MerlettKA
 |
|
-
- CULTIVATING Style -
CHRISTMAS IDEAS 2020
COMBINING SHINY, SPARKLY,
AND NOSTALGIC ELEMENTS INTO
ROBUST GARLANDS AND
ARRANGEMENTS, THIS CREATIVE
HOMEOWNER SETS AN ELEGANT
SCENE AGAINST THE SNOW-WHITE
BACKDROP OF HER HISTORICAL
HOME.
Photographed by ADAM ALBRIGHT
Written by SARAH EGGE
|
VINTAGE VIRTUES
Once she settles on a theme, such as this year’s white and gold, opposite, Tammy Damore gathers items in a variety of textures: Silky roses contrast with glossy clear icicles, shiny stars, bristly flocked greens, chunky knits, and soft faux fur. “More than anything, I love to reuse and repurpose things I already have
and mix vintage finds with modern accents,” Tammy says. Some of her accessories are truly vintage, such as the Shiny Brite ornaments she buys at flea markets. Others are made to look that way, like her mercury glass ornaments and bottlebrush trees. “I ask myself not only, ‘Will it work 10 years from now?’ but, more important, ‘Would it have worked 10 years ago?’ and
I spend my money on those things,” she says.
CONSISTENCY IS KEY
“When I find something I like, I buy 20 or 30 of the same thing so I can spread them from the staircase to the mantel and throughout,” Tammy says. “I like a cohesive, cultivated look.
That’s my mindset.” Antique-white cabbage roses appear on the living room mantel garland, above, as well as the entry stairway, and clear icicle lights dangle here and atop the dining room armoire. Cozy trimmings like pom-poms and faux fur repeat on pillows and throws in every room. Although she keeps a large collection to pull from, she also culls things that have gotten tired or simply don’t fit the look she’s trying to accomplish this year. “Every year I get rid of something that’s worn,” she says. “I pass it on and make room to bring in something new.”
IN FOCUS
The carved designs on this antique secretary, above, provide interesting relief for the curios inside. Conical glass evergreen trees fill a concrete bowl, and a pair of partridges perch on the shelf above. The backdrop is the perfect display for
a simple wreath of flocked faux evergreens and lights adorned with a bow made from the same ribbon as the stairway garland.
SCENE SETTING
Natural elements and vintage items that recall fond memories are the undercurrents throughout Tammy’s decorating. A large glass cloche, left, encapsulates a snowy town scene not unlike the one with the train set she used to help her father build. A faux fir tree is flocked like those from
her childhood. But rather than create a museum of nostalgic artifacts, Tammy blends in lots of modern, of-the-moment elements to keep things fresh. The pom-pom basket is a nod to trendy Scandinavian style, and the wintry landscape painting wears a contemporary garland of metal angels.
CLASSICS LESSON
Tammy grew up with flocked
evergreen trees at Christmas so that’s what she chose for her 9-foot tree, which barely fits under the living room ceiling. “It’s so tall, I have to put the topper in front of the top branch instead of on top of it,” she says with
a laugh. She fills it with 1,200 lights, wrapping the tree twice. “I want the inner part to twinkle, so I really shove the first layer in all the way to the trunk,” she says.
NATURAL IDEA
Several years ago, Tammy changed the dining room wall color, opposite, from red to Benjamin Moore’s Simply White and then kept going. “All 13 rooms are now white,” she says. “It’s the perfect backdrop.” The serene palette also ties together
all her Christmas decor. She prefers to rely on texture rather than color for interest, melding shiny metallics with furry throws and spiky bottlebrush trees. Trees of all types, as well as the branches, boughs, flowers, and leaves she includes
in her arrangements of faux greenery, are the backbone of her nature-inspired decorating. With a few edits, it segues seamlessly into a winter landscape for January and February.
HOLIDAY ARRANGEMENTS
The elements Tammy compiles into her striking vignettes, above, change and evolve year to year. “My design, my style, is in perpetual motion,” she says. She might decide to feature a favorite object from one of her flea market forays or try out a new theme, such as this rustic-refined look. The elegant gold laurel and brass lamps seem incongruent with the weathered urn and antler, but Tammy brings them all together by sticking to one palette of creams and golds and including plenty of neutral items, such as the glass bottle, cloche, and vintage mirrors. A strand of floral garland and the small pine tree add holiday flavor.
ON TREND
A chunky knit throw and pom-pom wreath carry hip holiday
style into the master bedroom, where Tammy created an accent wall by hanging large-scale floral wallpaper and painting the antique bed with pale gray milk paint.
MerlettKA
