Christmas Decorating Ideas For Kitchen Island

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33 Christmas Kitchen Decorating Ideas to Bring Even More Cheer Into Your Home

Bring a festive layer to the heart of the ho-ho-home!

Jean Allsopp

As the holidays are upon us, it's time to pull down those dusty boxes of holiday decorations from the attic, roll up your flannel sleeves, and get to work decking the halls. For many, this means adding festive details to every inch of your house, inside and out. First things first: the trim the Christmas tree and set up the outdoor Christmas decorations (check and check, but there's still work to be done!). When it comes time to layer in Christmas decor throughout the rest of your home, make sure to add an extra dash of holiday cheer to the hub of the house—the kitchen.

Even though the kitchen is the most utilitarian room in your house, it's also the heart of your home, where you'll be spending lots of time this season, from baking holiday cookies and meals to catching up with loved ones around the island, so make it merry! The kitchen table is an ideal place to go all out with Christmas decor—think Christmas centerpiece ideas and a sweet spot to display your best gingerbread houses. Pile on the fresh Christmas garlands, countertop trees, and accessories that can happily tuck into shelves. And don't ignore the less obvious areas to add a little holiday flair like the cabinets, where there's always room for a DIY wreath.

After the decorations are hung by the range hood with care, you'll be ready to relax with a mug of hot chocolate and, might we suggest, a plate of those cookies!

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Calm and Bright Christmas Kitchen

With a soaring 22-foot ceiling and warm antique touches, it's no surprise this Nashville kitchen is where everyone congregates, especially during the holidays. A pair of runners with muted reds and classic swags of greenery make for understated and sophisticated holiday touches in this open and airy space.

SHOP DOUGH BOWLS

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Vintage Collectibles Christmas Kitchen

Pull out all the vintage collectibles to cheer up an otherwise neutral kitchen space. From red and white tins holding tree clippings to a group of Santa mugs with bottle brush trees, these happy accessories are sure to brighten any room. Open shelving is another clever spot to tuck in seasonal collectibles (spy the festive plaid Thermoses here!).

SHOP SANTA MUGS

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Festive Wreaths Christmas Kitchen

You hang wreaths on your exterior windows, so copy that same look inside. Here, the symmetry of the hood range zone is emphasized with windows on each side and wreaths strung up on the sconces above. A single ornament is tied on to the iron pot rack.

SHOP RED STOCK POTS

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Holiday China Christmas Kitchen

Put the Christmas china on full display this season. The hand-built hutch houses holiday dishware along with an assortment of copper vessels. A scrolly chandelier (with greenery and berries tucked in) hangs above an antique kitchen table decorated with a runner, candles, and magnolia leaves.

SHOP CAKE STANDS

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Picture Window Christmas Kitchen

Framed by greenery and crowned by a plaid-adorned wreath, the new picture window provides views of a sweet country road and dairy farm in the distance. A stack of plaid napkins on the island coordinates with tartan touches throughout this New York farmhouse.

SHOP TARTAN NAPKINS

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Breakfast Nook Christmas Kitchen

In this sunny breakfast nook, a vintage tool caddy provides a base for an easy arrangement of freshly cut greenery. Come Christmas, the reclaimed wood kitchen table gets topped with brass candleholders all dressed up with festive red taper candles, while the windows each get a wreath hung with thick ribbon.

SHOP BRASS CANDLESTICK HOLDERS

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Collected Farmhouse Christmas Kitchen

In this kitchen corner, sentimental vintage pieces, like felt stockings, hang from doorknobs and hooks. A bar is set up near a pass-through window (framed with fresh garland) between the kitchen and dining room. Collectibles, both holiday and holiday-in-spirit, sit atop and nestle beneath an antique butcher block table.

SHOP GALVANIZED BUCKETS

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Candy Cane Stripes Christmas Kitchen

Stripes will never go out of style—especially when they're candy cane stripes! The look is even more holiday-ready if you have green cabinetry.

SHOP STRIPED DISHES

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Wreath-Adorned Cupboards Christmas Kitchen

The built-in painted wood cupboard provides an ideal spot to display collections (here, white ironstone and picnic baskets [above]), as well as a blank slate to layer on holiday accents. Wide plaid ribbon looped through fresh wreaths adds a graphic touch to plain white cabinet fronts.

SHOP PLAID RIBBON

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Fresh Greenery Christmas Kitchen

Easy touches of fresh greenery with garland, wreaths, and mini trees "Christmas up" this clean space without going overboard.

SHOP GARLAND

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Santa Claus Christmas Kitchen

What better way to decorate your kitchen than with the man in red himself? Pop little Santa figurines throughout your kitchen for a fun and festive look this year.

SHOP SANTA FIGURINES

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Window Garland Christmas Kitchen

The garland does all the talking in this elegant Christmas kitchen design, complemented by hints of red through the antique Santa, bowl of apples, Dutch oven, and ribbon.

SHOP GARLAND

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Gingerbread Christmas Kitchen

Let your gingerbread houses take center stage in your kitchen this Christmas. Add hints of greenery throughout the kitchen with sprigs of holly and extra branches from your Christmas tree. String up dried citrus rings in the window for a subtle pop of color.

