By John D. Folding// Photography by William Colgin
One of most exciting things about living on the Mississippi Gulf Coast is that we get snow so rarely. This allows holiday decorating to get more local. It has always seemed strange to me to see snowmen and icicle decorations when A) it’s not cold and B) there’s no snow! This is definitely one time of the year when bringing the outside in is a good thing.
Donna and David Machado’s house in Gulfport’s Stanton Place neighborhood was on last year’s Civic League tour of homes and it showed off all the ways that holiday decorating can enhance a living space, not overwhelm or replace it. And it showed how to keep the holiday look local.
When Donna approached me to help her get ready for the tour of homes, she and David had just finished making over their home’s interior. The color palette goes from cool blue tones to warm whites and ivories. Metallic touches in accessories and art allow light to glance around the spaces, letting your eye move easily from one area to the next.
Donna’s plan was to decorate her home with a coastal flair using the colors and textures already present in her everyday décor. She wanted to use natural elements like pinecones, grapevine, berries, and feathers. To add more to the coastal look, starfish and shell-shaped ornaments were included as well.
Because she already had an artificial flocked tree, elements including white ball ornaments and mercury glass were incorporated to bring the whole look together.
The front entrance to the home is natural stone in a variety of brown shades, so Donna decided she wanted to bring in metallic copper and bronze decorations to surround her front door. These colors, mixed with the silvers and burlap, allow for transitioning to a new scheme when the time comes.
The loggia along the back of the house by the pool is an area that the Machados use a lot, so Donna asked that the columns be decorated and lit so the family could enjoy that space throughout the season as well. Grapevine, pinecones and mercury glass ornaments tied the outside to the inside seamlessly.
The showstopper, according to Donna, was the stunning mantle piece. Not only is it the focal point of the living room, but also it is for the whole home. It is the first thing you see when you enter from the front door and if you come through the garage into the kitchen, it dominates the view from there as well. Pheasant feathers (real and faux) mixed with large mercury glass ornaments set asymmetrically on the mantle created that wow factor Donna wanted for her guests and for the Civic League’s tourists.