Decorating your home for the holidays can be time consuming and take lots of planning during the busiest season of the year. We are here to let you know that making your home Pinterest ready doesn’t have to be stressful! No matter the budget, we like to think that the best creativity comes naturally when you get to decorate your home for Christmas. Every style, color scheme, and décor piece can be made your own, with your personal twists and touches, that’s the beauty of home design!
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There are no set of rules that one should follow when decorating their home, but simple tips and tricks can be helpful, especially when it comes to holiday décor-there’s so much to choose from! Inspiration can come from anywhere, and this year we were inspired by a special Partners in Building homeowner. Holly O’Flaherty is a wife, supermom and interior designer that lives in Cypress, Texas. We sat down with her and her family and asked her some key questions about how she designs her home for the holidays and how the home buying process was for her. Continue reading to learn why we wanted to feature Holly’s gorgeous home and why she chose Partners in building to create the home of their dreams!
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What fun to share a little about me, my family, and my home with you all this season! The holidays are such a special time for my family, filled with traditions, fun outings doing extra activities with the kids, and more time spent together. A little background about me; I grew up with a passion for styling and putting things together. My mom has an incredible eye for interior design, and I watched her use her talents all growing up. I loved the fashion world- putting clothes together and finding just the right pieces was what came natural to me. I went to college at the Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising in LA with my heart set on working in the fashion industry. It's funny how life works, and dreams evolve and change. After moving to Houston after college, getting married, and starting a family- I wasn't sure what I would do next with my creative energy. I found myself leaning more into making my house a home and styling interiors. I honed into that, studying interiors and design. When we began building our home with Partners in Building, I was able to design and create everything I had dreamt up- that was amazing! I learned so much during the process. During that time, I shared our building process on my Instagram and people began reaching out for design help and for me to decorate their homes. I love that now I can take all of that gained knowledge with me when working with clients.
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How would you describe your design style for the holidays?
During the holidays I love to layer in more decor and holiday touches throughout my home. I choose a color palette and weave that into all my decor with ribbons, ornaments and greenery. Incorporating simple touches throughout my home instantly makes it feel inviting and cozy for the season. I add things like a seasonal scent in the entry, woven baskets to store extra throws, and a warm blanket draped over the sofa for added texture! It's functional and also adds different seasonal elements within my home. Of course we have a Christmas tree downstairs, and we now do a family tree upstairs with all of our fun family ornaments!
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Where do you find your inspiration for holiday home decor?
In Houston, we don't have the same wintery elements as other cities, but I love starting in nature. You might find me on the side of the road cutting branches from Holly trees with the red berries or gathering fallen sticks with leaves! The number of times my mom and I exchange where we spotted a good berry tree is comical. I also like to flip through holiday magazines and browse my favorite local shops for more inspiration!
Where do you get your holiday decor from? Any favorite stores?
My local favorites are Picket Fences and Laurie's Home Furnishings. Pottery Barn is always on my list to shop because they style things in a way that is helpful visually. I can play around with different pillows and throws on their sofas before I choose! The Round Top Antique Show is also a wonderful place to find unique and vintage treasures and gather inspiration!
We asked Holly, when designing a room what is the most important factor for you?
At this stage in life, functionality is key for me. It must be functional. I want a pretty home, but I also want my kids to be able to play and love their home as well. We have a very light-colored sofa and I get asked a lot how it holds up. It's a performance fabric that cleans very easily so I don't have to worry as much about spills. Our other sofa is a beautiful camel velvet fabric. I love the way it looks, and the whole family loves how soft it feels! You can have both function and the visual aesthetic, you just have to know how to make it work!
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What is your favorite thing about your Partners in Building home?
My favorite thing is that we were able to customize everything to how we wanted it. We had been to a model home that had a floor plan we absolutely loved. It was only missing a couple elements we had really wanted, but for the most part it was perfect. Partners in Building worked with us to edit that floor plan to add what we wanted, take away what we didn't need, along with changing dimensions here and there to fit on our lot.
What were some essentials you wanted in your home when building it?
I had my heart set on white oak floors! I also wanted higher ceilings- the vaulted ceilings were a bonus. I love them!
How was your experience working with Partners in Building when you were building?
Our experience was honestly much better than anticipated. This was our first time building a home and we had heard a lot of stories about how hard it can be. We were very pleased during the process. I do think it helped that I had such a vision for how I wanted things to be because there are so many decisions to be made! The design center was very helpful in following my vision and helping me source the selections to match.
Now that Holly mentioned it...it's the perfect opportunity to highlight our design centers.
Partners in Building has 3 design centers, one in every city that we build in-Houston, Nashville & Dallas. This means that when you’re designing your Partners in Building home, there is a convenience of stopping by the design space in your city to pick and choose every high-end feature of your new home. Making the decision to build your own custom home is a big one, but it is just the first step. There are a thousand things running through your mind. What fixtures in the primary bathroom? What cabinets in the kitchen? Tile or wood in the entry? The longer you think about it, the longer the list gets. Our Custom Design Centers are full of answers that will make a difference in your new custom home.
To learn more and see pictures of our award-winning design centers, click here: http://partnersinbuilding.com/award-winning-design-centers
We are glad to have homebuyers like Holly that share their home with us and that we were able to help her, and her family create their dream home from scratch. Partners in Building makes a point to be present in our customers lives even after closing on their homes.
Check out Holly's Instagram for more design inspiration @DressItUpDarling and her LTK account https://www.shopltk.com/explore/Dressitupdarling
We hope you find the simple pleasures of decorating your home and create the best memories this holiday season with your loved ones!
