I have a lovely tour of
Christmas decorated rooms in America
so fabulous for you today that I feel an
overwhelming obligation to caution you.
(That's Peter Vitale's timeless and tranquil
Santa Fe home above.)
Before you fall into a fit of envy or depression,
deciding your own less than stellar, humble home decor
is such a hopeless disaster and so laughingly shabby in
comparison to these that it would be better to:
 |
| Not the best alternative to holiday decorating |
You're so freakin wrong.
First of all, drop the explosives. Drop em.
You are most definitely not alone.
Decorating for Christmas can be a joy,
but it may also pain and pressure the bejeebs
out of you...I feel that.
Designing or decorating interiors in general
is an artful expression of you, your interests,
your travels, and your comforts, and not keeping up
or topping last year's success...so here's a reminder
to not buy into the lie and feel less than if you didn't have
the energy or funds to trim the tree or illumine
the house like a Griswold.
The Christmas holidays are often emotionally draining for
ultra-sensitive souls, and I hope you are hanging
in there, finding extra reserves of strength and...
this is terribly important...your sense of humor.
That said, if your sense of humor has gone missing too,
it's okay, the New Year is coming, and we're gonna be okay.
We're gonna press on!
First, visit my favorite sophisticated, French-influenced
Then catch your breath, as I whisk you away
to a mountain in Montana...
 |
| The Loveliest Christmas Decorated Rooms |
If you follow me on IG (@hellolovelystudio),
your jaw may have dropped when you glimpsed grams
of a few of these showstopping rooms of a ski house
in Montana's Yellowstone Club, called Halfway House,
designed by Ken Fulk and featured in Elle Decor.
Ohmilord.
Halfway House is a guest house (halfway down the slope)
for the home known as Sky High that
Fulk's clients own at the top of the mountain.
Fulk's chic designs within Halfway House
are packed with more personality and potential
for party-perfection than any guesthouse
I have seen.
Kitchen (above):
Range and hood are Thermador, custom island is cherry with oak butcher-block countertop, stools are Christian Liaigre, backsplash tiles are Pewabic Pottery,
and pendant lights are by Niche.
 |
| The Loveliest Christmas Decorated Rooms |
Ken Fulk is also a friend to the owners and
spends the holidays in Montana with them.
(I am done with painting abstracts.
I will be designing guest houses.)
Living Room
Sectional sofa and cable-knit rug are Ralph Lauren Home, barnwood cocktail table is a custom design, side table is Arteriors, and pair of ottomans found at Costco; pendant lights are by Moooi, and the curtains are of a Sandra Jordan alpaca.
Did you just read that the ottomans under the lights
by Moooi in the living room were found at Costco?
How much do we love that!!!!?
 |
| The Loveliest Christmas Decorated Rooms |
Outside
An outdoor fireplace is flanked by a pair of sheepskin-covered moose-antler
chairs; the table is made from an antique snowshoe, and the rug is buffalo hide.
 |
| The Loveliest Christmas Decorated Rooms |
Apparently, guests at Halfway House enjoy dance parties
and all sorts of festive shenanigans planned by Fulk,
so each of the guest rooms is outfitted
with a hangover recovery kit.
Bunk Room
Built-in bunk beds are dressed in Ralph Lauren Home linens, steer-horn chair is upholstered in leather from a vintage motorcycle jacket, and the rug is goat hair.
 |
| The Loveliest Christmas Decorated Rooms |
Are you loving all the blonde wood work
throughout this home?
And, please. A moment of silence for
this wallcovering...mercy.
Willy Nelson Guest Suite
Leather club chairs are 1920s English, love seat is by Cisco Home, cabinet is 19th-century Moorish, cocktail table is a custom design, and footstools are by Oly;
crystal chandelier is antique, wallcovering is from Sloan Miyasato,
carpet by Mark Nelson Designs is topped with a buffalo-hide rug,
and artworks are from the 19th century.
 |
| The Loveliest Christmas Decorated Rooms |
Entry
Turtle, a golden retriever, at the front door of Halfway House.
