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Cottage style decorating, renovating and entertaining Ideas for indoors and out
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Cottage style decorating, renovating and entertaining Ideas for indoors and out Cottage style decorating, renovating and entertaining Ideas for indoors and out
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Home Tour: Glimmering Christmas Décor in the California Valley

  • December 3, 2018
  • Written by Madison Nauta
  • Photography by Bret Gum
  • Styled by Jickie Torres
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The scents of pine and cinnamon fill the house, as the air outside begins to chill. The holiday season is here, and picking a Christmas décor theme is just as important as picking out your gifts. Ashley Frank, of Ashley Frank Interiors, likes to change up her Christmas décor every year. When decorating her Valencia, California, home, inspiration can strike from the smallest piece—a ribbon or fresh flowers—to create a feeling that keeps Christmas alive and magical in a place that’s summer all year round. And this year? Thanks to a sparkling gold ribbon, her look is all about glimmering Christmas décor.

Living room area featuring an elegantly-decorated Christmas tree adorned with red and gold accents. // Cottages & Bungalows
A POP OF POINSETTIAS. The simple yet chic décor of this living room provides elegance and comfort. Ashley chose colors and patterns from the rug to decorate the rest of the room and added just enough red to tie in a holiday look.

A Clean Slate

The Frank family had a lot of renovating to do on their 1980s fixer-upper. Ashley and her husband worked as a team to build their dream home, all while Ashley was 9 months pregnant. “He worked here over two months, and he would come straight from his job,” Ashley says. Like any renovator knows, a home is never really finished; Ashley says that her house is “still a work in progress.”

Array of up-close shots featuring Christmas décor that can be displayed on shelves throughout your home—ornament clusters and garland create a clean and simple look. // Cottages & Bungalows
STARRY NIGHT. Ashley curated an eye-catching display on her refinished shelves and buffet. Small glasses and cake stands give her walls a lot of dimension, while keeping with the color palette. A simple light-up star and a lantern full of ornaments give the dining room subtle and thoughtful holiday charm.

First to go was the original ’80s orange-checkered flooring in the kitchen and in its place the couple put down travertine tile that matched the stacked stone fireplace in the family room. Hardwood floors complete the first floor, providing a classic timeless foundation.

Decorating Basics

Flow is the most important part of Ashley’s home design. She experiments with a few neutral colors and mixes in pops of color. Although she finds and refinishes a lot of her favorite pieces, she slowly picks up furnishings that mix with her patterns and color palette too. She likes to mix colors and textures to create her own style. She advises, “Pull different colors from the rug, pillows, and the curtains—the larger aspects of the room.” Attention to detail is critical so that the whole room comes together and “it looks like it was all meant to be.”

A succulent wreath on the front door serves as a nod to the California Valley climate, and a neutral living room is brightened with bright poinsettias. // Cottages & Bungalows
NATURAL BEAUTY. Outside, Ashley created a succulent wreath (a nod to the California Valley climate) and added lush cedar around the door. Inside, bright poinsettias punctuate the holiday vibe.
A skinny Christmas tree is used in this space to create dimension and visual interest—decorated with simple old white ornaments, it matches her refinished dresser. // Cottages & Bungalows
PRETTY PINE. Ashley uses a few different sized trees to give every room some dimension and a little Christmas magic. The simple old white ornaments match her refinished dresser and holiday throw pillows.

The More Christmas the Better

Ashley says the key to a full and vibrant glimmering Christmas décor theme is continuity of elements. “For Christmas, I like to go with a single idea,” she says. The passionate DIYer and crafty designer uses her skills to make the rooms flow together through a color palette or similar patterns. Once she starts looking for décor, she tries to find a material that sparks her fancy. She says, “It starts with a ribbon and I go from there.”

