porch tabletop with some Nordic-inspired items. I used a combination of Paper Houses, Birch Round Centerpieces, a Half-Gallon Cylinder Jar with Lid, Craft Snow, Green Frosted Sisal Trees, DIY Unfinished Wood 3D Stand-Up Trees, Large Cylinder Candle Holder Set, LED Warm White Mini String Lights, Snowy Pine Picks and Natural Pinecones arranged on a Large Slate Tray to create a stunning DIY Scandinavian Christmas Tabletop Decor Display. Get the details for how to arrange it all here.
A warmly lit Christmas Tree on the front porch exudes hospitality and is so inviting! A Vickerman White Faux Fur Tree Skirt serves as the perfect "snowy" base for the Scandinavian tree, and faux gifts wrapped up in Kraft Paper and Black and White Striped Satin Ribbon add enchanting charm. Embellishing the gifts with natural elements completes the look.
Making homemade ornaments is one of my very favorite things to do during the holidays! We used to make them with our kids as they were growing up, and now that our kids are older, I still love making ornaments and giving them as gifts! When I was trying to decide how I wanted to decorate this tree, I knew that I wanted to create ornaments that were handmade, and that lent well to the Scandinavian theme.
I ended up creating five homemade ornament designs that tied in perfectly with the Nordic feel of the porch, then filled in the rest of the tree with some White Glitter Snowflake Ornaments. I've broken down how to make each homemade ornament in this Black and White Scandinavian Ornaments post so that you can recreate the same look for your own tree. They all look so pretty together that I wish the tree could just stay up year round!
One of my very favorite elements of this porch were these Scandinavian Paper Stars. We visited Holland a few years ago at Christmas time and paper stars were everywhere at the Christmas markets. I fell in love with the way that they looked, and knew that they would be perfect for my Scandinavian Christmas Porch! I used black and white cardstock, hot glue and Baker's Twine to create the stars, and I created a full DIY Scandinavian Paper Stars tutorial so that you can make them, too! These are great to transition inside your home as indoor decor, as well.
Unlit wreaths were used to dress up all of our porch windows. I tied Black and White Striped Satin Ribbon bows onto each one to echo the ribbon on the front door wreath and the ribbon on the gifts beneath the tree, which helped create a cohesive look.
I used the same decorating concept for the tabletop on this side of the porch as I did for the opposite side of the porch, but I swapped out the DIY snow globe for an actual Winter Wonderland Snow Globe. The birch base is stunning and the light from the glass cylinder display dances off the globe glass beautifully!
More White Handknit Cable Pillows made the couch welcoming to guests, and I complemented them with some gorgeous Vickerman Grey White Embroidered Snowflakes Cotton Throw Pillows. Of course, adding another cozy throw blanket so that guests can stay warm as they snuggle up on the porch is always a good idea.
Well, there you have it. My ideas for a Black and White Scandinavian Christmas Porch. I hope you've been inspired to recreate some of these ideas to incorporate into your own holiday decor this year. Be sure to check out the DIYs for the Black and White Scandinavian Christmas Ornaments, the Scandinavian Christmas Tabletop Decor, and the Scandinavian Paper Stars. Happy Holidays!