Aga Artka Interior Design, LLC

Christmas Fantasy House

November 4th, 2009 7:51 pm

Thanks to some wonderful members of The Wisconsin Women Council of Realtors, I was invited to participate in the American Cancer Society’s Christmas Fantasy House this year. I was thrilled to take this opportunity to decorate a room which would not only meet the home owner’s satisfaction but also give the public a lot of fresh ideas on holiday design and decor.

For more details on the event, visit the official website here or JSOnline’s article and a large image gallery here.

BEFORE

I had a very specific vision in mind about the room I was assigned. The library, originally masculine, dark and heavy in nature, was going to become a feminine, airy and unexpected Winter Wonderland.  True to the 3R (Reduce, Reuse, Recycle) Philosophy and inspired by the minimalistic and clean Scandinavian designs, I wanted to use as many natural and exciting elements in the room as possible. I purposefully teamed up with an extremely talented landscape designer, Vanessa Johanning to help me convert my concept into reality. Vanessa brought a great deal of creativity and energy to the project. Her experience in the garden design arena as well as a unique sense of aesthetic, combined with my “Mother Nature meets Father Christmas” concept, resulted in this spectacular space.

AFTER

The birch branches, reused from a cut down tree, were used to recreate a forest-feel and give the massive built-ins a new fresh look. The taupe cotton drapery was meant to  soften the hard lines of the bookcases as well as bring the much needed warmth to the room. We used fresh plants where possible and complemented with silk but realistic looking floral. Birds of all sizes, colors and kinds are a repeated theme. It ties into the nature concept and brings playfulness to the space. Existing book collections were reused, reorganized and given a new form by staggering some, angling others, and even playing with pages. To make our design more realistic, we created a fictional character, who would ultimately use the space. This female writer, with a creative and individual approach to life, was the inspiration for using the old-fashion typewriter as a planter, for setting up a holiday card writing area, for lighting the room with candles and accenting it with sparkles, glass and beads.

I know I had a blast decorating this room. I am grateful that Vanessa was able to join me in the creation of the most incredible Christmas display I have ever worked on! I encourage all of you to go and see the house for yourselves. Enjoy!