An elegant Christmas dinging area shown through an arched entryway. // Cottages & Bungalows

This elegant dining room is decorated with accents of red and green. The overall room décor is simple, which draws the eye towards the detailed dining table. // Cottages & Bungalows
START STYLIN’. All the focus in this room is on the table styling. Ashley kept her home décor simple, which draws the eyes towards the detailed dining room table.
Holiday place setting created by adorning vintage napkins with succulents. // Cottages & Bungalows
CHRISTMAS CACTUS. This well-styled dining room table is full of tradition and a little bit of California. Ashley adorns her table with her grandmother’s napkins and put little succulents in the cups to continue her front-door wreath theme in the dining room.
Vintage Santa and Mrs. Claus salt & pepper shakers are used on the dining table, which keeps family tradition alive.
A TABLE OF TRADITION. Ashley felt that it was important to keep the flow of the décor with gold accents on the dining room table. She also keeps her grandmother’s traditions alive by using her adorable salt and pepper shakers.

One mainstay tradition? Fresh greenery. Ashley incorporates pine and cedar all over the house. Since the Frank family lives in California, Ashley also incorporates succulents into her Christmas theme. “On the dining room table, I put succulents in vintage teacups,” Ashley says. She even made her own succulent wreath, mixing the warm climate with the holiday season. Her décor starts with the wreath on the front door because she wants “the first thing you see to be beautiful.”

The Centerpiece

The showcase, of course, is the tree and for her theme it’s all about glimmering Christmas décor from floor to ceiling. “Start with the tree and how you want that to look,” she says.  After wrapping her tree in a glittering gold ribbon as a garland, Ashley knew that this would be the focal point of her décor. With red, gold and a little bit of sparkle in her color palette, Ashley paired the ribbon with red poinsettias, gold deer and ornaments.  She placed these hues and the deer on shelves and tabletops throughout her home. Because the Christmas season can bring a lot of color into the home, she says, “I keep my house pretty neutral.” She forgoes her favorite color, blue, and pairs her earthy neutral furnishings with pops of red and shimmery gold.

This fireplace mantel is decorated with simple greenery, deer antlers and wood ornaments, giving it a warm and rustic feel. // Cottages & Bungalows
GO GREEN. Small details make all the difference. The wood ornaments and deer antlers make the mantel flow with the same rustic style that’s found throughout the rest of the house.

For many families, tradition is a big part of the holidays. Ashley has incorporated a lot of her grandmother’s holiday items into her glimmering Christmas décor. On her dining room table, the adorable salt and pepper shakers, as well as the napkins, are from her grandmother’s holiday collection. For the Franks, the Christmas season is about making traditions as a family. “Christmas is such a magical time of year, so I just want the house to feel magical, especially for my kids. They get really excited about it,” Ashley says. Her children, ages 5 and 7, love decorating with their mom. Her kids inspire a lot of her décor. Stylish functionality is crucial for this mother of two.

“I want the first thing you see to be beautiful.”

This farmhouse-style Christmas mantel is decorated with simple greenery, wood ornaments, deer antlers and neutral colors for a warm and inviting look. // Cottages & Bungalows
MAGNIFICENT MANTEL. Ashley “toned down” her furnishings to allow her glimmering Christmas décor to stand out. She likes to use very neutral throw pillows and rugs during the holiday season.

Personalize It

Ashley believes that “your home is a reflection of you and your family.” So make sure you keep the style all your own. Incorporate colors and patterns you love along with your Christmas decorations. It’s all about blending your style with the trends of the season. Keep your family traditions, and start some new ones as you pick your theme and fill your home with the magic of Christmas.

“Christmas is such a magical time of year, so I just want the house to feel magical, especially for my kids.”

The red and green pieces of Christmas décor in this bedroom are accented with blue to give a lively and intriguing look. // Cottages & Bungalows
BLUE CHRISTMAS. “Blue is my favorite color,” Ashley says. And her Christmas decorations do a great job of combining with the blue hues for a lively and intriguing look.

This holiday-inspired drink and snack cart is decorated with gold wine glasses with pops of red and green. // Cottages & Bungalows

Looking for more holiday inspiration or glimmering Christmas décor ideas? Buy a copy of our holiday issue on sale now! Or check out this tour of Design Twin Jodi Kammerer’s Northern California home.

 

Of course, don’t forget to follow us on Instagram to get your daily dose of cottage inspiration!

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Related Topics
  • Ashley Frank
  • California
  • Christmas
  • holiday décor
  • Valencia
Madison Nauta

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