Beautifully decorated Christmas homes

Deck the halls. And while you're at it, deck the dining room, too, please. That was designer Barry Dixon's holiday charge when he partnered with Traditional Home to decorate the Lee Entrance Hall and Dining Room at Blair House-the president's official guesthouse for foreign heads of state visiting Washington, D.C.

"These hallowed halls have actually seen key moments in United states record, " says the Virginia-based designer (and vacation decorator extraordinaire). "Reverence for the reputation for this venerable manse ended up being important once we spruced it up for the holiday breaks."

With floral fashion designer Barbara Hamilton, Dixon go about changing each room into a colorful yet understated, conventional yet unconventional event associated with the period.

Bypassing the conventional red-and-green getaway plan, Dixon as an alternative opted for a chartreuse, jade, cornflower, and silver palette empowered by the restored 18th-century chinoiserie wallpaper within the adjacent Lee Drawing Room. Set from the barely-there azure associated with history-rich dining room (President Truman held regular luncheon meetings with his Cabinet right here), the plan included energy towards the space without overlooking its significant genealogy.

"We wanted to be respectful for the record that Blair House emanates at once look fresh and present, " Dixon highlights. "even most elaborate homes can radiate a feeling of warmth, approachability, and invite."

Within the dining room (now utilized for exclusive conferences and dishes with Blair home friends), notable furnishings had been delicately swathed in holiday flourishes. A diminutive Christmas tree cradled in a gold punch-bowl and strewn with Victorian beadwork and traditional silver Spanish crafts and arts ornaments ended up being put atop an early-18th-century English chest of drawers. The Chippendale-style dining table was set not merely with Blair House china additionally with Dixon's very own classic Limoges dinner dishes in robin's egg blue-adding a punch of shade into otherwise subdued dinnerware. A garland of cedar and juniper adorned with eucalyptus pods, magnolia leaves, nut groups, and Hypericum fruits framed the carved mantel, showcasing the nontraditional holiday palette.

"it isn't the anticipated vacation formality, " Dixon notes. "But it's nevertheless rich. In addition to delicious peanuts and fruits are ideal for the feasting room. It is a bespoke xmas decoration. You merely need to shop around your house and locate determination for your own xmas system."

Decorator: Barry Dixon, Elway Hall, 8394 Elway Lane, Warrenton, VA 20186; 540/341-8501, barrydixon.com.

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