There’s something
so familiar and comforting about the hallmarks of the holidays:
the profusion of reds and greens at the grocery store, the peppermint-flavored mochas at the coffee shop and the carols playing over the speakers at the mall. But there’s nothing better than coming home to your own festive hideaway—and then inviting your nearest and dearest over for hand-warming mugs of cocoa and a gift exchange.
No one understands this better than stylist extraordinaire Sylvia Asmussen, the owner and CEO of Madam Palooza, a vintage rentals company. “Your home is the most important place to be, especially during Christmas,” she says. “I decorate my entertaining spaces so that they are festive and serene, which encourages my loved ones to visit often and stay longer.”
Using pieces from her company and her styling expertise, Sylvia partnered with Owl Creek Farms owners, Kerry Casler and Kimberly Brown, to create cheery, inviting holiday tableaus on Owl Creek Farms’ beautiful grounds.
FESTIVE EATS
A hot beverage and dessert station mixes the traditional—hot chocolate—with the unexpected—Christmastime doughnuts. The station comes alive with a Midcentury Modern-meets-urban-farm theme. “We designed and built a retro 1960s white backdrop and placed it behind a rustic plank table and barnwood crates,” Sylvia says.
She layered in fresh greenery to add texture and aroma to the station and then incorporated micro elements, like homemade square marshmallows and candy canes and cinnamon sticks for stirring.
“I look at all aspects of creating an appealing design to attract attention. A key design element is to use various levels
keep the eye moving
to throughout the vignette.”
Good entertaining requires attention to taste as well as visuals, and Sylvia carefully paired her holiday-flavored doughnuts with dark chocolate cocoa. “Since the doughnuts had a variety of different toppings and flavors, I kept the hot chocolate as simple as possible, focusing on the dark chocolate flavor,” she explains. When it comes to setting up your own dessert and beverage station for entertaining, add retro details for a fun aesthetic. And if you opt for holiday doughnuts, you’ll find they are delicious and don’t require any cutlery, a hosting godsend.
CHRISTMAS SEATING
A good conversation setup is essential for holiday entertaining and can be achieved in any living room. For this inspirational tableau,
Sylvia went for a White Christmas in Southern California aesthetic. “I love the midcentury vibe, so I used furniture from that era that had a neutral color palette,” Sylvia says. “This allowed me to introduce pops of my favorite Christmas colors: red, gold and green. I added geometric-red-print and gold-gilded pillows and brought in texture with a shag rug and faux animal hide draped over the sofa.”
She also styled the top of the coffee table with a varied blend of evergreens and pinecones, antlers and gilded decorations. Her approach can be scaled for any living room. Simply layer topical elements into your current setup. Throw blankets and pillows are a no-fuss way to add lots of holiday cheer, and a coffee tabletop display with greenery clippings (you can get some fragrant greens from your local nursery) and ornaments immediately draws guests in and encourages them to connect and recharge from the holiday bustle.
HOLIDAY BAR
Nothing says Yuletide magic like a hot toddy! Sophisticated cocktails add elegance and grownup fun to any party—and can even double as a photo prop, like Sylvia’s “car bar.” She says, “I designed the industrial backdrop of this bar after I found a large roll of rusty sheet metal at a recycling facility. I added Edison lights, and a company called Far Away Hood Signs cut out the metal lettering and snowflakes.”
The crowning piece, of course, was the vintage car detail that Sylvia’s company had custom made and is often rented for weddings and parties.
It’s a genuine front end of a 1949 Chevy with working headlights! While you may not have the facilities for a car bar in your home, using a bar as a centerpiece for your party is memorable. Place a decorative sign in retro script above your bar and garnish it with vintage ornaments; it’ll be the evening’s hotspot. For your cocktail offerings,
Sylvia suggests that you “narrow your selection to no more than two or three drinks. I’ve found that guests have no problem drinking whatever is served. For this bar setup, I offered a choice of a Moscow Mule, a St. Germain Cosmo or champagne.”
With Sylvia’s tableaus and tips as a guide, your holiday entertaining will be as pleasurable for you as it is for your guests and will facilitate memories as warm as a hot cup of cocoa. “I love creating holiday spaces because they bring my friends and family together,” Sylvia says. “And what’s more important than that?”
“I love creating holiday spaces because they bring
together.”
my friends and family