As we move into the holiday season with barely a chance to prepare, let alone decorate, think about the simple beauty of candles on hand-cut birch logs, the scents of evergreens and hydrangeas, and the warmth of family and friends gathered around the fireplace. That’s what distinguished designers and architects did, exclusively for Washington Spaces, when we asked them to share ways to make a fireplace mantel glow for the holidays.
Celebrating Nature
With one daughter’s birthday two days before Christmas, Kristin Peake finds her household inundated with gifts and celebrations. “Because of that, I’ve always tried to create a warm, cozy, intimate feeling during the holidays because we have a lot of people over and parties going on,” says Peake, principal of Kristin Peake Interiors.
To handle the overflow of guests, the Peakes often entertain outside. “Our outside terrace and fireplace are extensions of our living room,” she says. “It’s another very functional, comfortable space that was designed just for that purpose.” With small children at home, Peake likes to keep decorations to a minimum, using simple, fresh materials.
For inspiration and collaboration, Peake enlisted Stephen Chambers, event designer, to help her with this fireplace mantel design. “We share the same philosophy of thinking outside the box,” Peake says. She suggests using natural elements instead of the typical ornaments and tinsel. For instance, Peake and Chambers created candlesticks from river birch logs purchased at Ruppert Nurseries and apple topiaries to flank the fireplace.
Peake also suggests being consistent with your design, both inside and out. If you decorate naturally outside, carry the theme inside with curly willow wrapped around branches of the Christmas tree and multiples of solid ornaments in clear glass, bronze, silver, or gold. Another decorating tip is to use cup hooks screwed in under the mantel or over doorways into wood casing to hang fresh garland, such as the greenery shown from Silvery Moon Farm.
Reflective Atmosphere
Inspired by thoughts of snowflakes, Denise McNally, principal of McNally Interiors, turned to hydrangeas to suggest the look of snowflakes mixing with evergreens laden with ripe berries for her fireplace design. “It’s nature at its finest,” she says.
With a shallow mantel, McNally had to be creative when installing the swag of flowers. With the help of Sue Morriss of English Garden Flowers, they used pans of Oasis floral foam to hold the greenery in place. Flowering pittosporum, brilliantly colored protea safari sunset, variegated ivy, rust-colored rose hips, and nandina berries are among the foliage draping the rich cherry paneling and complementing the marble surround.
“An ideal home offers a comfortable, inviting atmosphere that reflects the owners’ lifestyles and preferences, and maximizes the use of all the rooms regardless of their original intent,” McNally adds. This library serves as an office for McNally as well as a central hub to gather around the fireplace in the colder months. During the holidays, this room is brimming with cards and stockings.
The Modernist Mantel
Memories of holidays past influenced Todd Ray, principal of Studio27 Architecture, to design this fireplace setting. “Let the decorations stimulate without being distracting,” Ray says, especially in this room where the fireplace is the spatial and visual center.
“This fireplace is multifaceted as it creates a threshold, division, center, and connector,” Ray adds. Spatially, it has a sense of mass. Visually, it connects to the hallway through a carved opening.
Without detracting from the fireplace as the room’s focus, Ray, along with Soledad Pellegrini and Bethan Llewellyn, created a simple design using reflective silver spheres to magnify the fire’s light and mimic the finish of the flue. To balance the horizontal planes of the room’s centerpiece, they added vertical elements, such as three tall red candles and strands of green ribbon.
“Holidays by their very nature are nostalgic,” Ray says, but the decorations don’t have to be. Ornaments can reference history without simulating it. “There’s a fine line between decoration and clutter,” he adds. “Less is not more, but too many ornaments can take away from the meaning of each.”
International Greetings
Imagining the setting as a holiday card, Interior Designer Therese Baron Gurney brings a multicultural feel to this modern fireplace surround. “The concept is an old-fashioned card,” Gurney says, created by a traditional, fresh wreath and hand-painted wooden ornaments, and influenced by a 16th century design idea of oranges dotted with cloves.
