Santa's Workshop

A Santa Claus-inspired theme and fun pops of color combine with touches of farmhouse charm to create a cozy and inviting feel in this California home.

As Christmas approaches, creating a home full of festive cheer is a great way to bring the holidays to the forefront. For Instagrammer Annette Maldonado of Cherished Treasures, decorating her rented home is the perfect creative outlet. As the owner of a daycare center, her love for interior decorating began with celebrating her children. “I used to get really extravagant for my kids’ birthday parties,” she says. “I’ve always enjoyed the little details.” It became a hobby for her, and she branched out to her entire home. “I enjoy gathering my décor and bringing it all together, and the end result makes it worth it,” she says. Combining classic and trendy Christmas colors, as well as bits of cozy farmhouse charm, she creates a warm, inviting and fun home brimming with holiday cheer.

CHOOSING A THEME

Decking the halls can feel daunting, and Annette starts the process a full year in advance. “First, I like to scroll Pinterest and Instagram to get some inspiration,” she says. From there, she comes up with ideas for a theme that will help her narrow her shopping. “I’m a budget shopper, so at the end of each holiday season, I go out to the local shops and stores and see what I can find on clearance,” she says. This year, her theme in the front part of the home centers around Santa’s workshop. After her shopping spree, she packs away her finds until the beginning of November, which is when she pulls all her Christmas décor out to begin again. “I have tubs and bins and trees in the attic and in the garage,” she says.

Basing your palette on your chosen theme can help narrow your options for décor while also allowing your creativity to shine through. Classic red and white is Annette’s favorite color combination for Christmastime, and she incorporates it into her design every year. “It just feels like Christmas to me,” she says. In the back part of her home, where the family spends most of their time, she continues her classic Christmas palette, while bringing in other colors like blush pink and canary yellow. “I use similar colors throughout to keep things flowing and together, but I added the pink for a pop of color,” she says.

CREATING HOME

Just as having a theme plays a central role in Annette’s decorating, her use of textures and details brings a sense of warmth and welcome. “My big emphasis is on coziness and creating a place where you actually want to spend time,” she says. Throw blankets and pillows in every room create an inviting feel, as well as adding festive color and fun. Farmhouse elements such as shiplap wallpaper, signs and vintage pieces are simple features that add further texture and interest in each space.

While the home is a rental, Annette does her best to make the space uniquely her own. “There isn’t a lot I can change physically, but by adding décor I can make the house feel like home,”she says. For Christmas, this translates into filling every space with bits of holiday fun. She uses greenery to create a fresh and festive feel, along with several decorated trees that serve as focal points in each room. “The more the merrier,” she says. Altogether, the décor creates a sense of fullness that speaks to the special season of Christmastime.

These two trees bedecked in holiday cheer stand in the entry area to greet guests. “I wanted a tree in every room,” says Annette Maldonado. “I really hadn’t seen two trees together in this way, so I put them together.” Taking from the year-round book wall behind, she rolled up pages from a Christmas book to create scroll ornaments. The classic colors of red, green and white take center stage in the décor.

In the formal living room, bright and cheery reds pop against a neutral background. For Annette, it’s all about the details. Vintage spindles and a wooden bread bowl filled with greenery and ornaments add farmhouse charm to the space. “I try to think outside the box and find creative details to make the space cuter and more festive,” she says.

This mini-mudroom in the entryway is a nod to farmhouse charm and features an introduction to Annette’s theme for the rest of the home. Playing off the Santa’s workshop focus, she included Santa’s coat, sash, bells and boots in this fun vignette. “To me, it’s really sticking with a theme and adding small details to finish the space,” she says. The shiplap wall is another display of her creativity in the rental home. “It is actually faux—it’s just peelable wallpaper that’s super easy to put up and take down,” she says. (opposite) Passersby have no doubt as to Annette’s interior décor style. The charming Christmas vignette on the porch incorporates rustic sign art with metal and wood accents that can stand up against the weather.

Pops of blush pink are a fun addition to Annette’s Christmas palette in this cozy family room. She uses throws, pillows, garlands, a decorated tree and various holiday pieces to fill the space. She was even able to modify the fireplace in her rented home to give off farmhouse-style appeal. “The fireplace is tiled, and I wanted a different look, so I got peelable wallpaper that looks like wood,” she says. “It was a nice addition of texture to make it more my style.”

(right) One of the fun aspects of decorating for the holidays is finding ways to incorporate aspects of your everyday décor. The entryway has a distinctly farmhouse feel with vintage wooden-slatted shutters combined with a vintage window mirror atop a timeless, white dresser. Annette spruces them up with a small wreath, greenery, stockings and a book-page garland. “I pulled some of the pages off the book wall, rolled them up and stuck them on the garland,” she says.

(top) Choosing a less traditional color for your holiday décor can be a fun challenge. For Annette, it was all about mixing the traditional with her own unique flair. “I love the blush pink, so it was a challenge for me to incorporate that color,” she says. “Thankfully, once I started looking, I found a lot of pink Christmas items.” Some of her blushpink décor items are part of her year-round collection. “I just layer in the seasonal stuff,” she says.