Best Christmas Decor Ideas: Atlanta Show House 2016

Atlanta Homes & Lifestyles is one of my favorite shelter magazines, and each year they unveil an inspiring showhouse decorated for the holidays to raise funds for Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta. This year’s 2017 Home for the Holidays Designer Showhouse and Marketplace is now open for tours until December 10th, but today we’ll glance back at the 2016 Home for the Holidays house for the best Christmas decor ideas from this charming and professionally designed house.

Best elegant exterior Christmas decor on Atlanta showhouse 2016 French Country white brick home

Let’s start with this magnificent white brick home and its grand porch! The gorgeous containers? The design is from Atlanta designers Randy Korando and Dan Belman (Boxwoods Gardens and Gifts), who incorporated magnolia leaves, evergreens, and reindeer moss.

Photography: Dan Christensen, Southern Hospitality, Atlanta Homes & Lifestyles

Enormous rustic zinc olive planters filled with Christmas greenery on French Country showhouse porch
Best Christmas Decor Ideas: French Country Holiday Decorations

1. Combine the Rustic with the Elegant.

On the porch, enormous rustic Mediterranean olive containers (are they zinc?) overflow with fresh evergreens, neutral toned ribbon, and quiet pinecones and grapevine spheres.

White brick French Country Atlanta showhouse 2016 decorated for Christmas with garland and zinc pots
Best Christmas Decor Ideas: French Country Holiday Decorations

2. Let Evergreen Garlands Pool to the Ground.

Notice how the length of the fresh garland around the front doorway does not simply end at the base of the door? It hugs the big zinc pots and softens the whole vignette.

Winter Container with fresh greenery and trellis on grand porch of French Country home
Best Christmas Decor Ideas: French Country Holiday Decorations

Loving the addition of that trellis!

3. Prevent Greenery from Drying Out.

In an article on DIY Network, Boxwood Gardens and Gifts recommend a product called Wilt Pruf to keep natural elements fresh and prevent them from drying out in harsh winter weather.

Large Magnolia Wreaths on wood gates of French Country white brick home
Best Christmas Decor Ideas: French Country Holiday Decorations

4. Sometimes Two Wreaths Trump One.

Isn’t the symmetry created with these oversized magnolia wreaths hung on the beautiful driveway gates beyond charming? You just KNOW there is magic on the other side!

White brick French Country Atlanta showhouse 2016 decorated for Christmas with garland and zinc pots
Best Christmas Decor Ideas: French Country Holiday Decorations

5. Skip the Red in Favor of Neutral Ribbon.

What makes this whole exterior holiday decor scheme so elegant and pleasing to my eye is the absence of bold colors. Everything is toned down to allow the greenery and the home to be the stars. The pinecones are quiet, the ribbon is neutral, and there are no typical swaths of red. This is the subtle palette that makes my heart swell because it leaves so much breathing room and creates an understated, divine moment of awe.

Atlanta 2016 showhouse home for the holidays white brick French Country home
Best Christmas Decor Ideas: French Country Holiday Decorations

6. Keep it Natural.

You can’t go wrong with your exterior Christmas decorating when you stick to naturally occurring elements such as greenery, pinecones, wood, and stone.

Breathtaking white brick French Country home decorated for Christmas
Best Christmas Decor Ideas: French Country Holiday Decorations

7. Limit the Number of Different Decor Elements.

Even though this exterior holiday decor scheme feels rich and festive, it’s still a pared-down formula of boxwood, magnolia, and fresh greenery. You’ll note from the landscape, that it is almost limited strictly to boxwood, and this is an elegant look that enhances the beautiful white brick home rather and doesn’t compete. The same philosophy has been applied to the exterior Christmas decorations.

Zinc planter with boxwood and fresh evergreens decorated for Christmas on French Country home porch
Best Christmas Decor Ideas: French Country Holiday Decorations

8. Scale Matters.

This gorgeous exterior holiday decor design gloriously celebrates scale and each design element is proportional to the grand size of the porch and home. For your own home, you can also be mindful of scale and in many cases beef up greenery or pots so they pack more of a punch from the street. It may help to take a photo early on in the decorating and then analyze it to troubleshoot and nail down the proper scale.

Christmas presents on shelves in elegant Atlanta showhouse 2016
Best Christmas Decor Ideas: French Country Holiday Decorations

9. Elegantly Wrapped Gifts as Decor.

Jessica Bradley Interiors came up with the wrapped gifts design for these built-in shelves under the stairs, and it’s so simple and straightforward! It reads as elegant because of the understated beauty of the giftwrap chosen. You’ll just not get the same effect if you reach for the Santa and Elves wrapping paper!

