December 2010
“Holiday Transformation”
There's still time: my book, Interior Divine makes a lovely gift this time of year. For limited time, just $10 for an autographed copy with a personal note to the recipient—shipping included!
I recently was asked once again to do a Design Holiday Show House at the Pine Hills in Plymouth, MA and I chose a theme that was near and dear to my heart: Seaside Holiday! We were given a modest budget and asked to decorate the dining room table and mantel; but of course, like any good designer, I stretched the budget so we were able to add seaside holiday cheer in other parts of the house. Below you'll see how we used some items that were already in the space but repurposed them to translate a dramatic tablescape, a frosty winter mantel and a traditional red and green breakfast table.
The entryway featured these two striking nautical hurricane candle lanterns, but I had another place in mind for these! To greet guests with an “ocean meets holiday” feel, we found these beautiful glittery white twigs that you could almost picture undulating under the sea. We added beach stones and seaside blue and silver wrapped gifts to complete the welcoming installation.
The dining room table gave us a lot to work with; we just embellished...
The entryway nautical hurricane candle lanterns are reborn as magnificent centerpieces on the dining table. We found the metal fish elsewhere in the house but again, his importance was far greater as part of the DR table display. It may not be obvious but we did raise the chandelier about 6 inches to accommodate the hurricane candle lanterns. Don't be afraid to make such adjustments in your holiday designs; the effect will be substantial.
The kitchen table needed some holiday love...
And holiday love is what we gave!
An uninteresting mantel with mis-hung prints became:
A frosty display of glittered shells, wrapped gifts and gilded beach greens.
Additional seaside cheer is added by embellishing the pillows on the sofa.
With a budget of just $350, we were able to use a lot of what the model home already offered and translate a unique holiday display. Remember, Christmas doesn't have to scream red and green. Be sensitive to your décor and decorate accordingly. Don't forget: teal and brown, and turquoise, magenta and lime green and still hot holiday color stories this year.
Wishing you all the warmest of holidays and much abundance in the New Year!
And remember, decorate from the heart!
Jayne