Keep repeating this mantra:
I WILL NOT BLOW UP MY HOUSE. I WILL NOT...
 |
| The Loveliest Christmas Decorated Rooms |
What would we be served here?
I'm craving macaroni and cheese.
Dining Area
Table, stool, ceiling light, and chairs (each of which is stenciled with the name of a famous partyer) are by Christian Liaigre; the flooring is reclaimed oak.
 |
| The Loveliest Christmas Decorated Rooms |
I need to post more handsome rooms
like this on Hello Lovely for balance.
Elvis Suite
A steel bed by Room & Board is paired with a 1920s leather sofa; bed linens and side tables are Ralph Lauren Home, ceiling light is Maarten Baas, and wallpaper
is by Phillip Jeffries.
Wow. What a fantasy location to spend the holidays.
Let's jet across the country to Virginia
and visit a dreamy home oozing with traditional,
natural, and low-key charm that so easy to to love.
(All images that follow are from
Traditional Home and Veranda magazines.)
 |
| The Loveliest Christmas Decorated Rooms |
The palette is so divine, I feel woozy.
And I spy a blog friend's elegant handpicked
Swedish finds in this beautiful home...
 |
| The Loveliest Christmas Decorated Rooms |
Isn't the exterior a lovely sight to behold?
 |
| The Loveliest Christmas Decorated Rooms |
Such a treasure!
Let's trot over to Greenwich, Connecticut
for a visual French feast.
 |
| The Loveliest Christmas Decorated Rooms |
Oui?
And let's head next to Tennessee...
I love Tennessee!
 |
| The Loveliest Christmas Decorated Rooms |
This home with all its blues, grays, and lavender
feels like heaven on earth.
 |
| The Loveliest Christmas Decorated Rooms |
 |
| The Loveliest Christmas Decorated Rooms |
 |
| The Loveliest Christmas Decorated Rooms |
Is the soft-lovely of the decor comforting, or what?
Also in the South, how about a stop in Georgia
for a party in a rustic barn ?
 |
| The Loveliest Christmas Decorated Rooms |
 |
| The Loveliest Christmas Decorated Rooms |
Who says rustic and elegant are mutually exclusive?
Look at these natural details...
 |
| The Loveliest Christmas Decorated Rooms |
I can imagine eating peppermint ice cream here
with the fragrance of all that rosemary swirling
through the holiday air.
While we're in Georgia, let's pop by another
country house decorated impeccably.
 |
| The Loveliest Christmas Decorated Rooms |
The lovely above seems fittingly lovely
for every single holiday inspiration board on Earth
in the Milky Way.
 |
| The Loveliest Christmas Decorated Rooms |
I'm so awed.
Let's get warmed by a designer's fire as we venture
North to Allesandra Branca's Manhattan home.
 |
| The Loveliest Christmas Decorated Rooms |
Then we can be charmed by this cozy cottage
in the Poconos.
 |
| The Loveliest Christmas Decorated Rooms |
 |
| The Loveliest Christmas Decorated Rooms |
 |
| The Loveliest Christmas Decorated Rooms |
More Christmas cheer in the East...
at the Woodstock Inn in Vermont,
 |
| The Loveliest Christmas Decorated Rooms |
and this gorgeous Pennsylvania home:
 |
| The Loveliest Christmas Decorated Rooms |
Time to head West!
First, a stop at a gorgeous bungalow
in Dallas (Lisa Luby Ryan).
 |
| The Loveliest Christmas Decorated Rooms |
Then we'll hop over to Aerin Lauder's place
in the Rocky Mountains...
 |
| The Loveliest Christmas Decorated Rooms |
before ending our journey at
Mary McDonald's Beverly Hills home
where we'll snap a selfie in front of her
peacock-topped tree.
 |
| The Loveliest Christmas Decorated Rooms |
Wasn't that an amazing tour of beautiful
homes decorated for Christmas and the holidays?
Hello Lovely, holiday goodness!
Find it in abundance in these posts:
