D E C E M B E R 2 0 0 9T H E C O M P L E T E R E S O U R C E M A G A Z I N E F O R Y O U R H O M E D E C E M B E R 2 0 0 9T H E C O M P L E T E R E S O U R C E M A G A Z I N E F O R Y O U R H O M E

H O U S T O NH O U S T O N

S P E C I A L I N S E R T : 2 0 1 0 K I T C H E N & B AT H P L A N N I N G G U I D E

Cheers, Dear!TOP HOLIDAY DESIGNER DECORATES HERFAMILY’S HOME IN FRIENDSWOOD

Cheers, Dear!

house& home | December 2009 | house and home on l ine . com2

May your Holidays be Merry

and Bright!

473 Sawdust Road • The Woodlands, TX 77380 • 281.419.0419• www.woodlandsfabrics.com

Holiday Open House: Dec 8-24Holiday Open House: December 8th-24thPresent this ad for a FREE Holiday Gift*

Special Savings on Holiday Decor!Refreshments, drawings, raffles and more!

*While Supplies Last.

New Santa! Lighted, musical,revolving scene.

Incredible Price! $349.99

314 E. 11th Street (The Heights) • 713.861.3551 • www.CandDhardware.com

Introducing the new Traeger Junior BBQ055, our most affordable Traeger pellet grill yet! Perfectly sized for small households, tailgating, college living

and as a second grill for your vacation home.The Junior features

292 square inches of cooking surface, along with our Auto-startand E-Z drain grease systems, theJunior is a perfect introduction

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C&DHardware & Gifts

Get in the Holiday Spirit at C&D

FULL LINE HARDWARE STOREUNIQUE DECOR & GIFTS

Velvet-Lined KeepsakeMusic boxesImage can be replaced with your own photo to create a treasured heirloom.Melodies vary

Huge selection of ornaments to adorn your tree or delightsomeone else

Shown from our extensive collection by renowned artistJim Shore

For the Wine EnthusiastUnique serving pieces made from retired wine barrels. Also wine stoppers,humorous goblets, accessories and more!

3

When you think about the holidays... think Eklektik Interiors

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Eklektik Interiors has been named among the top 50 Best and Brightest Retail Stars Nationally for 2009.

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Home designed by Eklektik Interiors

Home designed by Eklektik Interiors

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house& home | December 2009 | house and home on l ine . com6

7

contentsdepartments

DECEMBER 2009 | Vol. 14 Issue 12

20

features

81214

24

3428

On the CoverTwo dear deer on the grand piano of Bill andNeda Dorsett welcome holiday visitors. TheDorsett’s daughter-in-law, Regina Dorsett ofTwins Design Christmas bought the deer forthe couple because the deer reminded her ofthem. See other decorations she chose fortheir Friendswood home on Page 20. Photography by Miro Dvorscak.

Christmas Chic Regina Dorsett of Twins DesignChristmas decks the halls of her in-laws’ home in non-tradi-tional colors

SPECIAL INSERT:2010 Kitchen & BathPlanning Guide14

20

Editor’s Note

Around Town

Handbook:Designer Rugs

DIY Decorating: Tropical Holidays It’ll be a Tommy Bahama Christmas at the Arens’ home this year

Pet of the Month: Cupid

Gardening: Winterize your garden—and remember the birds

house& home | December 2009 | house and home on l ine . com8

PUBLISHER ....................Mike Harrison, Ph.D.

ASSOCIATE PUBLISHER ......Susie Reisenbigler

EDITOR ........................................Linda Barth

CONTRIBUTING WRITERS ..........Holly Beretto,

Debi Bryant, Steve Huddleston, Joetta Moulden

ART DIRECTOR ..........................Robert Coplin

CREATIVE SERVICES DIRECTOR ..Tim Beeson

CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHERS

.......................... Miro Dvorscak, Janet Lenzen

SENIOR ACCOUNT EXECUTIVES

..............................................Frances Dowling

ACCOUNT EXECUTIVE

....................................................Lisa Kindred

INSIDE SALES ....................Kim Schwenk Tees

PRINTING ..........................DROR International

Blue Thumb Inc., dba Houston House &Home ("HH&H"), is a news magazine withemphasis on interior design and remodeling.HH&H does not knowingly accept false ormisleading advertising or editorial content,nor does HH&H or its staff assume responsi-bility should such advertising or editorial con-tent appear in any publication.

HH&H has not independently tested anyservices or products advertised herein andhas not verified claims made by its advertis-ers regarding those services or products.HH&H makes no warranties or representa-tions and assumes no liability for any claimsregarding those services or products orclaims made by advertisers. Readers areadvised to consult with the advertiser and/orother home repair and renovation profession-als regarding the suitability of an advertiser'sproducts.

No reproduction is permitted without thewritten consent of the Publisher. Copyright2009, all rights reserved. Subscriptionsavailable for home delivery at a cost of $25per year.

P.O. Box 701038Houston, Texas 77270-1038

(713) 523-6523

editor’s note

H O U S T O N

Where Regina Dorsett findsthe unusual Christmasornaments she sells in her

shop in the Heights, Twins DesignChristmas, I do not know. I just knowthat she always finds fresh and unusualornaments to sell every year. Just whenyou think you’ve seen every metallicglass ball on earth, she comes up withthe unusual—a new color, a new scale,a new shape.

So when I learned she had a spiffynew color scheme for her in-laws’house, I knew we wanted to feature it as our cover story for the holidaysthis year.

Regina understands scale, and ifyou have a tall Christmas tree, it needsfairly large ornaments at the bottom ofthe tree. I happen to like real fir treesbecause the scent, for me, is part ofChristmas, and I’m fortunate to have12-foot ceilings so I can have a talltree. The only place I could find largeornamental balls for the bottombranches of my tree was at Regina’sshop. They make the tree look impor-tant: Santa Claus is coming to town,bay-bee! Plus, the 8-inch in diameterballs look like metallic glass, but they’replastic, so when Sox the cat makes herannual attempt to climb the Christmastree, the ornaments don’t break.

Missing in action this year and lastyear lamentably is the little flower shopon Fannin St. that used to carry longboughs of native Texas holly,

Ilex decidua, also known as Possum-haw. If anybody knows where I canpurchase some in Houston, please letme know. It’s the most beautiful holi-day plant and deeply Texan. The whitebranches lose their leaves in December,and the red berries stay. You only needa few branches in a tall glass vase tohave an abundance of red and whitenatural beauty in your home.

We always had a Possumhaw tree atthe gate to our family farm a couple ofhours outside Houston, and every timewe drove by it in the winter, my fatherwould say “Christmas berries.” He’slong departed now, but I still hear hisvoice saying, “Christmas berries” whenI see Possumhaw. Let’s just say I’mhopelessly sappy about Ilex decidua.

And I’m feeling a bit sentimentalabout our Pet of the Month columnfor the Houston SPCA. Last month,we featured Chico, an 11-year-oldAustralian Shepherd whose family lefthim at the SPCA because theythought he was getting too old.Hundreds of Houstonians calledSPCA offering to adopt Chico, andhe’s found a warm and happy home.Thank you, Houston. Now don’t for-get Cupid—she’s our Pet this month,and she needs new digs, too.

Here’s wishing you all a warm andhappy home for the holidays.

Space Man Home & Officewww.SpaceManager.com713.688.8808Free In-Home Design ConsultationVisit our expanded showroom at:3556 West T.C. Jester • Houston

*Offer expires 12-30-09.

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house& home | December 2009 | house and home on l ine . com10

281.356.216831909 Decker Industrial CirclePinehurst, TXwww.texaspitcrafters.com

Barbecue pits and smokers, stainlesssteel gas grills – all handcrafted for a lifetime of grilling enjoyment and great Texas BBQ.

We carry the latest fashions in clothing andaccessories. We also specialize in custommade furniture. Bring in your measurements.

We’ll provide a quote.

1535 Yale Street (the Heights)713.426.5284

Ja-Vi Boutique& Custom Made Furniture

3515 FanninHouston, TX 77004713-522-6547www.adkinsantiques.com

Houston’s most unique shoppingexperience. Salvage and reproduc-tion elements for the home and garden. Open 7 days.

Beautiful holiday frames handmade inHouston by Marye-Kelley. These uniqueframes will be cherished for many years.Personalization available.

713-524-04592515 Morse Streetwww.marye-kelley.com

We carry investment quality antiquesincluding glassware, pottery, furniture,flow blue, crystal and many out of printbooks. Large selection of Trapp candles,top hats, and canes.

2212 Ships Mechanic Row Galveston, TX 77550409-762-0559

Big House Antiques

713.785.1900 3003 Fondren 281.332.4477 20810 I-45 S. (Webster)936.271.0000 19053 I-45 N. (Woodlands)

Hearth Rugs– perfect gift that warmsthe hearth! Available through RobertsCarpet & Fine Floors’ Rug Gallerylocations. www.robertscarpet.com

making way for the new masterpieces ofthe art of furniture making — SELVA —Italian crafted fine furnishings

16720 Champion Forest Drive • Spring281.379.2755www.eklektikinteriors.com

A wonderful selection of

quality Early American Antiques, IndonesianFurniture, Accessories, Fine Art and Artifactsfrom around the world.

25915 Budde Rd • The Woodlands, Tx(281) 419-4300 www.uniquepieces.net

RReettrroo PPeeddaall CCaarrss && TTrriiccyycclleessPink Jalopy-Sale Price $19999

Also available by special order: Fire Truck, Airplane, Train, Tricycle.Prices vary.

C&DHardware & Gifts

314 E. 11th Street (The Heights)713.861.3551www.CandDhardware.com

11

15635 FM 2920, Tomball281.351.8851 www.arborgate.com

A Perfect Pear– pear-based organicextra virgin olive oil & balsamic vine-gar. Once tasted, you won’t be ableto cook without them. Come seethese and other treasures.

The Arbor Gate

Peterson gas logs are the most realistic fireplace logs available today. Visit

RealGasLogs.comfor more information, your local dealer & discount voucher.

Flags, poles, and windsocks make great gifts. Make your own custom flag. Just send us a picture! NFL, NBA, MLB and College flags for the sports fan in your life.

713.461.1153 • 1517 Blalock Rd.www.moneymakersflags.com

MONEY MAKERS FLAGS

Searching for a perfect gift for thatspecial someone

on your list? Stop in Woodlands Fabrics &Interiors for a unique selection of great giftitems including decorative photo frames, deskaccessories and beautiful candles. Beautifullywrapped Gift Certificates are also available.

473 Sawdust Road • The Woodlands281-419-0419www.woodlandsfabrics.com

Country French & European primitives and accessories. Unique items at greatprices for the savvy shopper.

208 McCown, Montgomery, TXWednesday - Saturday 10:00 - 5:00Sunday 12:00 - 5:00936-444-3248

Savvy Antiques & Décor

3801 Kirby Drive. Suite 109Houston, TX 77098713.725.1703texaswineandcattlecompany.com

Great Holiday Gift!

The LightingGallery offers the largest selection of

fine lighting fixtures, crystal chandeliers and ceiling fans. We also offer a beautifulselection of unusual artwork, mirrors andlamps. Let one of our lighting consultantsenlighten your home.

281.444.92996265 FM 1960 West

Lighting Your Way® Since 1974

$20 Gifts• CD by Danny Wright–

Real Romance• Island Privateer scented candle

$200 - $300• Civil War Prints and Maps

of Galveston

2214 Postoffice • Galveston409-795-1454

The Nonus CollectionOffering a complete selection of all-natural steaks, Nolan Ryanmerchandise and gift packages for beef and baseball lovers for the holidays!

1-877-99-NOLAN (66526)(866) 282-7648 Faxcustomerservice@nolanryanbeef.comwww.nolanryansteaks.com

Nolan Ryan's All Natural Beef

lights and more lightsYuletide: Holiday Time at Bayou Bendthrough Jan. 3 features festive lights,decorations, and Candlelight tours out-side, and special room settings insidethat bring historic American celebrationsto life. This year, Bayou Bend is revivingfavorite holiday-themed rooms. From acelebration of the first national day ofThanksgiving in 1789, to a Twelfth-Nightanniversary dinner with George andMarsha Washington, to a 1950s HoustonChristmas, Holiday Time at Bayou Bendwill be an especially festive stroll through250 years of history. Candlelight toursare Dec. 3, 4, 10, 11, 17 & 18 from 5 to7 p.m. Admission is $7.50 for adults,and $5 for students 18+ and seniors age65 + with ID. Children 17 and under arefree. No reservations are required. BayouBend’s Holiday Festival, with songs andholiday crafts, is Dec. 20. Information:713.639.7758.

Downtown’s Holiday Spectacular will lastthrough New Years Eve. Main StreetSquare, downtown’s pedestrian plaza andretail core, will be illuminated with pepper-mint sticks, snowflakes and 25-footholiday trees while Discovery Green willbe transformed into a winter wonderlandwith an outdoor ice skating rink.Information: www.houstondowntown.com

In Galveston, the 8th Annual MoodyGardens Festival of Lights runs throughJan. 2. Tickets are $5.95. Information:1.800.582.4673 or www.moodygar-dens.com

The 36th Annual Dickens on the Strand,Dec. 5-6, is Galveston’s holiday festivalwhere bobbies, Beefeaters and theQueen herself will be on hand to recreatethe Victorian London of Charles Dickens.Ticket information: 1.409.765.7834 orwww.dickensonthestrand.org.

eventsOn Dec. 4, 6-10 p.m., stroll 19th Streetin Houston’s historic downtown Heights,as the 19th Street Merchants presenttheir annual Holiday on 19th celebration.Enjoy food and refreshments, strollingcarolers, live music and more. Shops are located on 19th Street betweenShepherd and Yale, exit from I-10 or Loop 610.

Seven Houston Heights homes go ontour for Home for the Holidays, the 2009Houston Heights Association HolidayHome Tour, Dec. 4-5. Tour hours Dec. 4are 6-9 p.m.; Dec. 5, 3 – 9 p.m. Ticketsare $20 for all seven homes or $5 foreach individual home and are available atthe Heights Fire Station, 107 W. 12thand Yale. Information: 713.861.4002,Ext. 7 or www.houstonheights.org.

Mistletoe Madness on Dec. 5, 12 noonto 6 p.m. showcases Heights shops,artists and businesses. Art and liveentertainment will be on hand throughoutthe day and retail shops, restaurants, gal-leries and sponsor businesses will beopen for visiting and shopping throughoutthe area’s many tree-lined, holiday-deco-rated thoroughfares. Information:www.heightsmistletoemadness.com

Enjoy free food, fun, music and merri-ment at Arbor Gate’s Christmas OpenHouse on Dec. 5, 4 – 7 p.m. at15635 FM 2920 Road, Tomball. Information: 281.351.8851.

Neiman Marcus and the Houston DesignCenter present festive holiday tabletopsfeaturing the latest in tabletop trends atNeiman Marcus and the Houston DesignCenter Showrooms Dec. 8 – 11, 11 a.m.to 4 p.m. Tours are open to the public inboth locations and are complimentary.Neiman Marcus will present TheFabulous & Fantastical, Holiday TabletopTrends ’09 at the Houston Design Centeron Tuesday Dec. 8, 11:30 a.m. in theCharlotte Nail Antiques showroom.Reservations required. Information:www.thehoustondesigncenter or713.864.2660.

At Discovery Green park downtown, 1500McKinney St., through Dec. 31 see CoolGlobes: Hot Ideas for a Cool Planet, aninstallation of 50 globes by local andinternational artists that depict everydaysolutions for global warming. Information:www.discoverygreen.com or www.cool-globes.com

exhibitsYour Bright Future: 12 ContemporaryArtist from Korea, the first major muse-um exhibition in the continental UnitedStates in almost two decades to focus oncontemporary art from South Korea, fea-tures a generation of artists who work onthe cutting-edge of international arttrends and within a distinctly Korean con-text. At the Museum of Fine Arts,Houston, 5601 Main St., through Feb.14. Information: 713.639.7300 orwww.mfah.org.

Artful Appointments, a series of paint-ings and art furnishings by New Orleansexpressionist painter Ashley Longshore,opens Dec. 9 at the Laura U Collection,1840 Westheimer. Longshore’s work willbe available exclusively in Houstonthrough the Laura U Collection until nextspring when Longshore launches a line ofchairs nationally with retailerAnthropologie. Information:713.522.0855 or www.laurau.com

what’s newKaren Derr & Associates Realty, purchased in 2008 by long-time, top-producing agent Bill Baldwin, isrenaming the firm to Boulevard Realty.With two offices, 51 independent agents,6 staff people and more than 100 millionin sales for 2009, the firm is one of thetop grossing real estate agencies inHouston. Boulevard Realty has officesat 1545 Heights Boulevard and 1401 Post Office in Galveston. Information: 713.862.1600 or www.yourblvd.com.

house& home | December 2009 | house and home on l ine . com12

December 2009around town

Paparrazzi chairs by Ashley Longshore at The Laura U Collection.

Yuletide: Holiday Time at Bayou Bend. At the MFAH’s Your Bright Future exhibit:“Site of Desire” by Choi Jeong-hwa,2005. Red plastic baskets. VeniceBiennale, Venice, Italy © Choi Jeong-hwa

13

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CUSTOM RUG SOURCE“More Than Just A Carpet Store”

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house& home | December 2009 | house and home on l ine . com14

Need to spark up a room? Consider designer rugs. “Designer rugs are statement pieces and thus conversation pieces,”

asserts Valerie Roberts, co-owner of Roberts Carpet & Fine Floors. Says Kirsten Lundquist, manager at Kuhl-Linscomb, “A designer

rug is a piece of art and it’s usually the first thing a person notices uponentering a space. It has a sense of color, design and balance. It sets themood and tone of the room.”

DESIGNERS CHOICELois Snider, president of The Great Rug Co., points out, “With rugs,trends change and so do colors.” Right now, she likes the Royal Manorcollection by Paul Burrell, former butler to Princess Diana. It includes arange of classic rug patterns in hand-knotted wool that evoke therelaxed elegance of English country homes. She also offers the three col-lections of Paula Deen, Food Network star and authority on graciousSouthern living, in fashion-forward colors by Kaleen.

From Lundquist and the modern furniture team at Kuhl-Linscomb:“We love the rugs designed by Eileen Gray and Ron Arad. They aredefinitely some of our favorites. Eileen Gray’s rugs all capture the ArtDeco movement at its finest time. Her designs are endlessly mim-icked and are truly inspirational. Do Lo Rez from Ron Arad by NaniMarquina is another fantastic example. This rug has a unique pixilat-ed composition from an innovative designer.”

Designer rugs—get your wow factor hereRazzmatazz

handbook

By DEBI BRYANT

TOP LEFT: Ikea’s

Stockholm Figur rug by

Anna Sorensson is hand-

knotted pure pile wool.

TOP RIGHT: The Lusy

Blom floral rug is by Cilla

Ramnek for Ikea. The

striped rug is by designer

Synnove Mork.

LEFT: Rug from the Andy

Warhol collection avail-

able through Roberts

Carpet & Fine Floors.

15

PROFESSIONAL REUPHOLSTERY

11330 Northwest FreewayHouston, TX 77092(290 West b/t 34th & Antoine)713.957.0003 Phone713.957.1450 faxM-F 10-7 • Sat 10-6

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house& home | December 2009 | house and home on l ine . com16

handbook | DESIGNER RUGS

RIGHT: Do Lo Rez from Ron Arad by

Nani Marquina, available through

Kuhl-Linscomb.

Before You BuyWith so many great designer rug choicesout there, we asked the design team atKuhl-Linscomb, “Where do you star t?”

They say ask yourself the following questions:

• How does the rug feel when you touch it?

• Finishing details are ver y impor tant. Are the edges

bound, stitched or left open? Are the materials natural

or man-made?

• How is the rug to be used? What is its function? Will

the rug you select hold up well in the intended area? Is

it easy to maintain?

• What is your budget? Apply your needs to your

selected price options.

Roberts says, “The Kathy Ireland First Lady collections are some ofour most popular collections. The name First Lady is taken from Kathy’sbelief that every woman deserves to be a first lady in her own home.”

Roberts also offers the many island-inspired creations of TommyBahama that have tropical, sun-washed colors for kitchens, family roomsand beach houses. She also likes the Liz Claiborne black floral on a creambackground with faux silk accents that looks luscious in a black and whitedécor. And she carries rugs from the Andy Warhol collection based onWarhol’s library of more than 100,000 works of art.

Ikea has many selections including an all-wool rug called Andrea bydesigner Jon Eliason in soothing gray tones and Kajsa Träd, a wool blenddesign by Anna Salander in a green and gray patternthat would make Matisse proud.

DISTINCTIVELY YOU“Most designer rug companies allowyou to customize your selection basedon your needs, therefore making themtruly unique for you,” Lundquist says.

Snider advises her clients, “Buy arug not only for its color but for itsability to be used in several rooms inthe years to come. Think long-term so that you can maximizeyour pleasure from this purchase.”

Eclipse, available through Great Rug Company.Aria, a sculpted rug from the Great Rug Company. Aria rug with rust-colored accent, availablethrough the Great Rug Company.

17

4321 West Sam Houston Tollway N. • Suite 180(Clay exit either way)

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Story by Holly Beretto • Photography by Miro Dvorscak

The first thing you notice when you come up the walk of Bill and Neda Dorsett’sFriendswood home is the garland of bright greens, blues and pinks framing thewrought-iron trimmed doors. This Christmas décor is as far from the traditional,red-and-green design theme as you can get. But don’t think that means theDorsetts don’t have the Christmas spirit.

Their holiday home decoration boasts elements customdesigned for the space, with colors and accents meant to high-light the house’s pseudo-Palm Beach Mediterranean style whileincorporating some of Neda’s special collections.

“It’s an amazing house,” says designer Regina Dorsett who isalso Bill and Neda’s daughter-in-law. She’s a design veteran withmore than 20 years experience, specializing in fall and holidaydécor. Her shop, Twins Design Christmas, at 5005 Larkin inthe Heights (open from October to December each year) isawash in garlands, baskets, glass ornaments, life-size sculptures,ribbons, plants and everything else you need to create the per-fect holiday look for your home. Regina has been doing her in-laws’ Christmas décor for the last four years.

“They had moved from a 5,000-square-foot home to an18,000-square-foot home,” says Regina. “Their old house was

very Victorian, and this one is much more upscale and open. Sothe design elements for the holidays had to go from traditionalthemes to more elegant and contemporary.”

DECORATIONS TAILORED TO EACH ROOMRegina started by tailoring each design element to the individ-ual rooms. Right inside the front doorway, you’re greeted by apastel-colored Nutcracker-esque soldier, standing sentinel witha candy cane for a sword and melting “ice cream” epaulets. Hiscoloring complements the foyer’s Christmas tree festooned withribbon and ornaments and shimmering with strings of whitelights.

The custom Christmas design continues in the transition toa long gallery with French doors and a high arched door thatgives a tantalizing glimpse of a large curved staircase. Here, on

CHRISTMAS CHIC

ABOVE: Inside the front door, a solder decked inpastel uniform with candy buttons and ice creamepaulets stands guard.

OPPOSITE: Not your usual Christmas colors: Pink and blue,rather than red and green, define this Palm Beach/Mediterranean style home decorated by Regina Dorsett ofTwins Design Christmas.

house& home | December 2009 | house and home on l ine . com22

the staircase, Regina used garland and ornament touches, nestling hergold-trimmed ribbons and glass balls among the greenery. Huge magen-ta-toned flowers accent the garland that winds up the staircase, withbright, rich red ornaments added in the mix. It pairs perfectly with thecurling flowers painted on the walls and the small stool tucked in the arch-way adjacent to the staircase.

Just beyond the foyer’s Christmas tree, is the entrance to the formal liv-ing room, where Regina went with a blue and green theme, shot throughwith bursts of pink and magenta. The chill blue and chartreuse play offthe gold edging on the fireplace screen and mirror frame and on the dec-orative gold painting on the ceiling by Anything But Plain.

The deeper colors in the décor also coordinate with the lighter, airytones in the blue-and-green chaise chairs. The silver dish of ornaments onthe table combines the bright greens and magenta, something Regina saysresonates throughout the house.

Regina used those style elements as she went about planning how touse contemporary colors in her Christmas designs. One way she did sowas to place 15 trees throughout the home, and she said she was excitedabout the opportunities that provided for decoration.

“One tree is all white and soft pink,” she says. “And it was a perfectshowcase to the room. Pink is actually a huge color this holiday season, sothis was a great way to custom-tailor the design to mom’s house and incor-porate some up-to-date trends.”

COLOR TRENDSIn addition to seeking touches that would evoke the home’s grace andstyle, Regina says color is an important component to everything shedoes. She’s seeing silver make a comeback in holiday decorating trends,but advises it’s more of a pewter tone, not the bright shimmery silver youmight be used to.

“I haven’t used silver in so many years,” she muses. “And then, I foundthese perfect silver ornaments. They’re crystal balls and just a sheer, sheerpewter tone.”

She recommends pairing silver tones with coppers, something she pre-dicts will be a fantastic combination for the next couple of years. Gold isanother perfect holiday color, one Regina calls classic, and her eye for styleand coordinating with this timeless hue is evident all across her in-laws’home.

Every element of the Christmas decoration was hand-selected byRegina from markets in Atlanta and New York. She’s especially fond ofthe garlands she used along mantelpieces, up staircases and along door-ways and windows. In addition to Regina’s contemporary touch, there areseveral traditional objects used in the mix.

“There’s an amazing nativity on the mantel in the family room,”Regina says. “I used soft blues in it and there is an animal print on the rib-bon I put into the garland, and those colors blend beautifully.

She also made sure to use pieces of her mother-in-law’s collection of

ABOVE: The home’s main gallery overlooks the front patio while an arched door reveals a glimpse of a fanciful curved stairway.

23

Santas and dolls, places them on mantelpieces,in the kitchen, and on top of cabinets andarmoires. The idea was to create a space wherethe Christmas cheer was in evidence all over thehome, not simply in the more public rooms.

“It’s so great to walk into this house,” saysRegina, noting that the décor is both inviting,but elegantly upscale.

And, in a reminder that the holidays areabout family, the Dorsett house is truly a familyaffair. Regina’s twin sister, Janet Gust, designedthe home, and Regina genuinely enjoyed incor-porating her mother-in-law’s collections into thedécor.

“It’s just beautiful,” Regina says.

ABOVE: On the staircase, Regina used garlands and ornaments,nestling gold-trimmed ribbons, glass balls and rich, red ornamentsamong the greenery. The garland pairs perfectly with the curlingflowers painted on the walls.

LEFT: A simple garland threaded with pink andblue ribbon brings holiday cheer to this view ofthe Dorsetts’ house from the front portico.

RIGHT: For the kitchen, Neda has a collectionof Santas who cook.

ABOVE: The main living room is furnished in blue and green fabricswith fuschia accents, so the fireplace garland keys off those colors.Decorative painting on the ceiling is by Anything But Plain.

house& home | December 2009 | house and home on l ine . com24

NON-TRADITIONAL DECORATIONSFOR A HOUSTON L IV ING ROOM

Marian Arens first contacted me when she lived in anotherhome and was trying to decide whether to remodel or sellto achieve the more casual tropical look she and husbandDick wanted. After our meeting, the couple decided to buya newer one-story home with lots of windows, to whichthey added a swimming pool surrounded by palm trees.

diy decorating

By JOETTA MOULDEN • Photography by JANET LENZEN

BeforeBeforeA mix of traditional furniture styles was not giving the living room the tropical look the ownerswanted. The bare tile floors echoed and the white ceiling did not make the room feel cozy.

After Earthy accessories, a seagrass rug, new lighting, sofa and chairs and custom table skirt work with the existing coffee table and artwork. The leather chair was moved to

the master bedroom. The owners asked for a “Tommy Bahama” Christmas; most Christmas decorations are from China Silks and Mirage Floral.