Charming bunk room decorated for Christmas in Atlanta's home for the holidays 2016 showhouse
Best Christmas Decor Ideas: French Country Holiday Decorations

10. Christmas Bells & Greenery.

The marriage of festive gold-toned Christmas bells with evergreen garlands and wreaths (and maybe nothing else!) is a happy one that could be left in place beyond December!

Pastels and teepee in beautiful pink and white corner of kids room
Best Christmas Decor Ideas: French Country Holiday Decorations

11. Cozy Quiet Corners.

Jessica Bradley created a charming tranquil teepee getaway for children that feels like a dreamy sanctuary for dreaming of sugarplums. While there may not be time to construct a DIY teepee, consider pulling out that little child’s table and chairs you may have stored away. The addition of a simple candle, some books, and a cozy throw may be all it needs to welcome wonder during the holidays.

Dining room with upholstered bench and chairs in Atlanta Home for the Holidays 2016
Best Christmas Decor Ideas: French Country Holiday Decorations

This pretty dining room is so gorgeous on its own with its spare beauty, and yet…

Dining room decorated for Christmas with blue in Atlanta showhouse 2016
Best Christmas Decor Ideas: French Country Holiday Decorations

12. Adorn the Table.

The dining room comes to life when you set the table simply and add a touch of color. Alison Womack Jowers and Cheryl Womack designed this tablescape, and all of us can follow suit: candles, a beautiful bowl of glass ornaments, accent pillows, and elegantly wrapped gifts with neutral ribbon.

Dramatic bowl of gold and aqua ornaments in Christmas decorated Atlanta showhouse 2016
Best Christmas Decor Ideas: French Country Holiday Decorations
Elegant soft red and white decor in room with white rattan swing - Atlanta show house 2016
Best Christmas Decor Ideas: French Country Holiday Decorations

13. Softer Shades of Red.

Isn’t this a happy chic and lovely combination of softened pinky red and white in the spaces above and below?

Bedroom decorated for Christmas in Atlanta ShowHouse 2016
Best Christmas Decor Ideas: French Country Holiday Decorations

Again, in this lovely room with the wood beams below, we see a quieter shade of that pinky red repeated in accessories, a books, a throw, and fresh flowers.

Atlanta holiday home showhouse 2016
Best Christmas Decor Ideas: French Country Holiday Decorations
Elegant Christmas decor on stone fireplace mantel in Atlanta showhouse 2016
Best Christmas Decor Ideas: French Country Holiday Decorations

14. Tone on Tone.

Festive holiday decor does not always have to shout to the heavens; for corners of the home where relaxing will occur, think whispers of shimmering champagne and hushed tone on tone.

Christmas tree with white, gold, and black wrapped gifts in Atlanta showhouse 2016
Best Christmas Decor Ideas: French Country Holiday Decorations

15. Simple White and Gold on the Tree.

Isn’t the interest and movement on this simply decorated Christmas tree enchanting? The black wrap on the gifts feels unexpected and modern.

Elegant kitchen with Christmas wreath decoration on range hood in Atlanta showhouse 2016
Best Christmas Decor Ideas: French Country Holiday Decorations

16. Wreath & Dramatic Bowl of Pomegranates.

When you wish to stay on the subtle side of Christmas decorating at home, why not make it easy on yourself and simply opt for two or three festive moments in the kitchen? Bowls of apples or limes work equally well.

Atlanta showhouse 2016 kitchen with two tone cabinetry and exquisite design
Best Christmas Decor Ideas: French Country Holiday Decorations

17. Black & White Photos in Gold Frames.

It’s tricky to display family photos in an elegant fashion, and even more challenging to successfully hang them on the wall without getting too granny or busy. By limiting the color to black and white and keeping the frame color consistent, this grouping in a powder room below feels festive, nostalgic, personal, and wondrous all at once.

Powder room in Atlanta showhouse 2016 with grasscloth wall covering, marble sink, and gilded frames
Best Christmas Decor Ideas: French Country Holiday Decorations

18. Venture Beyond Tomato Red & Lime Green.

There, I said it. What colors will read sophisticated and designer-inspired? Atlanta Homes & Lifestyles has us covered in this MUST PIN:

Paint colors for Atlanta showhouse 2016 Home for the Holidays
Home for the Holidays Showhouse Color Palette

Isn’t this a breathtaking home? Wouldn’t you love to see what the designers have in store and visit the 2017 Atlanta Home for the Holidays?