Color, symmetry, and geometry all contribute to this notion. “A large scale wreath above the fireplace and a moss green resin bowl with cloved oranges in the foreground on the table play off the geometric shapes,” Gurney says. It has a “home by the modern hearth” feel.
For the custom wreath of white wagflower, mauve sedum, hypericum berry, curly willow, pine, and cedar, Gurney worked with Aki Ebrahimia of York Flowers Inc. to turn her visions into reality. “My intention was to be natural and not overstyled,” Gurney adds. “I wanted it to appear as if you walked through a meadow, picked up evergreens, and arranged them in the wreath.”
Gurney purchased the wooden Renaissance ornaments from Magnolia Designs LLC and attached them to the ceiling at varying lengths with removable hooks. Ceramic or glass balls could be used instead.
The designer plays with rich colors and visual textures to balance the strong architectural elements of the fireplace, which includes a Buckley Rumford gas insert. The fire produces movement in this setting, while white oak built-ins create symmetry.
Gurney adds, “This design is an uncomplicated celebration of the holidays.”
Hometown Holiday
Inspired by Nat King Cole’s “Christmas Song” and her Louisiana heritage, Lorna Gross, principal of Savant Interior Design, created an intimate fireplace setting reflective of her sophisticated design philosophy. “The holidays are all about intimacy, sharing, and ritual,” Gross says. “The ‘Christmas Song’ captures the essence of the holidays. I wanted to design an area where I thought Mr. Cole would enjoy sharing stories about his days singing on the road.”
Juxtaposed with the calm of the song are the festivities surrounding the holidays in New Orleans. “Everything is over-the-top” there, Gross adds. So for her fireplace, she used a massive Gothic mirror, diamond-patterned screen with brass buttons, and Mardi Gras-style cylindrical vases from IMAX Corporation. The iron wall grill is reminiscent of the wrought iron railings along Bourbon Street. The lines of the gold leaf side table along with the mirror and screen give the setting a contemporary slant. “This fireplace honors the traditions of the holiday season,” Gross says.
The designer suggests incorporating at least one item that reminds you of family, your culture, or something that speaks to your heart for a memorable holiday or fireplace setting. Try incorporating non-traditional colors, such as coral and auburn, and foliage such as willows for added interest. Once you determine your color scheme, think about using wide, wired ribbon for an accent. Gross adds, “Don’t be afraid to use a few contemporary pieces to balance the design.”
All Season
If anyone knows outdoor living, it’s the owners of Fine Landscapes Ltd. and Maison et Jardin Ltd. Charles Owen, president of Fine Landscapes, and Betsy Owen, president of Maison et Jardin, combine their talents to create outdoor settings that work year-round. “When designing outdoors, Charles always plans for entertainment,” says Mia Belotti, manager/designer at Maison et Jardin. “You want your outdoor living space to be an extension of your home – comfortable, stylish, and functional.”
Belotti likes Summer Classics outdoor furnishings for the wide range of cushion colors and fabrics. Fall colors, such as the Sunbrella Canyon Sienna and Regency Sienna shown on this seating, can be switched with warm winter textures and tones to extend the holiday season. “The furnishings surrounding the fireplace were designed to be cozy,” Belotti adds. “We wanted to seat as many as possible in a relatively close area.” She continued the palette of reds and golds from inside the house and used soft textiles, such as chenille, to add warmth to the hardscape.
“An outdoor fireplace is a wonderful accent to a garden,” she adds. Belotti suggests changing the focal point above the fireplace according to the season, adding garland to soften edges, and lighting candles to set the mood. “Don’t be afraid to use indoor-looking textiles outdoors,” Belotti says. Sunbrella offers a wide variety that is appropriate for all-weather use.
“Autumn is my favorite season for decorating,” Belotti says. “The warm fall colors blend so nicely with so many of the traditional Virginia homes.”
