While we don’t traditionally implement holiday décor for our clients, we love to help them brainstorm ideas for what will work best alongside the designs we’ve created in their homes. We got to do just that and more, in partnership with Ashley Smith of Pagoda Event Design in our longtime client’s lovely Cotwsold home, recently featured in Home Design & Décor Charlotte magazine. 

First, we collaborated on the color palette. WTI typically recommends accenting with one of the least dominant pop colors in your décor scheme. Ashley and I played around with blue but ultimately landed on pink and red, inspired by the Scalamandre trim which adorns their Christmas tree. Choose one main color to accent with and repeat it in varying shades, from deep to pale, throughout the space OR choose a palette of two complementary colors to pair with Christmas tree green. 

Decorating with fruits adds a classic, southern touch and that pop of color. We are especially loving Dunbar Road’s holiday accents at the moment. For this particular project, Pagoda strung dried pomegranates together on gold twine to create a tree garland and then repeated the fruit on the mantle and carried that dark berry color throughout floral arrangements.

It’s nearly impossible to overdo greenery and botanicals; they add so much life, color and interest to a space. Start right at the front door with a fresh wreath. Add a garland around the door frame or wrap columns, and you’ve got instant holiday curb appeal!

Carry fresh greenery throughout your home to bring the outside in with layers of eucalyptus, boxwood, magnolia and more. For pops of natural color, add in sprigs of red holly berries, blue cedar or the aforementioned fruits. Create fresh arrangements for key surfaces like a foyer table, kitchen island, and dining room table. Make a base from spare Christmas tree clippings or collect beautiful branches from your yard (or nearest floral resource). Then, swap in fresh flowers in your color theme weekly. If you refresh the water often, the greenery base can last up to a month. 

Lastly, Southern hospitality means being ready for guests at all times. We like to keep cheese straws and color coordinating cocktail napkins on hand at all times. You can even select a Christmas cocktail, mocktail, or hot beverage to have at your fingertips throughout the season. Don’t forget the garnish! Cranberries or fresh mint are a fun, holiday-worthy touch.