With the holidays fast approaching, everyone is no doubt looking for some festive seasonal design inspiration for their homes-especially important for this holiday season, when most of us will be spending more time in said homes. Here is some help: ELLE Decor got an exclusive first look at the new curated holiday lines by four top interior designers on the luxury online marketplace 1stDibs, where Ken Fulk, Brigette Romanek, Hubert Zandberg, and Nicole Hollis are bringing you their takes on timeless holiday decor that’s well suited for the entire winter season, from dining room tablescapes to accessories for your fireplace mantel.
You can shop some of our favorites from each of the designers’ selections below-and be sure to take notes on their expert styling tips when you decorate for the holidays this year.
The Kitchen: Ken Fulk
For his collection, ED A-List designer Ken Fulk chose natural yet sophisticated kitchen decor items and accessories. “The kitchen is the center of festivities in most homes-where you collaborate on cocktails, arrange flowers, and prepare feasts or simply keep the chef company,” he says. “While the kitchen needs to be the highest-functioning space in the home over the holidays, it’s undoubtedly the busiest gathering place too, so it needs to be given just as much decorative drama and care as any fireside seating area or dining room.”
Fulk’s tips for a festive kitchen:
Add a dramatic floral arrangement and a garland and boughs draped overhead as accents.
Save the metallics and velvet for the more formal living spaces.
To make a space feel instantly festive, Fulk recommends magnolia garlands-they’re elegant, long-lasting, and make a big impact no matter where they go.
The Dining Room: Brigette Romanek
For ED A-List designer Brigette Romanek and her family, the dining table is the focal point of their home during the holidays-it’s where they gather and have conversations about their past, present, and future together. “Doing it over a really festive, happy, beautifully designed tablescape makes everyone feel special,” Romanek says. “In my home, I do a new tablescape design every year that’s usually an extension of my tree’s aesthetic that season-it changes every year! If I’ve placed gold ornamental balls on the tree, the table will be sure to complement that.”
Romanek’s tips for creating a holiday tablescape:
Put something special on the table-the bowl of fruit on Romanek’s table is both decorative and also a place to grab a quick snack after the meal.
Get creative with place cards-make a fun game out of them for a sense of “excitement and novelty to the occasion.” Instead of name tags, Romanek placed a gorgeous crystal at each table setting; the guest pulls the name of a crystal out of a hat (such as “jade” or “amethyst”) and then takes the seat with the corresponding crystal.
Candles spread out on the table are Romanek’s go-to look. They make a happy occasion even warmer and lighter, no matter whether you use all white candles or a variety of colors and heights.
The Study: Hubert Zandberg
According to London-based designer Hubert Zandberg, even though it’s primarily a personal space, the study should not be overlooked when decorating for the holidays. “In general, libraries and at-home work spaces have become more important than ever this year,” Zandberg says. “The world and the way we work-now and in the future-has changed, and these spaces have become crucial. So why not decorate them for Christmas too?”
Zandberg’s tips for decorating a study:
“It is all about the bookshelves.” Empty some shelves out and make room for holiday decorations-put various pinecones, over-scaled mushrooms, and other fruits of nature amid the books.
Position items between books and hang wreaths in front of shelves, or drape a garland along the entire width of the bookcase.
Juxtapose Christmas decor with your everyday decor. You can clutter it up as much as you want for Christmas with vintage toys and decorations-“Nothing is too much,” he says. It’s a time for nostalgia and making new memories.
The Fireplace: Nicole Hollis
To interior designer and creative director Nicole Hollis, the fireplace “embodies the holiday spirit-many will gather around the hearth to celebrate with family and friends throughout the season. Decorating the mantel creates the warm and inviting atmosphere that we relish during the holidays.”
Hollis’s tips for a cozy holiday mantel:
Start with fresh greenery to bring the beauty of nature indoors during the cold winter months. This always creates an instant holiday feel.
Add a strand of lights and some candlesticks to achieve that warm glow.
Hollis generally goes for a neutral palette to blend with different types of greenery she hangs throughout the home, whether it’s on the fireplace mantel or framing a doorway.
