My Houzz: Holiday Decor Adds Cheer to a Chicago Apartment
A couple stay true to their minimalist style and savor the season with simple festive decorations
Mel, left, and Austin, right, live with their dogs, Coco and Frankie. “This year, we will have been together for eight years, and I feel like our style keeps evolving with our love and adventures.”
Mel especially loves their apartment’s natural light “for our plants and our sanity” and space for an office for Austin. Their previous studio loft had little storage, which helped them live minimally and be disciplined about space organization. “This new apartment has much more storage and room for both of us to have space for work and passion projects.”
Browse white lounge chairs
Browse white lounge chairs
Here, Coco perches on a metallic pouf in the living room. Fresh white hydrangeas and a colorful throw add a seasonal touch. “Too often, people want to decorate their home based on trends and what’s ‘in.’ This can create a space that falls flat and feels uncomfortable,” Mel says. “Allow trends to inspire you but not dictate to you,” she suggests. “Do what feels right and makes you happy.”
When styling her own home or others’ homes, Mel always asks, “Who are you decorating for?” She adds that you should create an experience for yourself and your family for decorating to be fun and special.
“If you’re decorating just to impress or keep up with others, it will feel overwhelming and bring no joy. Seek ways to make decorating fun and relaxing for yourself,” she says.
Shop for white TV stands
“If you’re decorating just to impress or keep up with others, it will feel overwhelming and bring no joy. Seek ways to make decorating fun and relaxing for yourself,” she says.
Shop for white TV stands
The couple love spending mornings in their living room. “There is nothing better than enjoying a cup of coffee in peace and a sun-lit room,” Mel says.
This garland was a DIY project made by stringing together bulbs found at Dollar Tree with fishing wire. “Often, pre-Thanksgiving is the best time to stock up on your holiday decor,” Mel says.
Houseplants and a seasonal garland add lush green touches to their home office.
Mel abides by the rule of designing from your heart. “Start with love. What do you love? What makes you love more?” she asks. “Your home should be a place that allows you to be comfortable, to recharge and to be your best self. Allow that to help you style it with thoughtfulness and honesty.”
Wall paint: Abalone Shell, Sherwin-Williams
Mel abides by the rule of designing from your heart. “Start with love. What do you love? What makes you love more?” she asks. “Your home should be a place that allows you to be comfortable, to recharge and to be your best self. Allow that to help you style it with thoughtfulness and honesty.”
Wall paint: Abalone Shell, Sherwin-Williams
The interior of the dining room’s built-in cabinet is painted black. “I have kept it carefully curated to allow it to let our favorite collectibles really pop. It’s now my favorite feature in our home,” Mel says.
Bead garland (no longer available): CB2; see a similar wooden garland
Bead garland (no longer available): CB2; see a similar wooden garland
Mel has been collecting National Geographic magazines for more than a decade. “I love print, and as someone who is married to a science guy, the love for Nat Geo seems to just fit.” she says.
The painting of the black cat by Mel’s great-grandmother is a cherished piece. “It is a painting of her cat, Baby. She is no longer with us, but she was one fabulous lady,” she says.
The painting of the black cat by Mel’s great-grandmother is a cherished piece. “It is a painting of her cat, Baby. She is no longer with us, but she was one fabulous lady,” she says.
Metallic tabletop trees bring a modern holiday touch to the dining room.
Bright paper flowers from Michael’s update a Trader Joe’s boxwood wreath.
The pair’s love for an airy look created with plants, art and pieces with meaning “comes from our Cali love,” Mel says. They met on the West Coast when they were working for the organizations Invisible Children and Liberty in North Korea. “We love California and dream of one day moving back,” she says.
The plants pictured here are a fiddleleaf fig and a mother-in-law’s tongue.
The plants pictured here are a fiddleleaf fig and a mother-in-law’s tongue.
The couple added vertical chair rail-style molding to their interior walls when they moved in. “In our old space, clean and modern was easy to achieve. But in this space, it just looked bare. I love the touch that the molding brings to the rooms. It also was the easiest DIY and wildly cheap for the dramatic update it gave.”
Pine chair-rail molding: Lowe’s; frosted-glass globe pendant light: Hailey, Cost Plus World Market; mirror: Stockholm, Ikea
Pine chair-rail molding: Lowe’s; frosted-glass globe pendant light: Hailey, Cost Plus World Market; mirror: Stockholm, Ikea
A thrifted globe pendant light illuminates the kitchen table. “This year, Austin and I went completely planted-based. It has been a blast cooking, learning and experimenting [with] vegan meals,” Mel says.
Euro-style cabinet pulls: Cosmas
Euro-style cabinet pulls: Cosmas
A garland frames the wall behind the couple’s bed. Mel used small nails to attach the garland to the wall.
Simple wooden stools double as nightstands with reading lamps next to their bed.
Simple wooden stools double as nightstands with reading lamps next to their bed.
A mini fresh noble fir decorated with simple white lights adds a fragrant touch to their master bedroom.
“The holidays are so special to me,” Mel says. “I believe it is a time to reflect on our blessings and to bless others. Celebrate the good this season.”
See more photos of this home
My Houzz is a series in which we visit and photograph creative, personality-filled homes and the people who inhabit them. Share your home with us and see more projects.
More home tours: Apartments | Small Homes | Colorful Homes | Contemporary Homes | Eclectic Homes | Farmhouses | Midcentury Homes | Modern Homes | Ranch Homes | Traditional Homes | Transitional Homes | All
See more photos of this home
My Houzz is a series in which we visit and photograph creative, personality-filled homes and the people who inhabit them. Share your home with us and see more projects.
More home tours: Apartments | Small Homes | Colorful Homes | Contemporary Homes | Eclectic Homes | Farmhouses | Midcentury Homes | Modern Homes | Ranch Homes | Traditional Homes | Transitional Homes | All
Who lives here: Austin and Mel Holmes, with their dogs, Coco and Frankie
Location: Ukrainian Village neighborhood of Chicago
Size: 1,000 square feet (93 square meters); two bedrooms, one bathroom
Mel Holmes decorates her second-floor apartment in Chicago guided by authenticity and with a heart for entertaining — especially for the holidays. “Do what brings you joy. That is what the holidays are all about. Have fun with it!” says the stylist for Madewell and founder of local book club What Women Read. Mel and her husband, Austin, who is studying for his doctorate degree in molecular biology at Northwestern University, moved into their Ukrainian Village rental in early 2017 after living in an industrial loft in the West Loop.
At first, the couple were skeptical of how they would mesh their modern style with the 1875 building. They made some design updates, like adding molding detail, painting the walls a light pink in their bedroom, and adding black accent paint to the kitchen and dining room. “Now we are love with our home,” Mel says. “We love hosting and creating an environment that is full of love.”