Draped to Delight

How a homeowner uses timeless and classic decorating traditions to ll her home with life and celebration during the Christmas season.

- LAUREN HOFER

When homeowner and blogger Nichol Naranjo decorates for the holidays each year, she always comes back to the same theme. “Timeless, classic and more traditional holiday decor tends to make me the happiest,” she says. For inspiration, she’ll often draw from the set design of holiday movies and shows that she admires. “Sometimes I even take notes on my phone,” she says.

It doesn’t hurt that her existing decor is already an impeccable combination of whites, natural woods and nautical touches that create a perfect base for a classic holiday setting. “Someone once described my style as maritime French and I really like that description,” Nichol says, “I lean towards collected, rustic, European and traditional touches.”

THE BONES

The home itself is a 2006 builder-grade home located in Albuquerque, New Mexico. “We thought we would flip it in three to five years, but then the economy crashed,” Nichol says. Fourteen years later, the entire Naranjo family (Nichol, her husband Dominic, their three daughters and two dogs) has made the most of staying put by making the four-bedroom and two-and-a-half-bath home a dreamy haven for friends and family to gather through all seasons. “My main goal for the holidays is to create a warm, welcoming, celebratory and classic feel,” Nichol says.

NATURAL ELEMENTS