Designer Space: Christmas Colors Palette

Christmas colors palette with Sarah Macklem and she invites us into her beautiful home for the Holidays.   “It was a builder spec home,” designer Sarah Macklem says of her two-storey home. She and her husband Mike, a commercial banker, fell in love with the house’s buttery yellow Cape Cod style. Since they bought the home in 2003 Sarah and Mike have added custom touches and upgrades to the interior. “Our goal was to pack charm and character into each space while maintaining a fresh vibe.” A soft flannel gray outfits the interior walls, providing Sarah with a neutral foundation. “It is easy for me to change my accent colors. Christmas colors palette for Christmas for me is, I use a lot of red”.  Sarah confesses, however, “My heart beats fast for traditional design. But trendy accents provide the perfect balance of old and new.” She advises that trendy can be added with inexpensive elements such as table accessories, a throw, or pillows. Planning ahead is prudent when decorating. “Most of the red Christmas balls used on the tree and mantle greenery were collected at thrift shops, garage sales, and discount stores over the years.” Family heirlooms are also part of Sarah’s design. She mixed her husband’s grandmother’s milk glass with the décor. “Filling Grandma’s milk glass bowl with Christmas ornaments is a perfect way for us to remember her during the Holidays.” Christmas colors palette for my home’s colors and textures are echoed in the furniture and accessories. In the dining room, the first room seen when entering the home, Sarah combined graphic elements and a high contrast color palette to create a whimsical, sophisticated look. She says “I used a palette of black and white with pops of red, warmed with golden lights.” Reds, grays, blacks, checks, boxes, written script, oversized stars, and antlers are some of the recurring motifs. “I love to repeat design elements. It creates a sense of flow.” The home’s accessories and furniture have quiet tête-à-têtes sharing textures, colors, lines, sheen, shapes, and boldness. In the dining room, for example, a bold black mirror brings the quiet spectacle to the room, balancing the dark hues of the table and chairs, lamps, and rug. Red ornaments and accessories along with bevels and curves embellish the room’s linear elements while creamed porcelain heightens the wainscoting. In the living room, the fireplace expresses Sarah’s love of neat, clean, symmetrical, and simple spaces. In this space, she chose one main focal point; the fireplace. “Instead of using a lot of items, I went with key pieces that were large in scale”. She notes that the solid white of the living room sofa and the black and white drapery gave her the freedom to experiment with patterned area rugs, toss pillows, and wall décor. Mike jokes that because Sarah is so often redecorating their home that it is ever-changing, and refers to it as living and breathing. Their children Hannah, Cameron, and Max, as well as their dog Murphie, love when the home is dressed for Christmas. Sarah remarks “My family appreciates the sense of magic it brings to our home during our most favorite time of year.”   Text by J. Lynn Fraser   Space Designed and Photographed by The Yellow Cape Cod Dining Room with Christmas Tree; Faux Tree, Balsam Hill  Pinecone Picks, Black White Deer Ribbon and Flocked Animal Print Gift Wrap, Hobby Lobby Buffalo Check Ribbon, Show Me Decorating Oversized Glittered Star Ornaments, The Merchandise Outlet Living Room: Black and White Deer Silhouette Ribbon on Tree and Zebra Chair, Thrifted Find, Upholstery by Hobby Lobby Ceramic Garden Stools, Sam’s Club Red Velvet Pillow and Chunky Knit Throw, Pottery Barn Reindeer Pillow, I Screen You Screen Faux Garland and Faux Tree, Balsam Hill Barrel Tree Stand and Antler Stocking Holders, Ballard Designs Black and White Ribbon, Bordines Nursery Candle Sconces, Uttermost Red and White Christmas Ornaments and Red Tree Topper Star, Joss and Main Large Scale Art Over Mantle, The Yellow Cape Cod Shelf Décor: Nativity Set, The Yellow Cape Cod Buffalo Check Gift Wrap, Zazzle Large White Vase and Red Boxes, HomeGoods Basket and White Wooden Snowflake Cutout, Pottery Barn Dining Room: Kirsten Arch Mirror, Wayfair Lamps, HomeGoods Striped Tote Holding Poinsettia and Black and White Ribbon, Hobby Lobby Red Dinnerware, Joss and Main White Wooden Chargers, Pier One Houndstooth Rug, Surya Table and Chairs, Value City Furniture Flooring, Sam’s Club Red Linen Napkins, Pottery Barn Breakfast Nook: Table and Chairs, Crate and Barrel Rug, Surya Chair Pads, Ikea Red Dishes, Joss and Main White Wooden Chargers, Pier One Striped Placemats, Hobby Lobby Plants and Red Ribbon, Bordines Nursery Chandelier Shades, Ballard Designs Red Linen Napkins, Pottery Barn For more Christmas decor ideas click here. For more unique items for your home, click shopCHT.com.