Decorating for Christmas doesn’t have to be limited to the typical “red and green” palette. Over the years, we’ve played with different color combos. This year, we’re doing a Colonial Coastal Christmas mashup, inspired by Sara’s recent trip to Bermuda’s historical district in Hamilton where she learned about the rich history between the island and the colonies.
Read moreGift Guide
The latest Sara Hillery Interior Design Gift Guide is here! Scroll through to find the perfect gift for the most fun-loving friend or family member on your list!
Suzanne Kasler: Edited Style, Barnes & Noble, $57.50
The queen of edited elegance released a new book!
Palm Beach Playing Cards, LouLou Baker, $32
These cheerful playing cards provide a little more style than your typical red or blue set.
Metal Poppy Earrings, Amazon, $15
How fun are these metal earrings? Everyone on my team has a pair!
Eloise Mirror, Sara Hillery Home, $580
Chinoiserie is always in style!
The Perfectly Imperfect Home by Deborah Needleman, Barnes & Noble, $32.50
Such a happy book on how to decorate and live well.
Custom Backgammon Board, Nine Fair, Price and availability varies
A custom backgammon board brings back a classic game in updated colors.
Combed Marble Daily Planner, Papier, $32
This simple and bright planner will keep you organized in style in 2023.
Annie Sconce, Sara Hillery Home, $490
I love the curves and color on this lantern sconce!
Virginia Mammal Pillow, Sara Hillery Home, $300 each
So excited about these winning pillows in last year’s “Made in VA Awards.”
Party Tumbler (Set of 6), Zafferano America, $159
I love this tumbler – There is something so fun about polka dots on a table!
Too Much Needlepoint Pillow, Furbish, $104
This needlepoint pillow in such a bright color is way too much fun!
Michael Aram Pink Dogwood Napkin Rings, Moda Home, $100
Love these napkin rings in a dogwood motif as a nod to my home state of Virginia!
Mally’s Little Handbook, Mally Skok Design, $22
My friend published this book last summer and it still is a favorite!
Goat Leg Leather Upholstered Stool, Sara Hillery Home, $1,500
Anyone who knows me knows that I love anything that looks like it can walk.
K&K Interiors Preserved Boxwood Single Ball Topiary in Pot, Amazon, $89
A simple topiary can elevate any space.
Citrus Clementine Folded by Gina Langford, Dogwood Hill, $48.75
These are the best notecards! I included a custom set in my Lenox Hill tablescape.
20 Piece Bamboo Flatware Set for 4, Sara Hillery Home, $36
A touch of the tropics for your next dinner party!
Set of 4 Batik Placemats in Coral, Amanda Lindroth, $45
I cannot get enough of this cheery batik print!
12-Piece Melamine Bamboo Dinnerware Set for 4
Add bamboo details to your holiday table and celebrate the season in style
The Songbird in Blush, Birdies, $120
Peak fashion meets peak comfort. And how fun are these pom-poms?
Scalloped Napkin, Sara Hillery Home, $30
Perfect year-round from Mardi-Gras to Christmas!
2021 Holiday Gift Guide
We blinked, and suddenly it’s the holidays. Gift-giving is one of our favorite parts of the season, and we rounded up several options that are surefire winners. From a chic chess set to personalized candles, you can cross off everyone on your “nice list” (and maybe pick up a little holiday treat for yourself in the process).
Make like Beth Harmon in the Queen’s Gambit and pick up one of these Lucite acrylic chess sets. Available in neon orange and yellow or classic black and white, these sleek sets can live on any surface and are sure attract lots of admirers as well as potential game seekers.
Image via Hetgroen Lab
Image via Jonathan Adler
New design books are always on our holiday wish list. There’s nothing like starting off the year with fresh design inspiration. Some newly released favorites include Botanical Buildings: When Plants Meet Architecture, Where We Work: Home Offices, and Home: A Celebration.
There’s absolutely nothing basic about the baubles from Emily Warden Designs, thanks to Emily’s training in metalsmithing and jewelry design and her impeccable eye for finding and setting gorgeous stones. Her well-designed site makes it easy to shop and extremely difficult to narrow down the gift-buying selection.
