Date: November 24, 2009 | Story: Sharon Mosley |
During the years spent building their dream home, holiday decorating had been a challenge for Searcy residents Mandy and Rees Lloyd. With their new Craftsman-style home completed last year, they were eager to renew their holiday plans—and when they were asked to participate in the Associated Women for Harding’s Annual Holiday Tour of Homes, they decided it was an ideal time to start new traditions.
Mandy turned to her long-time friend Beth Davis, a Searcy-based interior designer who helped the Lloyd family with the construction and design of their new home, for holiday décor ideas.
The Lloyds had based their home’s design on their desire for a family-friendly, warm and welcoming space, and Davis carried these ideals over to their holiday plans, focusing on Mandy’s natural style of decorating in her Craftsman home.
“I love being outside and am drawn to woodsy or natural items,” says Mandy, who uses the terms “lodge,” “rustic” and “lived-in” to describe the Searcy home she and Rees share with their two teenage children. “We have a vaulted family room that looks out onto a vaulted deck. You can’t help but see outside when you are inside.”
For the holiday tour at the Lloyds’ home, Beth wove in natural elements using an abundance of fresh greenery, berries, pinecones and branches. The entire house was incorporated into the design, including the vaulted deck.
Since the Lloyds use a variety of brown and blue tones in the interior of their home, Davis suggested Mandy add more color for some extra holiday punch. Mandy was more than happy to bring in the vibrant reds that have traditionally symbolized holiday color schemes.
“Beth’s look and ideas were very refreshing to some of my old looks,” Mandy admits. “She was tactful and honest when she advised me to invest in areas that would add the most color or biggest pop. Even though the house was new, many of my personal items were old and worn out. Beth was not only able to work with my look, but also to incorporate a fresh, natural, warm feel into the home.”
And the Lloyds plan on using Davis’ holiday decorating ideas for a long time to come. “Because of how beautiful the fresh greenery looked and smelled, I am certain we will be headed back into the woods for accessories from Mother Earth each year,” Mandy says.
Design Sources
Interior design Beth Davis Interiors, Searcy
Holiday décor Beth Davis Interiors, Searcy
Chandeliers TEC Electric, Maumelle
Dining table/chairs Sowell’s Furniture, Searcy
Kitchen table Dillard’s, North Little Rock
Lamps The Shade Above, Searcy
Mirror Lowe’s, Searcy
Santa artwork Linda Alexander, Little Rock
Sofa and armchair Hay’s, Judsonia
Window treatments Mandy’s Custom Windows, Searcy
