Red Living Style ...: Christmas House Tour - Our love of decoration - A Story of Colour In The "Red Living House"

We pulled out our decorating chops this past week for the annual Anderton Therapeutic Gardens Christmas House Tour, a fundraiser featuring 5 homes in the Comox Valley, each home teamed up with local interior designers and decorators.

Despite saying "no how could we have the time (as retailers) at such a busy time of the year", it was our dear friends, Sandy Dennis and Kevin Bushnell, offering up their incredible 1912 character home here in Courtenay, and their eclectic collection of art and antiques, that made us say yes - a perfect match to our own collections of furniture and accessories offered up here in the store. And if you visit us at this time of year, you know we love to celebrate decoration for Christmas.

I warned Sandy that there was going to be considerable furniture moving (out) and arranging to get a starting point to the Christmas that was going to be installed .. and please trust us and "stand back ..this is a production!" .. It wasn't until the last days of installation that Kevin realized his house was being turned into a "set" and his tv must go into hiding! Oh and 500 guests were about walk though!

We are so grateful to this house proud couple for participating and giving up their home and giving in to beauty!

Here's what happened:

this is a "before" - a gathering of colour ideas back in October

The staring point (besides a new furniture layout) was to tell a story though colour. With the house fully wood panelled in dark fir, we needed a colour pop. This reupholstered purple settee and little orange pedestal table was just that start for a colourful Christmas dream about to come true.

Their house also has several Chinese antiques along with a wonderful ancient cast Buddha to include in this story - A global mix of traditional, and non traditional, was the developing Christmas story ... And the collecting of ideas and "Red Living stock" began -

playing with a colour pallet.

Including this incredible late 19th Century Dresden Daulton "India Tree" dinner china set.
- Could not wait to set the table with these great colours!

DINING ROOM BEFORE

And so we moved in a load of fresh oranges, a turquoise chandelier, a three legged 60" round glass Italian modern dining table, six 1920's stylish oak dining chairs, .. more colour , more white, and a 7.5 ft. white flocked Christmas tree in a white iron urn

.. Living and Dining room transformed with a movement of colour and a festive story -

... and All dressed up

BEFORE

The saturated colours of turquoise, purples, fushia, copper, and more fresh oranges was the welcoming FRONT ENTRY stairway garland - oh and orange twinkle lights! The opposite wall's Flaming art raises the temperature of this space to HOT!

And to the left of the traditional centred front entry is a room, that when we started was a busy (papery) home office - to make a long story short a small reno was happening in a room at the back of the house where the new office was moved. So to the owner's delight this "new" room was claimed to create a comfy library den. A "men's den with collected vintage trophies and crystal decanters filled with favourite liquors. ..and some more incredible art and great furniture.

The Christmas story was told in this room with fresh cedar, vintage bottle brush trees, about 12 potted wee lime cypress trees, and few collected shiny baubles.

It's also interesting to note the solution to all the metal colours - mix and add them all together! Find a balance of antique silver, brass, copper, and mercury glass.. warm and collected.

Not much of a "before" but you get the idea that this room was not quite show ready ..