Deck Your Halls: Local experts chime in with holiday decorating tips that are both festive and fuss-free

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It seems that each year Christmas comes earlier, replete with commercial advertisements of homes bedecked in holly, ivy and more glitter than a toddler can sprinkle on an arts-and-crafts project. Cheerful decorations overtake the home decor. Window treatments are redone in shades of green, red and gold, framing portals to living rooms that house stockings hung by the chimney with care. Reindeer rest on the mantel next to birds wearing hats and scarves, their beaks open skyward, tweeting silent Christmas tunes. Garlands festoon walls surrounding a Christmas tree while its lovely ornaments sparkle in the calming twinkle lights. A table set with mistletoe-patterned china rests in the corner. The home is warm, cozy ... and way too perfect to duplicate.

Or so we think.

Images of these perfect homes tantalize us with “what if…” as we remove the decorations from storage. We tend to play out one of the following scenarios: buying too many decorations, which turn into Christmas clutter and drain the bank account, or doing too little, echoing Charlie Brown’s sad, little evergreen and making us look like the bearer of Christmas apathy. A fine balance exists between achieving the perfect Christmas decorations — displaying a festive mood — and not ripping the purse strings.

How can you achieve a designer-quality Christmas without breaking your holiday budget? We spoke with three of Lexington’s top decorators to hear their advice on how to transform your home into the winter wonderland you’ve always dreamed of creating.

Mary Jo Johnson and John Kittenger, Best of Flowers

At their Chevy Chase floral shop The Best of Flowers, owner Mary Jo Johnson and manager John Kittinger celebrate the holidays by transforming their entire shop into a party befitting Santa Claus and his elves. With 30 years’ experience creating extraordinary floral arrangements – both with fresh cut flowers and what they have dubbed “permanent botanicals” (silk flowers) – Johnson and Kittenger (who formerly served as president of the American Institute of Floral Designers) both still consider themselves students, because they love discovering new trends related to their business.

When asked about some of their favorite holiday decorating tips, Johnson and Kittenger shared the following:

1. For fun outdoor decorations without having an inflatable giant snowman or reindeer in your yard, try using some festive metal art – it creates the same feeling without having to be plugged in.

2. For Christmas tree trimmings, use natural decorations to add layers and give the tree some depth – artificial berries, twigs, pinecones, vines and flowers can all do the trick. (Tip: If you want fresh flowers on your tree, purchase little glass vials, fill them with water and place the flowers inside. Hang them from the tree like ornaments!) You can also buy little topiaries and hang an ornament from them. They’re very simple and beautiful at the same time.

3. Fresh greenery and flowers are wonderful, but they can often dry out before Christmas. We suggest buying a permanent botanical garland that you can dress up with flower cuttings, holly, cedar, magnolia leaves, or whatever brings you joy. This is a quick and beautiful way to decorate, with most of the work already done. Also, a quality scented candle can bring the seasonal smells into your home without aggravating allergies.

4. Buying a permanent botanical arrangement not only solves a Christmas decorating problem, but can also make a great gift. Many arrangements are extremely lifelike, without the maintenance of a live plant. (If you do have an arrangement consisting of live plants, water, water, and water! Hydration is key to keeping arrangements alive; floral food packets specially made for fresh flowers can also be added to water to keep them lasting.)

5. Sometimes all you need is a simple pot or floral arrangement for a decoration. For Christmas, we recommend the potted narcissus (also known as paper white flowers), potted amaryllis, or hellebores (also known as the Christmas rose).When you decorate with flowers for Christmas, less is more – invest your money with one color and one type of flower to focus your theme.

6. Indoor holiday gardens combining traditional Christmas plants with ones not typically associated with the season, such as bromeliads and other tropicals, can be a fun way to bring the magic of a garden indoors during the cold-weather season.

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Jeremy Rice, House by JSD

If you want style with a thrill, Jeremy Rice and his business partners, J. Stuart Hurt and Dwayne Anderson, run one of the hippest decorating shops in town, House by JSD. House, which opened in 2009, specializes in not only home decoration, but also floral and event design as well.

Rice said that when you come to their store “you’re not only buying an item, but you’re buying our experience, which is just as valuable as the product. We try to create a fun atmosphere for our clients, and we’re all one big, happy family.”

Each holiday season, Rice loves that people slow down their lives and enjoy themselves. He and the House team help alleviate some of Christmas’ stresses by helping people decorate their homes. Rice said he loves capturing the Christmas feeling of magic and togetherness through his work. He briefed us on a few of Christmas decorating tips:

1. Many people use a lot of glitter and sparkly stuff during Christmas. While that’s fun, using a more natural look – like you’ve gone outside and collected it – can make the decorations less overwhelming. This look can also center a room and make the atmosphere warmer.

2. When it comes to a tree, start with a quality tree as a base, and then add artificial evergreen and pine stems to your tree. Cedar, long needle pine, and magnolia (“the holy trinity of evergreen,” he said) are a foolproof combo. Incorporating a variety of floral picks throughout the tree makes it fuller and enhances it; adding them in a triangle pattern helps keep the stems even on the tree.

3. Creating a gorgeous garland takes a few simple steps, starting with a good base (key to any good Christmas decorating). Make the garland in the place where you’re hanging it to ensure everything goes where it needs to go. Mix in textures of long needle pine, cedar and magnolia leaf. This is a great start and can be left there or taken it in any direction. For example, if you’d like add a little color, some red berries are nice, or add whatever makes it work with the look and colors of your home.

4. Glass cloches – similar to the top of a glass cake stand and popular in the use of terrariums – can be great tools for a statement piece. Reindeer, Santas or other holiday knickknacks can be placed underneath it, along with some fake snow and other trinkets, creating an instant curio cabinet.

5. Decorating with Christmas lights varies depending upon what clients like, but try using C-7 bulbs. They have that retro feel to them and add vintage Christmas magic to whatever you hang them on.

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Ed Botkin, Petra Design

Having experimented with decorating and home design since he was young, Ed Botkin said the best teacher he ever had was experience. With over 17 years of professional decorating, Botkin has used his talents to spruce up hundreds of homes in Kentucky. He describes himself as a good listener, a skill he considers the foundation of his personal mantra: “A good decorator never imposes his own taste on customers.”

Botkin recently established Petra Designs with his partner, Will Muetterties. From late November to December, Botkin is busy warming homes for the holidays with his skills. He revisits seasoned clients and takes on new clients each year, relying on some naughty and nice tricks to decorate. When asked about some of his holiday tips, he shared these:

1. Focus and do things well. Don’t clutter up your Christmas with a lot of odds and ends that don’t go well together. Instead, focus on one thing at a time and concentrate on making each look great.

2. Don’t be afraid to decorate with the colors already in your home. While red and green may be classic, incorporate what’s already in your home. It forms more cohesion while still allowing you to try something new.

3. Invest in a good tree, wreath, and/or garlands. Buying these at basement prices from department stores will give you what you pay for, and it’s not pretty. Invest in a tree, wreath, or garlands that are made from quality materials and are lifelike.

4. Do prep work and shape your tree and other greenery; otherwise it won’t look real. Don’t be afraid to buy multiples of ornaments if you want to achieve a certain aesthetic. If you have a large tree, cluster them together in groups.

5. A great way to spice up a table is to fluff up a garland, run it down the table center, place your candlesticks amongst the garland and select candles to match. Take a glass bowl or other interesting transparent container and fill it with ornaments and pine branches – it’s festive and very easy to do. ss

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