SHOP GINGERBREAD HOUSES

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Mad-for-Plaid Christmas Kitchen

Blogger Nora Murphy embraces her natural surroundings and uses fresh and homegrown greenery. The iron chandelier by Richard Scofield is typically sans shades, but come Christmas, Nora ups the merry factor with tiny tartan treatments. The garland above the range holds miniature galvanized pails that serve as an advent calendar.

Tour the House

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Cozy Cabin Christmas Kitchen

Cheery pops of red are found throughout this log cabin kitchen, from the clip-on task lighting and the vintage signs to the candy cane-stripe runner and plaid hand towel. A Charlie Brown-style Christmas tree adds a fragrant and nostalgic touch.

Tour the House

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Vintage Tennessee Christmas Kitchen

A little holiday nostalgia goes a long way in Jenni Bowlin's kitchen, where sophisticated year-round displays are seasoned with not-so-serious accents such as Putz houses, bottle brush trees, and Santa mugs.

Tour the House

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Bright and Cheery Christmas Kitchen

This cheerful, retro yellow-and-white kitchen gets the Christmas treatment with curtains made with repurposed gingham tablecloths, fresh greenery, and a seasonal rug.

Tour the House

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Minty Green Christmas Kitchen

The homeowners paired a mint-hued paint (a mix of Mint Chocolate Chip and Hancock Green, both by Benjamin Moore) with neutral accents to keep the kitchen looking sophisticated. Simple garlands and potted paperwhites add to the seasonal feel without competing with the kitchen's beauty.

SHOP PAPERWHITE BULBS

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Hunter Green Christmas Kitchen

This kitchen's hunter green cabinets (Jasper by Sherwin-Williams) are Christmas-ready with the addition of red skillets and pots hung from ceiling beams, red spatterware, and a cherry-red tea kettle. A sweet and simple wreath hangs atop a platter above the sink.

Tour the House

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White Farmhouse Christmas Kitchen

Shiny Brite wreaths lend cheer to an equally vibrant array of vintage servingware, including Pyrex and a mix of old canisters. The glass fronts on the cabinets help homeowner Abby Hoppen justify her never-ending urge to collect.

Tour the House

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Homespun Christmas Kitchen

Weathered surfaces, like reclaimed beams and a range hood made from scrap lumber, add a homespun farmhouse feel to this space. The upper cabinet doors (painted Bachelor Blue by Benjamin Moore) are lined with antique mercury glass and have greenery and ribbons hanging from the hardware.

Tour the House

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Merry and White Christmas Kitchen

This kitchen (with a half butcher block/half marble island!) has plenty of open shelving for necessities like canned goods and paper towels. The pass-through shows off the stairwell garland.

Tour the House

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Picture-Perfect Christmas Kitchen

This bright kitchen gets pops of green from wreaths above the windows, a velvet ribbon swag, and potted rosemary. Picture lights illuminate the art collection and shine light on the workspaces.

Tour the House

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Arizona Christmas Kitchen

Linen-covered pendant lamps bring the kitchen's 17-foot ceilings down to a cozy scale. The white marble island provides plenty of space for cookie-decorating. Simple touches of greenery allow the neutral kitchen to shine.

Tour the House

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Scandinavian Christmas Kitchen

The kitchen's built-in shelving houses a collection of mostly vintage dishware, with the red and green pieces taking center stage for the holidays. The homeowner crafted the maple dishwasher cabinet to stand alongside the existing farmhouse sink.

Tour the House

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Rustic and Woodsy Christmas Kitchen

Cedar branches, secured with invisible fishing line, curve naturally over a rounded pendant. A cluster of pinecones adds another textural touch. The clean white walls (Pure White by Benjamin Moore) and wood cabinetry offer the perfect neutral backdrop for any holiday decor.

Tour the House

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Simply Festive Christmas Kitchen

The kitchen in this revamped 100-year-old farmhouse features a custom island and open shelving made from old beams and rafters. Pops of red, festive greenery, and tartan dishware play off the patterned runner and bring simple holiday flair.

Tour the House

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Winter White Christmas Kitchen

A simple pinecone wreath and red-and-white dish towel are all this kitchen needs to bring the Christmas cheer. These touches carry the kitchen from Christmas straight into the New Year, and the fun yellow Big Chill oven adds to the happy holiday vibe.

Tour the House

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Woodland Christmas Kitchen

Loose sprigs of greenery (in sap buckets, no less) pair with a collection of toy deer and bottlebrush trees. A linen runner unifies the woodland scene that acts as a kitchen table centerpiece. Mirrors at the back of glass-fronted cabinets create a sparkling effect all year round.

Tour the House

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Charming Vintage Christmas Kitchen

A vintage table serves as a prep island in this Connecticut kitchen. The homeowner made the maple countertops and painted a checkerboard pattern on the wood floors, creating the perfect neutral backdrop for the festive stars, red berries, and candy canes.

Tour the House

Katie Bowlby Katie Bowlby is Deputy Managing Editor, Digital, at Country Living, where she covers gift guides, crafts, and TV shows like Yellowstone.

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