Nov/Dec 2006
A Home for the Holidays
Designers give this Birdneck residence an updated look of seasonal splendor.
By Ann Wright
After dragging out their holiday decorations, Kari and George Loizou realized the old adornments just didn't have enough pizzazz to match their spiffed-up interior. Their Birdneck home had a fresh, sophisticated look after a major renovation project directed by interior designer Anne Standing of Panache Interiors in Virginia Beach.
When Kari expressed a yen for holiday dÇcor that complemented the gleaming rejuvenation, Standing suggested Freckled Fox, a Virginia Beach store known for creating lavish seasonal looks. Floral designers Lynda Briggs and Molly Rueger came to the Loizou home armed with realistic faux plant materials, luxe ribbons and cheery confidence. The refurbished home's clean lines and easy-going palette provided an ideal backdrop for their signature style of holiday exuberance.
As usual, the two designers started at the front door. "Always think of the entry and the foyer as a unit," Briggs says, adjusting the ribbon on the wreath. "We like to use the same materials and ribbons inside and out to tie the two together."
At Freckled Fox, one garland is rarely enough. To get the visual heft they like, the designers often work two or three different garlands together. In the Loizous' front hall, Briggs and Rueger intertwined cedar and magnolia garlands with a garland of sparkling icicles. These full-figured garlands outline the hall mirror and drape the full length of the staircase and down the newel post, ending in a graceful puddle on the foyer floor.
"We like the look of the broad magnolia leaves mixed with the finer texture of the cedar. The icicles catch the light and give it a subtle glitz," Rueger explains. The first-floor color scheme of camel and chocolate browns contrasted with steel blue suggests the combination of glossy green magnolia leaves with their rusty-brown undersides and blue-green cedar.
For the rest of this story, including holiday decorating tips from the pros, see the Nov/Dec issue of Hampton Roads Magazine, currently available on newsstands.
