Colorado creative Courtney St. John consults Christmases past for inspiration in putting together the perfect décor plan.
Long before Hallmark began producing an abundance of Christmas movies starring Lacey Chabert and Alicia Witt encouraging women to leave their big-city jobs for small-town businesses and homegrown boyfriends, the greeting card empire was already a big part of Courtney St. John’s reason for the season. “Hallmark and I both claim Kansas City as home. We’d actually go see Santa Claus and ice skate back in the 1980s at Crown Center, which was a development Hallmark owned,” she says with a laugh. And her childhood Christmases might have even inspired some future film sets. “I grew up with these very traditional, idyllic holidays. My family cut down our own tree every year, and we decorated it with these really meaningful, handmade ornaments,” she explains. “We even skated on our own pond and followed it up with drinking hot chocolate by the fire.”
Stockings are hung next to a faux fir in a grand room with few color clashes.
Thanks to the ghosts of her Christmases past, the Vail-based interior designer is happy to help a select few clients prepare for the holidays in the present. After pressing play on her Santa-themed soundtrack, which includes a mix of the old-school carols along with more modern-day Mariah (“She’s the O.G. — a total diva. She gave those old-school rappers a run for their money back in the day!” enthuses St. John), she gets down to the business of spreading cheer almost immediately after the Thanksgiving dishes have been cleared. “My clients get their homes decorated way before I do mine — I’m like the cobbler’s kid!” she says. Still, she wouldn’t trade the joy she gets from twirling up other people’s homes. “I love the feeling of serving others that comes along during the holidays,” she says.
Here, St. John takes us on a goodwill tour of a client’s home in Beaver Dam, Colorado, and shares a few tips for making a mountain space a little extra merry and bright.
Start With A Spirited Greeting
St. John is of the opinion that family and friends should be delighted upon drive-up. “The architecture of this home is already so beautiful, so we simply highlighted it by filling the beautiful copper planters with Aspen branches, tying on some big bows tied out of all-weather fabric, and adding swags of garland,” she says. “People love to drive around and look at lights around here, so it feels special to get the house all done up and ready for its close-up.”
Tastefully placed garland elements add cheer to the arrival.
Invest In Fancy Faux Fir
While there’s nothing quite like the real deal, St. John says there’s nothing wrong with a few fabulous fakes — especially when you’re decorating a second or third home where you won’t be on-hand all season to sweep up stray needles. Try high-end makers like Balsam Hill, West Elm, and Hammacher Schlemmer for lifelike garlands, wreaths, and trees that are both fire-safe and maintenance-free. To get the best of both worlds, St. John recommends foraging for natural finds like sprigs of greenery, berries, and pinecones, and then simply layering them in to make the artificial a little more authentic.
Lean Into The Lights Fantastic
Another way to add a little sheen to both real and faux greens? Bring on plenty of elegant white lights woven into a garland and wrapped around the Christmas tree. “They’re so simple and pretty, and they bring so much to a room, along with lots of lit white candles,” she says.
Rejoice With Smart Choices
St. John likes to consider the home’s architectural style, interior design, and location when she’s on the hunt for holiday ornamentation that can range from a skiing Santa hung high above a stairwell down to every last adornment on the tree. “This is a very European chalet type of home, so I didn’t go over-the-top traditional. The ornaments feel a little more modern, and I focused on filler like bows, boughs, and holly thrown in,” she says.
Roll Out The Ribbon
Sure, you could finish a tree with a star or an angel, but for St. John’s money, the best way to bring spruce it up is by balancing two big bows right on top. The designer says you get on the extra nice list when you tuck the long tails down the tree. She unfurled more ribbon in the garland on the mantel, along with a flurry of wooden snowflakes, which she says provided a nice modern contrast.
Add Loot To A Pair Of Boots
You don’t necessarily need an army of nutcrackers or a towns-worth of nativities to create a fanciful vignette. The designer advises simply grabbing a pair of boots — be it cowboy, ski, or furry — and filling them with greenery. “I chose some black ones here because they were reminiscent of Santa’s, and we placed them near the chimney,” she explains. “They just add a little unexpected whimsey and charm.”
Achieving the holiday elegance is all about the small details and finishing touches.
Win The Wrap Battle
“I love paper and ribbon, probably because I come from a textile background,” St. John says. “Every year, I like to pick out a theme, pattern, or color combination for all the presents beneath the tree.” Not only does it keep freshening up holiday décor; she says it’s another way to show how much you care for everyone on your gift list. “The Japanese have a name for it — Tsutsumi — it’s about caring enough to create beautiful packaging that becomes a gift in and of itself. It’s also fun to create something that’s enticing for kids and adults alike,” she says.
Create New Traditions
St. John loves to set her clients’ tables with a mix of white candles, sprigs of greenery, pinecones, beloved gravy boats, and dishware that are meant to be broken out only for the holidays. While the Lastra by Vietri dishware for more formal dining and sweet red-and-white set for the breakfast nook is brand new, she says it will become more meaningful over time. “When you buy these collections from Vietri, Juliska, or Spode, people get excited about collecting them through the years and passing it down,” she says. “My mom had all the Spode, and I look forward to breaking it out every year.”
Don’t forget to fill some boots for a bit of extra décor whimsy.
See more of the designer’s work at courtneystjohnstudio.com.
From our November/December 2024 issue.
PHOTOGRAPHY: Brent Bingham/Courtesy of Courtney St. John