Image via Emily Warden Designs
Image via Chilewich
Whether you are finally feeling like you can entertain again safely or you are still keeping your dinner crew small, these woven placemats from perennial favorite Chilewich elevate your table settings into art. Eco-friendly and suitable for indoor/outdoor use, the placemats make great hostess gifts that will long outlast a bottle of wine or flowers.
Felix Doolittle’s stationery line includes personalized canning labels and bookplates, but we would love to gift a set of signature note cards from the Plein Air collection. Whether you choose a marsh or a countryside field, you aren’t just preserving the art of letter writing when you gift these beauties; you’re also passing on a love and appreciation of illustrated art.
Image via Felix Doolittle
Image via Navabella
We keep candles burning all winter long, so stocking up on the latest offerings from Navabella is a no brainer, especially since they come in a variety of delectable scents like iced eggnog and mocha mint. You can even personalize these minimalist candles with a holiday greeting!
From all of us at Sara Hillery Interior Design, we wish you happy holidays!
Don’t Panic, You Still Have Time to shop: Here is our Last Minute Gift Guide
If you’re like us, the time between Thanksgiving and Christmas or Hanukkah seems to get shorter and shorter each year. If the holidays have snuck up on you this year, never fear, we’ve gathered some of our favorite last minute gift ideas from our favorite local shops that can be purchased online or in stores.
Posh People Journals from Dana Gibson
These 6x8 journals fit perfectly in a tote bag and are so pretty you’ll never want to tuck them away. Featuring the artwork of Dana Gibson, These are stylish yet functional.
Thucassi Oil Diffuser from Fraiche
With notes of smoked fig and pear with woodsy undertones, these oil diffusers are to die for! Fraiche, one of our favorite local shops has plenty available, so pop in and pick one (or two) up.
BLACK OBSIDIAN GUA SHA TOOL from Apothec
We can tell you from personal experience, this Gua Sha tool from Apothec lives up to the hype! It’s not only a beautiful piece, but its promise to increase circulation and lymphatic drainage does not disappoint. This little wonder-tool promotes overall skin health and is the perfect stocking stuffer.
Earrings from Monday Morning Press
These statement earrings are made from super lightweight letter press paper and are perfect for those who want the style of chunky earrings but not the uncomfortable weight. You can’t go wrong with any of the jewelry from Monday Morning Press, but we are obsessed with their earrings!
Muttini Bar Collection from Haute Diggity Dog
Let’s not forget about our furry friends either! The Muttini Bar Collection by Haute Diggity Dog is so cute and clever, from “White Paws” to “Kennel One Vodka” you’ll be sure to find something that makes you chuckle.
Celebrating Fall and Thanksgiving in Color
One promise we made ourselves during this challenging year was to add sprinkles of joy whenever possible. So for our Thanksgiving table this year, we moved it outdoors! We wanted to change it up a bit this year, we’ve been having a wonderfully mild Autumn and wanted to take advantage of the nice weather before Winter. Moving outside also allowed us to gather and remain Covid-safe.
We leaned heavily into our love of natural elements, vintage details, and handcrafted pieces, and plenty of color, of course! Instead of creating a monochromatic or neutral color palette, we embraced a variety of warm colors to give us and our table guests some life and vibrancy.
We began with a fresh white cotton tablecloth that had been hand block printed with repeating blue patterns reminiscent of leaves and tree branches. A rattan charger grounds each place setting along with folded and draped gorgeous ikat napkins in dreamy purples and pinks. The green bamboo dinner plates from Blue Pheasant add gloss and texture, while flatware in gold and green tie into this color scheme while adding modern flair. Vintage Kaiser white bowls from Germany finish off the clean and composed look of the place settings.
For drinkware, we chose chic yet distinctive variations from typical clear glass. Blue, vintage inspired goblets and hand blown “tortoiseshell” glasses offer a faint whisper of the exotic and prove that unconventional matches can work beautifully together.
A vintage brass bowl overflowing with globe amaranth and coleus leaves and surrounded by mini pumpkins, apples, and figs makes the table feel especially romantic. By drawing from colors found throughout nature and pairing surprising textures and tones, we created a table that celebrates the simplest and most pleasurable of joys these days: sharing an intimate meal with loved ones.
