The holiday season has an electrifying effect on favorite spaces, from living rooms and porches to entry halls and mantels. As if cast under a spell of over-the-top enchantment, spaces both formal and casual transform beneath twinkling lights and fragrant garlands of pine and spruce to dazzling effect. Festive figurines greet guests on stylish drinks tables, heirloom crystal and showstopping place settings festoon dining rooms, and treasured ornaments dress Christmas trees to the nines (and then some).
In so many ways, “joy” encapsulates the feeling that runs through the halls of a well-decorated home—not just because of the visual holiday glee but the memories made while putting it all together. Time spent hanging those tricky magnolia-leaf wreaths and lighting tapered candles pays dividends in the delight it brings to family and guests as they arrive with their own yuletide greetings.
Here, a handful of inspired examples stretch cheer from San Miguel de Allende, Mexico, to Vermont, each providing invaluable lessons on timeless decorating and the art of welcoming guests for the season.
Inside a California Home That Feels Like a Stroll Through a Swedish Christmas Market
Photo credit: Andrew Purcell
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Brilliant Color Turns Christmas Eve Dinner Into a Riotous Affair at This Normandy Château
Photo credit: Ambroise Tézenas for VERANDA
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A Cotswolds Inn Is Decked for Christmas, with Family and Rural Splendor at Its Heart
Photo credit: Claire Bingham
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How Charleston’s Top Hoteliers Spend Thanksgiving—Ending with a Black Friday Champagne Cruise
Photo credit: Brie Williams for VERANDA
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Alex Papachristidis’s #1 Tip for Creating Holiday Magic? Moving Your Dining Room to the Den
Photo credit: Alison Gootee for VERANDA
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You’re Invited to Designer Joy Moyler’s Soulful Holiday Get-Together
Photo credit: Kelly Marshall
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Step Inside a North Carolina Inn That Resembles a Life-Size Gingerbread House
Photo credit: Brie Williams
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Zebras, Gators, and Giraffes Star in This Designer’s Palm Beach Christmas
Photo credit: Carmel Brantley
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How Top Floral Designer Lewis Miller Decorates for the Holidays
Photo credit: Francesco Lagnese
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This San Miguel Wonderland Is Steeped in Beauty and Holiday Traditions
Photo credit: Maureen M. Evans
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This Maximalist Manhattan Penthouse Channels the Opulence of a Venetian Palazzo
Photo credit: Francesco Lagnese for VERANDA
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This Greenwich Home Feels as Though You’ve Stepped Foot into an Enchanted Forest
Photo credit: Douglas Friedman
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Designer Andrew Howard Brings Refined, Classic Style to This Lowcountry Hunting Lodge
Photo credit: Helen Norman
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Elegance Goes Untamed with Spirited Color and Playful Pattern in a Connecticut Estate
Photo credit: Thomas Loof
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Inside Veere Grenney’s London Townhouse—a Blend of Chic City Living and Natural Beauty
Photo credit: DAVID OLIVER
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This Historic, Art-Filled Apartment in New York City Is a Theater Lover’s Dream
Photo credit: Thomas Loof for VERANDA
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Designer Alessandra Branca Sets Her Historic Chicago Townhouse Aglow for Christmas Eve Dinner
Photo credit: Werner Straube
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Decorator Darryl Carter Proves Simple Is Best At His Artfully Decorated Washington, D.C Home
Photo credit: Gordon Beall
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Southern-Born Designer Richard Keith Langham Ushers in the Holiday Season Like No One Else
Photo credit: Max Kim-Bee
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How Suzanne Rheinstein Brings Southern Charm to Her California Holiday Table
Photo credit: LISA ROMEREIN
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A San Francisco Home Where Christmas Decorations Are Gilded And Grand
Photo credit: Melanie Acevedo
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Inside a Hudson Valley Holiday Retreat Where Rustic Charm Meets European Elegance
Photo credit: Francesco Lagnese for VERANDA
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This Holiday-Ready Hunting Lodge Raises the Bar on Rural Refinement
Photo credit: Becky Luigart-Stayner for VERANDA
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Christopher Spitzmiller Decks the Halls at His Clove Brook Farm In Cheerful Fashion
Photo credit: Melanie Acevedo
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This Gil Schafer-Designed Vermont Barn Is a Storybook Setting for Holiday Parties
Photo credit: Ngoc Minh Ngo
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How Bunny Williams Transforms Her Connecticut Barn Into a Bonafide Winter Wonderland
Photo credit: Max Kim-Bee
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A Manhattan Stationer Makes the Case for Sit-Down Dinner Parties
Photo credit: Annie Schlechter for VERANDA
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This New Year’s Day Brunch Is Like Stepping Inside a Slim Aarons Photograph
Photo credit: Nick Mele for VERANDA
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