Together for the holidays
I learned early in life that it’s pretty awesome to help others make their holidays merry and bright. My folks owned a clothing store in Atchison, Kansas, and as a kid, I was thrilled when they let me help make the bows for the packages we giftwrapped. It was fun to imaging those gifts being slid under someone’s tree, and the face of the lucky person who got to open it at Christmas.
It’s been 35 years this month since I opened Nell Hill’s. And I still get a charge out of helping our customers make their holiday celebrations beautiful and memorable, full of joy, majesty and lots of fun.
When it comes to Christmas spirit, we are filled to overflowing. Our lavish displays are designed to wow and inspire everyone who visits. Through the years, many of you have made coming here during the holidays an annual tradition.
In case you can’t make it this season, I wanted to give you a quick tour of the store decorated for the holidays. Enjoy!
Merry & Bright
The first gallery off our entry is an ode to color. The pure joy of this magical season is almost palpable when you are enveloped in this cheerful room. When designing this effervescent holiday look, we took our color cues from the cheery pink ceiling and fresh white walls. Through our furniture, artwork, accents, and, most importantly, the holiday decor, we splashed in orange, magenta, teal, greens, blues. This fun-loving holiday hug would look wonderful in homes that lean toward contemporary or modern stylings.
Dramatic Elegance
I’ve had a lifelong love of blue and white. So when we designed this room, and filled it full of blue and white, with a few pear green accents, I wanted to pack my overnight bag and just move in. We set the stage for elegance with the moody Twilight walls, then added sensational sapphire blue velvet settees. Love! I think this tree has been the most photographed of the season, complete with mirrors used as shelves that are topped with urns.
A Cozy Cabin
I’ve always loved a woodland look at Christmas and have taken that theme in lots of different directions on my dining table through the years. This delightful setting is a more casual take, like it’s set in a snug cabin in the woods, with the snow falling outside and a fire crackling in the hearth.
Check out the interesting twig light fixture, a conversation piece that adds to the room’s charm. We layered the table in matching throw blankets, turned on the diagonal over the tabletop.
When you add vertical height to a table, you add drama, so we elevated each place setting with these faux wood circles, used as chargers under a stack of pheasantthemed winter dishes.
In the 35 years I’ve had the pleasure to help people make their homes beautiful for the holidays, I’ve learned that putting in a little time to dress your home makes you and your guests feel special, an ovation to the significance of this special time of year. But I’ve also learned that, as you fix and primp, you have to always remember that it’s not about the decorations or presents or food. It’s about the people you love.