“Kiss the House with Christmas”

as seen in Central Kentucky Lifestyle Magazine

By Debra R. Kiser

Marketing Director

Corman and Associates

Borrowing inspiration from a client who was tired of trying to overdo, impress the neighbors and decorate everything that didn’t move, designer Dwayne Anderson explains that his most recent decorating challenge was to show enough restraint to “kiss the house with Christmas.”

Taking an understated more minimalist approach wasn’t as easy as it may seem for Anderson and the other team of designers from The Corman Marketplace, known throughout the region for its opulent, over-the-top holiday themes and decorating style.

J. Stuart Hurt, ASID Allied, showroom manager, leads the way in collaborating with Lifestyle readers in taking a ‘virtual’ residential holiday tour of a decorative scheme that would be right at home in most any Central Kentucky setting.

“Imagine lush greenery cascading over the mantelpiece of one of many Blue Grass estate homes,” Hurt advised Jeremy Rice, visual merchandiser, who is responsible for the focal point fireplace inspiration shown here. The excessive use of the many everyday elements displayed in the garland elevates even the ordinary feathers, berries and pinecones festooning the holiday creation.

The monochromatic garland is filled with texture and depth that gives the cascade added punch. Hurt notes that the overall symmetry of the design translates into balance, harmony and proportion always components of any sophisticated scheme.

The objects that usually reside atop the mantel don’t have to be chased away for the holidays either. Integrated into the whole setting and adorned with touches of greenery and ornaments, the family clock, turned cherry candlesticks and harlequin-patterned container are swathed with festive elements, as well.

The asymmetrical placement of the items along the mantel is inherently “more relaxed and thus more interesting,” says Hurt who personally favors the rhythm created when varied elements are juxtaposed to produce visual balance.

Nestle the family Christmas tree near the fireplace if possible and repeat all of the elements that comprise the theme. Incorporate logs and forged iron fireplace tools into the setting to emphasize the overall decorating concept.

The relaxed undertones of the new traditional style so popular in Central Kentucky are appropriate for the whole house in creating a festive feeling perfect for family and friends in this celebratory season.

Move into the dining room where the theme is driven home with a large farm house table and its centerpiece fashioned from an antique carpenter’s box, a subtle reference to the Carpenter Himself. Fill the box with candles, greenery and the stately magnolia for a lux look all its own.

“Who wants what everyone has?” proclaims Rice who suggests you always consider the originality of an object. “And don’t be afraid to not just think outside the box, but throw the darn thing away. Forget about it.”

That’s just what the design team did when they used a #16 framing nail to fabricate their own napkin rings. Even the treated finish to protect against rust adds to the bronze patinas used throughout the décor. Insert vintage off white napkins and adorn with bits of greenery and berries

According to Hurt one of the most highly creative aspects of holiday decorating is setting the table—balancing old and new, elaborate and simple, glitzy and austere. Nothing has to match; use your best china, silver and crystal, heirlooms if you have them.

Table accessories with our theme include creamy white china, similar in hue to the magnolias, contemporary black chargers, miss-matched silver passed on by a great aunt, stems with gold accents that reflect the metallic ornaments and an Italian heirloom water goblet.

Lend beauty to your china cabinet or buffet with clusters of pussywillow tied with off-white satin ribbon. Use the same ribbon, as wide as you can get it, to fashion rabbit-ear bows tied with greenery and more berries. Consider twisting olive branches around the curtains in lieu of tiebacks to put simple greenery in an unexpected place.

“Don’t be ashamed of age,” says Hurt, “Especially during this festive season when it’s a perfect time to showcase your family treasures.

Even the kitchen gets a holiday lift when you fill mom’s milk glass bowl, reminiscent of her 50s kitchen, with ornament balls and bits of greenery. The kitchen is another great place to reflect the carpentry accents using canvas nail aprons decorated with your own imagination.

The design team, soon to be seen regularly on WKYT-TV Ch 27s Domestic Diva segments, recommends carrying the decorating scheme throughout all public areas of your home so guests encounter the warmth of the season everywhere.

Powder rooms should not go unnoticed with seasonal guest towels reflecting your theme, soaps cut in holiday shapes with a metal cookie cutter, and using greenery and magnolias in small swags hung on wall sconces or on a towel holder.

Of course, the front entry should be the first place that arriving guests encounter a hint of what’s inside. Our simple look of rustic sophistication translates into a billowing swag of greenery filled with a bundle of twigs (selectively cut from your own yard), the hint of color from berries, tying it all with the creamy white satin ribbon. Beside the front door, fill a basket with wooden logs and kindling that also subtly suggests the carpenter theme and the warmth of festivity unfolding inside.

Hurt believes that design is simple; it lies within and shows on the outside. “True design, with knowledge of the basic principals (outlined in the boxed inset) can be achieved in any setting with any budget.

Debra Kiser is the corporate marketing director for Corman and Associates, national manufacture of retail store fixtures and décor. The Corman Marketplace is a division of Corman and Associates.

Designer Tips for the Perfect Setting:

Balance: The arrangement of elements to achieve visual appeal symmetry.

Harmony: Relation of different items through a common characteristic.

Rhythm: Repetition of elements in a regular pattern.

Contrast / Variety: Deliberately mixing elements to achieve unity within a space or composition.

Proportion: Relationship of one object to another, mostly achieved with the eye.

*Remember, all of these principals work in conjunction with each other,

but perfect design in never achieved if it is not right for you and your space.

For more helpful tips, feel free to contact The Corman Marketplace Design Team: J. Stuart Hurt, ASID Allied, Dwayne Anderson, decorator, and Jeremy Rice, visual merchandiser.