There is something special about being able to work closely with a friend to help bring their decor vision to life, especially during the holiday season. One new friend, Ann, and her husband, Frank, welcomed my team and me into their new lakeside oasis in Loch Lloyd, Missouri, to bring a bit of Christmas cheer this December.
I have to admit, I was a bit nervous at the start of this design journey. This is going to be their first Christmas in their new home and I wanted to make sure everything was perfect. Moving from a long-time family home into a new house is an emotional and personal process, and they had just moved three weeks prior to us coming. This year has also been a long and strange time for many families, and I was not sure how the holiday season would be received. Ann pointed out that even during these times, it is important to enjoy the time we do have together. With that in mind, my main goal was to make this new house feel like a home for their family while keeping the unique flair the property holds.
Luckily, working with Ann is a dream. She is such a lovely, genuine woman, which made collaborating a breeze. The first time she welcomed us into her home, I was awestruck by the natural stone walls and the floor-to-ceiling windows that offer breathtaking lake views. The grand home was originally built by Loch Lloyd founder Harry Lloyd and has many a feature you won’t find in other home in the area, like the towering lookout atop the main chimney (with spiraling stone staircase access). I was happy to learn of Ann’s love of blue and her desire to bring a sophisticated lodge-inspired look into her home for the holidays.
Ann especially loved the whimsical fun of our gold polka dot ornaments and was drawn to our nativity ornaments as it is important for her to represent her Catholic faith. Ann also shared that her favorite thing to do in their new home is to watch the deer navigate around the lake. Deer are very stately, elegant animals, and what better way to bring the magic of the lake indoors than with stags? We had the perfect pair of statues for a stunning addition to a beautiful Christmas tree, and they make for a lovely indoor or outdoor addition to the home year-round. Plus, as Ann so hilariously pointed out, she doesn’t have to worry about these deer eating her garden.
We placed our friendly deer right next to the towering 10-foot tree that we decked with all of Ann’s favorite ornaments and picks like snow-dusted evergreen foliage and bunches of pine cones. The pops of navy ribbon and the dark blue velvet fabric tree wrap effortlessly tied in her gorgeous blue furniture to our holiday display. We carried our palette of blue, champagne and natural textures over to the fireplace mantel, coffee table and to the stunning entryway. We used two of our 9-foot Christmas trees placed in planters to fill the space of the magnificent hallway and draw the eye up toward touches of greenery wrapped around beams crossing the vaulted ceiling.
