Decorating and the holidays go hand in hand. From Thanksgiving to New Year’s Eve, families across the country celebrate in many different ways. And while most of us have our own special traditions, there is one thing many of us have in common:

We adorn our homes with lights, trees, ornaments and wreaths.

And Big Canoe homeowner Louise Prescott is no different. She says the holiday season is her favorite time of the year because it gives her a chance to showcase the ornaments and holiday items she’s been collecting for years. “I have ornaments on one of my trees that my 39- and 34-year-old daughters made in grammar school,” she says.

But having moved from Dunwoody to the natural, mountainous setting in Big Canoe, she says the first time she decorated her new home she wanted to give it a fresh, warm feeling and a simple farmhouse look. That’s when she enlisted the help of June Price, ASID, of Anew Design, to help create a holiday setting that was befitting to the home’s natural surroundings and relaxed decor.

“We started with fresh, natural things,” Price says, “and anybody can do that. All you have to do is take some clippings from whatever you have in the yard or garden.” In Prescott’s home, they draped fresh garland as an accent on mirrors, the mantel and of course the three-story staircase. “This house is surrounded by nature,” Prescott says. “I just wanted simple garland up the stairs. Nothing too foo foo.”
Prescott and Price scattered other natural greenery, such as pinecones, magnolia leaves and pepper berries throughout the home. “Natural greenery adds such a nice touch,” Price says. “It’s free, it smells good and it’s so simple to clean up. You just toss it out after the holiday.”

Fresh fruits and berries, including cranberries, apples, pears and oranges, were used to add touches of color throughout the greenery arrangements—and on their own. A vase filled with oranges and cranberries looks striking—yet simple and natural, while an ordinary centerpiece becomes extraordinary when adorned with red and green pears. “I wanted to use lots of fruit because I used to always get fruit for gifts when I was a child,” Prescott says.

Candles are also wonderful during the holidays, Price says. To create a welcoming setting, Price lined the three-story staircase with small, white votive candles that could be lit on special holiday evenings. “When the candles were lit, the staircase looked stunning,” she says. She placed numerous other candles throughout the home to add height, ambiance and even aroma.

But perhaps the most creative use of natural elements is how the two decorated one of the home’s eight trees. “I’d always had a traditional tree in our home in Dunwoody,” Prescott says. “But I had to come up with something bigger in the family room.” The new tree—now dubbed the “Big Canoe Christmas tree”—is decorated with birds and birds’ nests, dried okra, burlap, raffia, red pepper berries, pinecones and white lights. And instead of a traditional star or angel on top, a birdhouse and twig star crowns this one-of-a-kind natural holiday tree (previous page).

While the “Big Canoe tree” is the showcase tree in the home, several other trees allowed Prescott to display her other holiday ornaments. “We still have our traditional tree—it’s the one with the girls’ handmade ornaments on it, and it’s still the one the children and grandchildren like the best,” she says. A smaller, more formal tree decked out with white and gold ornaments and white lights add the holiday touch to the master suite, while several other trees—some decorated, some not—spread the festive theme across the rest of the home.

Now most of us certainly don’t have room for eight trees, but Price says having more than one tree is a great way to be able to display your

ornaments and decorations that can accumulate over so many years. “Trees are one of the simplest ways to decorate for the holidays,” she says. “You can have several different themed trees. You can have a sports tree, a retro tree or even a culinary tree. Just attach whatever it is you collect and you’re done.”

And speaking of collections, the holidays are the perfect time to bring those items out for display also. Prescott, for example, has an extensive collection of snowmen. She and Price placed the pieces throughout the home giving each room a special touch. “I think what’s most important is that you decorate with what you think is pretty,” Prescott says. “Do what you can afford; don’t go in debt to decorate. It’s not about that anyway. The decorations have to come from the heart. That’s what it’s really all about.”