I independently selected products in this post—if you buy from one of my links, I may earn a commission.

Peace to you right where you are.

-michele

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6 Comments

  1. November 18, 2017 / 6:11 am

    What a wonderful post! Thanks for all the ideas and for sharing these gorgeous images!

    • michele
      Author
      November 18, 2017 / 10:26 am

      Thanks for reading, Betsy! 🙂

  2. Ellen
    July 20, 2018 / 9:41 pm

    Can you comment on the exterior colors?

    • michele
      Author
      July 20, 2018 / 11:41 pm

      You might contact Atlanta Homes & Lifestyles magazine since I don’t have the info. 🙂

  3. David Richard
    May 14, 2023 / 9:01 am

    How you effortlessly blend imagination, wisdom, and positivity is remarkable. Your unique writing style can uplift our spirits and ignite our creativity. Each visit to your blog feels like embarking on a transformative journey, where we discover new avenues for personal growth and explore uncharted innovation territories. Regards Party Greetings Store

    • Michele
      Author
      May 14, 2023 / 4:43 pm

      Thanks for the kind words and for visiting. 🙂

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White Slipcovered Sofa
SHOP MY HOME!
29″ Whitewashed Table Lamp Set of 2
White Matelasse Quilt on MY BED
SHOP MY BATH!
Trees White Wallpaper Mural
Round Farmhouse Table
Myla Slipcover Sofa
Deconstructed Wingback Bed
French Farmhouse Dining Table
Milagro Heart
Slipcovered Dining Chair
Rustic Farmhouse Stool
Edgecombe End Table
Parisian Style Iron Table Lamp  33.5″
Black or Bronze Accent Table
French Stripe Basket Set
White Cotton Crochet Bed Skirt
French Country Rattan Basket Set
Marble Subway Mosaic Tile
Rattan Basket With Lid
White Ruffle Bedding
Seagrass Basket Set
Schumacher Wild Things Wallpaper
Slipcovered Sofa
Upholstered Dining Arm Chair
Shop My Breakfast Nook
White Matelasse Quilt
Tree Mural Wallpaper
Faux Potted French Lavender
Shaw Daybed
Distressed White French Country Chandelier
French Country Headboard
Oval Back Counter Stool, Set of 2
Antique Brass Pharmacy Floor Lamp
Round French Tufted Ottoman
Kinston Wood Bench
Italian Candelabra Chandelier
Slipcovered Linen Chair
Warner Upholstered Bench
Rustic Country French Dresser
Laurel Wreath Mirror
Round Farmhouse Dining Table
Reclaimed Wood Dresser
Louis Upholstered Bench
Pardon My French Doormat
Stripe Turkish Towel Throw
Pamela Arm Chair
Sweater Weave Basket
French Carved Wood Chandelier
Terracotta Pots & Basket
French Country Wood Chandelier
French Linen Dining Chair
Gustavian Cabinet
French Farmhouse Dining Table
Bar Stool
Beachy White Slipcovered Sofa
Rattan Armchair
Diptyque Oyedo Candle
Cross Back Dining Chair
French Country Candle Holder
French Industrial Metal Chairs (4)
Designer Favorite Wall Mirror
Holborn Lantern Pendant
French Country 6-Light Chandelier
Tray Side Table
French Country Upholstered Arm Chair
Wicker Trunk Set
French Ticking Stripe Pillow
Jute Area Rug
Mohair Throw
Rustic Industrial Farmhouse Shelves
Belgian Linen Sofa
White Duvet & Bedding
Rustic Wood Candlestick Set
French Market Basket
Linen Modern Wing Chair
French Country Farmhouse Baskets
Concrete Pillar Table Lamp
Boheme Madera Bench
Belgian Style Lamp
Kendall Skirted Dining Chair
White Charleston Sofa
Scrubbed Wood 5-Light Chandelier
Arched Champagne Wall Mirror
Moravian Star 1-Light Pendant
Highback Armchair
Mini Pendant Light
White Vase Set
Round Woven Placemat Set
Cashmere Throw With Fringe
Wreath Doormat
Fireclay Farm Sink (Reinhard, 30″)
White Waffle Coverlet
Light Grey Vienna Quilt
Boheme Madera Bench
Belgian Linen Duvet Set
Round Marble Side Table
Rustic Pedestal Farm Table
Rattan Hanging Chair Swing