Stock/Watson Home
As a theater professional-turned-interior designer, decorating a room for visual impact comes naturally to Carrie. “I’m used to ‘dressing the scene,’” she says. The home’s modern design creates many opportunities to enjoy decorations from different rooms simultaneously. The large wreath viewed from the front entry and the decorated light fixture and garlands of the dining room combine with the kitchen decorations for a visually-rich, yet streamlined, view.
Prior to moving to Seattle, the Stocks hung this, their largest wreath, from a beam between holidays, to help sustain it. For the move they needed to pack it in a box, but it stood the test well. “These wreaths are six or seven years old,” says Carrie. To make them last, she says, “you need to pack them away right: you need to pack them flat.”
The wreath looks just as beautiful when viewed from the second story. “In making wreaths,” says Carrie, “you start with the greenery, first. You keep adding it until you think it can’t hold one more thing. Then you futz with it until you’re pleased with it.” For Carrie’s wreaths, she bundled four different components of faux evergreens and everlastings together on a florist stick, wrapped them with florist tape and attached them to the wire support.
Carrie and Stan’s California home had 14’ to 30’ cathedral ceilings. A fan of natural trees, they had always had one until the year their home was to be photographed. Because a natural tree would never have lasted long enough for the photo shoot, Carrie bought a 14’ frosted artificial tree. “Because of that tree we have a lot of ornaments,” she says. A much smaller tree adorns their new home.
Although smaller in stature, the Christmas tree is literally covered with memories which both grandparents and daughter share: many of the ornaments are from a lifelong friend whose mother painstakingly made the ornaments out of pins, cord, sequins and beads–and gifted the ornaments to the Stock family year after year.
Decorations need not adhere strictly to the design of the home, Carrie believes. “Christmas is Christmas,” she says.Here a simple faux-evergreen garland surrounds the front door, with rustic earthenware pots filled with real, dried and faux plants, flowers and berries.
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