For years, Interior Designer Kristy Mastrandonas has been successfully curating stylish spaces for others. When it comes to decorating her own space for the holidays, Kristy never disappoints. In fact, each year, her friends and family eagerly anticipate her holiday reveal.
“I have always thought it was important to have traditions in our home for our children, who are now young adults, and decorating for the holidays is one of those traditions,” Kristy says. “Some years, my holiday decorating is grand and over-the-top, while other years it’s more subdued, but our children know that when they come home for the holidays, they can expect to see a display of Christmas sprinkled throughout our home.”
Kristy also shares her designs with her more than 4,700 Instagram followers, who look to Kristy for inspiration. “The times I’ve been a little late posting Christmas photos, my friends and extended family call me to ask when they can expect to see photos. They tell me they look forward to seeing what I do each year, so I guess in a way, it’s become a part of their traditions too,” Kristy says.
Each of Kristy’s holiday designs begins with a well-thought-out theme. “Having a color scheme or theme in mind helps tremendously with the planning part,” she says. “As with any home-décor related project, planning helps to create a cohesive look and feel so everything flows together beautifully. The more thought you put into this at the forefront, the better the results,” she says. “It also helps to prevent overspending.”
However, the most important goal of holiday decorating, Kristy says, is to enjoy the process and let go of the need to make everything perfect.
One of the ways Kristy keeps her holiday decorating fun is to weave whimsy into her designs. Her “Winter Woodland Christmas” theme does just that.
“I imagined what nature in the wintertime up north might look like and then added a little pop of metallic to make things sparkle. Or, as my kids would say, ‘because you’re a little extra, mom.’”
Kristy utilized her flocked Christmas trees in her woodland design to create a winter scene. She says the flocked trees can be a bit messy, but they are her favorite.
“In my opinion, the ornaments, ribbons and floral stems stand out more on flocked trees versus green trees,” she says.
For those who have green trees, Kristy says, they can create a flocked-tree look, by placing flocked greenery stems and picks evenly throughout the tree. “The taller and fuller the tree and the more flocked look you want, the more stems and picks you’ll need,” she says. “A good way to figure out how many stems and picks you will need is to divide the tree into quadrants and make and imaginary zigzag down the quadrant, counting the zig and zag points along the way. Then total up all four quadrants to get the grand total.” Kristy also uses the zigzag hack to determine how many ornaments she needs.
To add to the whimsy, Kristy mixed elements and textures on her trees and added unexpected items, like white owls and other woodland creatures.
“I typically use a few different types of floral or greenery stems and picks, ball ornaments in various sizes, specialty and sentimental ornaments and a couple of different ribbons,” Kristy says. “Using a variety of items really adds depth, dimension and interest.”
Since her tree and mantel share a space, Kristy continued her theme onto the mantel using the same elements. To add depth and interest, Kristy layered signs over the large mirror on her mantel.
She utilized a stylish strand of wooden beads as an unexpected garland. “I liked their raw nature and knew they would work with my theme,” Kristy says.
While the tree and mantel steal the show, the intricate details – like a bottlebrush tree, inside a teacup, underneath a delicate cloche- add wonder and an extra meaningful touch to Kristy’s winter woodland theme.
“When I was a child, my grandmother had a collection of bottlebrush trees that she would display at Christmastime, and the ‘special ones’ were displayed under cloches. She always let me help her decide their placement and which one was going to be the special one that year. Displaying these items is my way of honoring them,” Kristy says. “In fact, I leave this up year round.”
Kristy Mastrandonas is CCO and Principal Interior Designer of Kristy Mastrandonas Interior Design & Styling. For more information, visit kristymastrandonas.com. Follow Kristy on Instagram (@kristy_mastrandonas) and on Pinterest (@KMastrandonas). Kristy will be sharing her step-by-step guide to “Decorating Christmas Trees Like a Pro” on Instagram this season.
Mantel Magic
• To create a cohesive design, Kristy connects the mantel décor to the tree and other holiday décor within the space.
• Use items of various heights, materials and textures to create balance and add depth and interest.
• Determine if the mantel would look best as a symmetrical or asymmetrical design, and decorate accordingly. If bookcases flank the fireplace, Kristy says symmetrical designs typically look best.
• Use items you have on-hand – like apothecary jars or vases and a large mirror - as the base items and build from there.
• Use internet resources if you are stumped. Find extra inspiration on Pinterest, Instagram and YouTube.