Southern Home Holiday Cottage 2019

Style Idea Nothing helps you fully embrace the holiday season more than Santa Claus himself. These eye-catching and classic details will leave your guests filled with the holiday spirit. Holiday blankets and throw pillows are casually arranged on a leather couch for an inviting and cozy setting. A traditional red and green theme is used throughout the open area to create a complementary, eye-pleasing palette.…

Style Idea Give a slender purchased garland more visual weight by wiring in magnolia branches or other broadleaf evergreens. Let the beautiful welcome you create outdoors continue inside by picking up some of the same colors and elements for indoor decorations. Simple or Fancy? Whether you prefer formal, casual, or something in between, use the same palette of materials from lamppost to front door for a unified look. Apple-studded designs say Colonial Williamsburg, while feathers and antlers have a woodsy, rustic feel. Ribbon, whether sheer or brocade, makes an eloquent style statement. Even garden statuary is fair game, just waiting for a Santa hat and bow.…

Bold reds and sophisticated golds set among fresh greenery merge well with the existing décor. Warm, earthy tones are carried throughout the rooms by splendid woods and fabrics. Large copper-hued metal ornament silhouettes give the family room a jovial touch. The dining room is open and bright with red poinsettias that welcome family and friends for Christmas celebrations. The beautiful leaded glass and mahogany double doors are inviting, and the large windows usher in the sun’s beams, making this space full of cheer. The family room sings with holiday joy. A coconut wreath gets a festive update with the addition of greenery clippings, holly berries, and a colorful bow. The family pet, a West Highland terrier named Morgan, is cozy next to the brick fireplace where even the rocking horse is…

On any given day, Tim and Cindy Bembry’s Tudor-inspired home is a vision of well-appointed rooms and imposing features. But once Christmas Day nears, it truly becomes a sight to behold. Aided by interior decorator Sharon Hixon, Cindy leaves no mantel unadorned and no space untouched by a seasonal reminder. Cindy weaves in sprigs of holly and snips of greenery as embellishments among her collection of antiques and cherished possessions. “Every year, we also decorate three trees throughout the house,” she adds, “and each one has its own theme and look.” For the family room, which was added to the house in 2011, Cindy prefers a flocked tree for a wintry appearance. It’s adorned with ornaments collected by the Bembrys during their numerous travels, along with cherished ones made by their children. To…

The classic color palette of red, green, and gold weaving in and out of each room draws fond recollections of owner Theresa Shepherd’s childhood Christmases. The smell of freshly cut evergreens, citrus fruit, and baked goodies permeate the cottage and lend an inviting holiday aroma to the air. Two trees are decorated for the season. The tree in the keeping room is embellished with colored lights, a bounty of gold tinsel, and an assortment of ornaments crafted by her children and commemorative baubles she gave to them. The other tree, located in her husband’s study, is tall, slender, and adorned with colored lights and ornaments that give it a masculine feel. For Theresa, it doesn’t feel like Christmas until certain keepsake pieces are put out, including the large nativity displayed on the…

When Betty and Sam Franklin purchased their beloved lake home in the 1990s, they embraced their forest setting and opted for a traditional mountain-house style. But after a time, they wanted a lighter and more airy escape with a neutral palette and natural textures. So four years ago, the Franklins began a full-scale remodel, resulting in a sophisticated rustic retreat that’s ideal for entertaining in every season—especially the holidays. Betty was no newbie when it came to designing her ideal getaway. As the owner of Village Firefly, a Mountain Brook, Alabama, antiques shop specializing in unique lighting, this well-traveled homeowner had grand plans for playing off the lake home’s location as she freshened its style. “The house sits high on a hill, and with a panoramic view of nature, we often say…