Holiday Decor

Decorating for the Holidays is always one of the most rewarding activities of my job. It is a special décor that is aimed toward framing one of the most gratifying moments of the family life- the moment of gathering together to express our love to the rest of the family and the moment we expect eagerly, when preparing the best cookies, the best colors, we do everything possible to make each and every Christmas a memory to treasure forever. As such, every year I provide advice on Christmas décor to all my clients. Every detail counts, maybe some lights here or there or a ribbon, a bow, an extra touch to make that fireplace mantle look its best. Table center pieces with natural flowers are one of my favorites.

The 46^th Holiday Candlelight Tour in Fredericksburg, Virginia

The Historic Fredericksburg Foundation, an organization dedicated to preserve, protect and revitalize the character of Historic Fredericksburg, organizes every year a Holiday Candlelight Tour. Each year, six historic houses are selected to be decorated for the Holidays and are assigned to six interior designers. In 2016, I had the honor to be selected to decorate a historic home located at 1015 Prince Edward Street, known as “The Major Benjamin Day House”- a spacious two story, predominantly Federal style home built in 1807. Major Benjamin Day was in the Colonial Army and fought during the American Revolution in the Second Virginia Regiment. Day was one of seven Mason Grand Masters for the Great Lodge of Virginia and is buried in the Masonic Cemetery.

I was entrusted with the Holidays décor of the main floor (foyer, parlor, formal dining room, kitchen and study). The purpose of the tours is to bring history to life and thus I designed the décor not only to create a festive atmosphere but to enhance the architectural features of the house as well. The following paragraphs will describe how I approached the different décor challenges that I faced during the project. My website shows some of the photographs illustrating the project.

I used mostly natural greens for both the exterior and interior of the house such as, spruce, boxwood, cedar, wreath, garlands, magnolia leaves, spray painted magnolia pods and hydrangeas. I addition, I wanted to incorporate a local tree, so I chose Magnolia Virginiana, a native species to the lowlands of the eastern United States which gave the perfect ambience touch for a Virginian home. I tied the green and floral arrangements with different types of ribbons (sateen, organza velvet, burlap)

While the trees in the yard were dressed with 1200 little white lights, for the decoration of the façade I used wreaths of different sizes to be harmonious with the sizes of the door and windows. A cedar and spruce garland and elaborated red and gold bows framed the main door and gave a majestic touch.