Behind the Scenes of the Country Home Magazine Christmas Shoot
Most people pack up Christmas in January. I kept ours up a few extra weeks and invited a magazine crew in.
Last January, a photographer and stylist spent three days at our 1920 beach cottage on Puget Sound, shooting our home for the Country Home Christmas issue. The tree stayed up. The garland stayed up. Jax and Ollie were very confused about why the house was suddenly full of people, lights, and cords.
The issue is in the hands of anyone who subscribes to the magazine and should be in stores any day, so I can finally show you what happened on the other side of the camera. You’ll see all the pretty finished rooms in the magazine. This post is everything else: the plastic on the windows, the piles shoved just out of frame, and two dogs who never got their big break.
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How a Magazine Christmas Photo Shoot Works
A winter magazine feature is photographed long before Christmas. Ours was shot in January, almost ten months before it reached the newsstand.
The crew was small, with photographer John Granen, stylist Janna Lufkin, and us. It took three days, room by room, and every room we used was turned upside down at least once.
Working with a Magazine Stylist
Janna was our stylist, and I loved working with her. She has been working her magic for magazines for years, and it shows. She would move a candlestick two inches, step back, and suddenly the whole table made sense.
Watching her work was the best part of the three days for me. I style our home for the blog every season, so I thought I had a pretty good eye. Janna saw things in our rooms I had walked past for fourteen years.
Styling the Cottage Kitchen for Christmas
We started the shoot in the kitchen, which made sense. It’s the heart of the cottage and the room with the best light.
Janna worked the kitchen island first.
She then moved to the window seat. The window seat is my favorite spot in the house, and she clearly agreed.
Looking at our kitchen table through the photographer’s camera was strange. It’s the same table we eat dinner at. Somehow, it looked like it belonged to someone far more organized.
Jax supervised from the floor.
Why There Was Plastic Over the Windows
If you look closely at the behind-the-scenes shots, you’ll see a sheet of plastic or cardboard held in front of the kitchen window to soften the light.
In the finished photos, you would never know it was there.
The Window Seat with Jax
Then it was my turn. Jax settled onto the window seat with me like he’d been booked for the job.
This shot didn’t make it in, but I’m glad I personally have it.
Styling the Bedrooms and Living Room
From the kitchen, Janna moved to the bedrooms. She spent most of her time on the mantel.
She then moved to the living room. She worked with what we already had first. Then she filled in where a specific shot needed something more.
Using Moss from Our Own Backyard
Some of the best decor didn’t come out of a box. We pulled moss off the tree out back and brought it inside. Actually, my garden helper extraordinaire, Zoya, found all the moss.
Living in the Pacific Northwest means we will never run out of moss. It was nice to finally need it.
The guest bedroom came next. I could see the moss tucked in right away as I looked through the camera.
Turning the Laundry Room into Base Camp
Every shoot needs somewhere to put everything. Ours was the laundry room.
For three days it was the staging area, the prop room, and where we offered breakfast, lunch, and snacks.
The Mess Nobody Sees in the Magazine
What surprised me most was the mess.
Every room that looked perfect in the photos had a pile sitting just out of frame. As we moved from room to room, anything we weren’t using had to go somewhere the camera wasn’t pointed.
If the camera faced the window, the clutter went behind the photographer. Then we’d move to the next room and do it all again in reverse.
The magazine pages are tidy. The other side of the room… not so much.
Jax and Ollie on the Sidelines
The dogs were part of it from the start. Ollie posed like a professional.
They spent a good part of the three days trying to stay out of the way.
Sadly, none of the shots they were in made it into the magazine. That made me a little sad. OK, a lot sad. So here they are, getting their moment on the blog instead.
The Outdoor Christmas Shots (My Favorites)
The outdoor shots were my favorite part of the whole shoot.
None of the photos in the rest of the post made it into the Christmas issue, which is exactly why I wanted to share them here.
Behind the Greenhouse Dutch Door
First up was me, posing behind the greenhouse Dutch door. In January, the greenhouse is usually full of overwintering plants and seed trays, so it was fun to see it dressed for the holiday instead.
An Outdoor Hot Cocoa Bar
Janna also set up an outdoor hot cocoa station.
You won’t see it in the magazine, but I thought it was so cute.
Plaid, a Fire Pit, and Roasting Marshmallows
The last outdoor shoot was my husband Jeff and me at the fire pit with Ollie.
I loved all that plaid. And, of course, the marshmallow roasting. Ollie took a strong professional interest in the marshmallows.
What I Learned from Having Our Home in a Magazine
Frequently Asked Questions
These issues are usually photographed many months ahead of time. Our Country Home Christmas shoot took place in January, nearly a year before the issue came out, so we kept our holiday decorations up a few more weeks for it.
Our shoot took two full days with a stylist (two halves and a whole day) and a day and a half with the photographer. They worked room by room, styling each space, shooting it, and resetting before moving on, plus several outdoor setups.
The stylist arranges each room to look its best on camera. Our stylist, Janna, worked with our own decor first, adjusted placement, added greenery and props where a shot needed them, and set up extra scenes like an outdoor hot cocoa bar.
Leave your decor in place, clear a room to use as a staging or eating area, and expect to move items you aren’t using out of every shot. If you have pets, plan for where they will go while the camera is rolling. Natural elements from your own yard, like Moss or greenery, can be useful to have on hand.
Grab Your Copy of Country Home
I hope you grab your copy of the Country Home Christmas issue soon and see how it all came together.
Until next time,
Happy Reading!
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About Kim Robinson
Kim is the creator of Shiplap and Shells, where she shares life in her 1920s beach cottage and Pacific Northwest garden. Along with her husband and two pups, Jax and Ollie, she’s spent the past 13 years turning their little seaside home into a cozy space filled with vintage charm, blooming gardens, and everyday moments worth savoring.
