Home Decorating Guide

Christmas tree and holiday decorations
Photograph by Michele Michael

We scoured Instagram to find holiday décor by some of our favorite local style-setters.

1. “The holidays are an important pause to enjoy family, friends, and giving, and also celebrate my family’s traditions in our ancestral home on Bailey Island. We hand-cut our tree and decorate it with vintage ornaments from past generations. Creating a sense of place, heritage, and community is our joy.” — Brett Johnson, Maine Street Design Co., Portland.


2. “I want the holidays to be bright and colorful, with lots of blues and greens and pops of red. The deer head is core board dressed with ocean-colored dots. The stockings are placemats, sewn together with a little ribbon trim — we’ve had them since my grown son was a little boy.” — Laurel Hoppe, Jonesboro. 

 

3. “I love to set the Christmas table with red linens, candles, and, of course, fresh greens, pine cones, and fresh flowers. Crystal and silver make the table sparkle. And for the Hurlbutts, Christmas would not be complete without our homemade bûche de nöel.” — Louise Hurlbutt, Hurlbutt Designs, Kennebunk. 

 

4. “I like simple, natural decorations and not too much clutter. This farmhouse, adjacent to my office, is a relatively new home for us, but wrapping garlands around the columns is already our tradition.” — Nicola Manganello, Nicola’s Home, Yarmouth.

 

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#nicolashome #finaltouches #mainelife

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5. “For the same reason we rescue the dogs who are the least likely to be adopted, my husband, Patrick Moore, and I go for the sparsest Charlie Brown trees. We use old-fashioned, big-bulb lights — I love the flashing ones — just a few here and there. Patrick made the wooden star for our first Christmas together.” — Michele Michael, Elephant Ceramics, Durham.

 

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It’s snowing outside and the tree is up. Our annual Charlie Brown tree…though a bit taller. It’s feeling like Christmas here. ?

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