Happy Tropical Holidays

After

25

The Arenses wanted to start fresh in their new home and establish anoverall design plan before buying any new furniture. “I know you try toreuse existing furniture and accessories in new ways, and that’s exactly whatwe needed,” Marian explains. (See their various tropical-themed rooms inHouse & Home’s “DIY Decorating” columns: June 2007; April, 2008;April, 2009.)

Since they were happy with the wall color (Lowe’s Laura Ashley LA609Taupe 3), I suggested they continue the color onto the sloped ceiling andeither paint (same taupe) or replace their white ceiling fans. Marian wasnot sure the paint would have much impact. “Painting the slanted anglesof the ceiling made the biggest difference in the overall appearance of theroom. It really opened up the space and made the room appear much larg-er,” Marian says. The couple opted to replace the ceiling fans, which madethe room look newer and fresher.

tip>Consider painting sloped ceilings the same color as thewalls to minimize the “line of demarcation” where the

wall meets the ceiling, which will make the room look taller. My task was to direct Marian to find furniture, fabrics and accessories

and to establish a tropical color scheme, furniture placement and lightingplans for the room. They wanted this home to have a casual, relaxedatmosphere and knew the seating needed to be replaced.

THE PLANMy design intern Mary Johnson and I created a furniture layout and light-ing plan for the relaxed open floorplan, deciding in advance the correctsizes of furniture to shop for. Since Marian is a fantastic shopper, she gath-ered several fabric choices for me to look at, including an animal print shehad fallen in love with but was not sure she could use on the matchingRed Barn Furniture chairs and ottoman by the fireplace. I talked her intousing it. The fabric tied in beautifully with the neutral gold, custom-orderStar Furniture sofa we shopped for and the dramatic Massoud fabric fromGlick Textiles Fabric Warehouse (also used in the dining room down thehall) that my workroom sewed into throw pillows.

tip>When shopping for furniture and rugs, take your paintchips and all of your fabric samples with you and lay

them directly on top of the items you are considering. They shouldall be ‘happy’ together.

A large 9- by 12-foot inexpensive seagrass “Seascape” rug fromwww.homedecorators.com not only anchored the seating area and reducedthe room’s noise level, it added to the tropical feeling they wanted.

Marian had already had purchased the large orchid painting from Stein Mart for the space above the fireplace, and I suggested she find twovertical pieces of art for each side of the media niche. I wrote down meas-urements of exactly how large and where to hang the tropical leather pan-els she found at Open Window Designs (since she wanted to do that her-self and use my time for the “big picture”).

tip>Artwork is the ideal way to add a tropical mood to aroom and give you more bang for your buck.

The existing coffee table was reused and restyled with a woven Cost PlusWorld Market bowl filled with tropical fruits from Mirage Floral. I sug-gested Marian reuse but enlarge the top of her skirted table and add acoordinating tailored skirt my workroom made, which hides the sub-woofer.

tip>The sound from the subwoofer easily comesthrough the pleated, round table skirt fabric, and

the skirt hides the unattractive black box.

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• Establish an overall plan before youstart buying furniture. Don’t discardanything until a professional sees if itcan be integrated into your plan.• Money saved on a seagrass ruginstead of buying a more expensiverug can easily pay for design services.• Eliminate costly mistakes. Hire anobjective professional to help youstay within your budget and add thou-sands to your resale value.• Sometimes the most effective strategy is to not buy more furnitureand accessories, but to rethink thepieces that are already paid for.

trade secretsJOETTA MOULDEN offers home makeovers usingyour own home furnishings to create the home you’vealways dreamed of. Joetta believes your pieces collectedthrough the years reflect your personality and can beartfully arranged. Her ability to focus on your personalstyle and not let her own preferences influence thedesign of your home makes her unique. See moremakeovers on her Web site at www.shelterstyle.com, e-mail her at joetta@shelterstyle.com or call713.461.2063. If an initial appointment referral isbooked by December 31, a 15 percent first meeting dis-count will be given. Shelterstyle.com holds a "Pages ofHappiness" rating and, for the third consecutive year, a“Super Service Award” presented to 5 percent of companies that achieve and maintain a superior ratingon www.angieslist.com.

BREAKFAST ROOMIn the adjoining breakfast room, Marianfound a round table and chairs from Star Furniture and the smaller palm wasmoved from the living room into thecorner. Palm prints from Marshalls were hung on the wall and garage salemetal pieces were added above them forinterest.

Since this was the first holiday sea-son in the new room, my design assis-tant Dorenda Longoria and I decoratedthe room for Marian, focusing on themantel, tabletops and the windows.(When beginning holiday decorating,make sure the backgrounds and furni-ture placements are correct first. Theroom should look fantastic after the sea-sonal decorations are put away.)

tip>The idea is to make yourhome look and smell as

fragrant, festive and candlelit aspossible … to literally ooze holidayfestivity. To accomplish this, you mustexaggerate what you would normally doin order for the decorations to look fulland festive.

“We wanted non-traditionalChristmas decorations that would com-plement the relaxed tropical feeling inthe house. Using silk orchids and vinesand coppery ribbons, you and Dorendaaccomplished that,” Marian says. “Thefinished look is great, the room is com-fortable and the setting provides a greatbackdrop for our relaxed entertain-ing style, whatever the season.”

diy decorating | BORROWED SPACE

After

After A less formal, friendlier, round table and matching chairs from Star Furniture and a Hunter

ceiling fan fit the spacious breakfast room. The palm from the living room was moved into this space.

BeforeThe game table was notdecorative or largeenough for the spaciousbreakfast room with itsnew palm prints fromMarshalls. The old tableset was repurposed toDick’s home office.

After (Below)An entertainment centerfrom Star Furnitureorganizes media equip-ment. The space wastransformed by addingpaint, black vases fromMarshalls, silk pussywillows and fruit fromMirage Floral and a pairof tropical leather. Alarge silk palm fromChina Silks is more pro-portional.

Before

After

27

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house& home | December 2009 | house and home on l ine . com34

By STEVE HUDDLESTON

Beautyberry. Photo by Robert H. Mohlenbrock, USDA-NRCS Plants Database

Hang up a finch feeder and fill it with thistle to attract American goldfinches this winter.

Photo by G. Bailey/VIREO

gardening

The month of December offers wonderful opportunities to close out one gardening season and to prepare for the next. Many gardening activities at this time focuson winterizing the garden by preparing it for the dormantmonths ahead. Let’s take a look at what we can do toprepare for winter.

FALL CLEANUPNow is a good time to perform general cleanup in the garden. If you haven’talready done so, start a compost pile. Select a spot in the “service area” of yourlandscape and construct a composting system that suits your purposes. Use yourcompost pile to recycle all the organic debris removed from your landscape thisfall. Remove tops of spent perennials (unless, of course, you want to leave seedheads in tact as a source of food for birds this winter). Remove debris fromflowerbeds. Remove fallen leaves from the lawn. With a catcher attached to yourlawn mower, mow over and collect the shredded leaves and add them to thecompost pile or use them as mulch in beds. Or you might want to rake yourleaves into piles and send them through a chipper/shredder. Either way, chippedleaves make better mulch than whole leaves since the latter tend to mat downand prevent rainfall from penetrating to the soil below. One other place youmight want to deposit your leaf and other organic matter is in the vegetable garden. After doing so, rototill the organic matter into the garden to a depth of8 feet to 10 feet. Then let the garden lie fallow until early spring planting.

FALL IS FOR PLANTINGDecember is an ideal time to plant trees, shrubs and many perennials. (You canstill plant winter annuals such as pansies, kale, snapdragons and dianthus inearly December.) Soil temperatures are in the 40 to 50 degrees range duringmuch of the winter, and this is a good range for root activity. Consequently,plant material installed now has a chance to get established before next summer’sheat. Finish planting daffodils now. If you want to plant tulips or hyacinths,make sure the bulbs have undergone six to eight weeks of cold treatment in aprofessional storage site or in the vegetable bin of your refrigerator. Plant thesebulbs in mid-December, or once the soil temperature has dropped to 55 degrees.

TOOLS AND SUPPLIESClean, repair and oil garden tools and equipment before retiring them for thewinter. A coat of linseed oil on wooden handles makes a wonderful preservative.Drain gasoline from power tools; run engines until all fuel is gone. Take powertools to the repair shop now before the spring rush. Regular service can extendthe life of mowers, tillers, gasoline string trimmers and blowers. Well-tunedengines and sharp blades will make gardening chores much easier when thegrowing season returns. Store garden hoses and sprinklers in accessible locationsfor winter watering. (That’s right — water even in the winter during dry spells,especially evergreen plants.) Disconnect hoses from faucets so the pipes don’tfreeze. In the event that temperatures drop to the low twenties or high teens,make sure you have row cover, sheets or quilts on hand (not plastic) to coverwinter annuals such as pansies, snapdragons and kale.

REMEMBER THE BIRDSOur feathered friends will appreciate your winterizing the garden with them inmind, too. Install bird feeders and keep them filled on a regular basis. Be sure tohang up a finch feeder and fill it with thistle, or niger, seed to attract Americangoldfinches this winter. Place a birdbath in the landscape and keep it filled withfresh water. You even can install a heater in the birdbath to keep the water fromfreezing. Finally, install native plant material in the landscape to provide habitatand food for birds. Excellent choices include eastern red cedar, oaks, Carolinabuckthorn, Mexican plum, rusty blackhaw viburnum, yaupon holly, pos-sumhaw holly, sumac, beautyberry, coralberry, and grasses such as Lindheimer’smuhly and inland seaoats.

Winterizing Your GardenPrepare for the dormant months ahead

35

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