What Home Means During the Holidays and Every Day After
The holidays have a way of showing us what’s working in our homes—and what absolutely isn’t.
You notice it when you’re trying to set up for guests and realize your kitchen layout makes hosting unnecessarily complicated. Or when family gathers, and everyone ends up crowded in the hallway because that’s somehow the only place conversation flows naturally. Or when you look around at a space that photographs beautifully but feels about as comfortable as sitting in a furniture showroom.
This time of year tends to make those things painfully obvious.
This room might not get used very often, but it is such an engaging place to spend a couple of hours eating and conversing, away from the hustle and bustle of the rest of the house. Add a table leaf, and it still won’t be crowded. Who says we don’t need formal dining rooms anymore!?! /Photo by Karen Palmer
The Difference Between Looking Good and Working Well
There’s a particular kind of home that handles the holidays gracefully. Not because it’s been styled to within an inch of its life, but because someone actually thought about how people move, gather, and live in it.
The kitchen that accommodates multiple cooks without turning into a contact sport. The living areas that shift from formal dinner party to casual family chaos without requiring an engineering degree. The flow that lets conversation happen naturally instead of forcing your guests into awkward furniture arrangements that made sense on Pinterest but nowhere else.
That doesn’t happen by accident. And it certainly doesn’t happen by copying what worked in someone else’s completely different house.
A well-planned kitchen has separate spaces for the cook and for the rest of the family or guests. This kitchen has ample workspace and can accommodate a crowd between counter stools and the large table. Adjacent is a seating area with a fireplace. Bring on the party! /Photo by Karen Palmer.
Spaces That Make Sense for Your Actual Life
Here’s what we’ve learned after decades in this work: the best homes aren’t designed for some theoretical perfect life where everyone sits politely on the white sofa and never spills their red wine. They’re designed for the actual, specific, sometimes messy life you’re living and the one you’re growing into.
That means thinking beyond this year’s holiday gathering. Maybe you’re planning to age in this home and need to think about accessibility now, before it becomes urgent. Maybe your family is expanding in ways that require actual space, not just creative furniture rearranging. Maybe you’re finally ready to host the way you’ve always wanted to, but your current setup makes it feel like running an obstacle course.
The homes that work long-term are the ones where someone asked the right questions upfront instead of just picking pretty finishes and hoping for the best.
A lower level needs to be more than a man cave or the kids’ hangout! This space has it all. You can play pool, sit at the table for games or snacks, have a cozy conversation in the wingback chairs, lounge by the fireplace, get sweaty working out, or enjoy the juice/wine bar. There is also access to the backyard pool. Why would you ever leave? /Photo by Karen Palmer
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Why Professional Expertise Actually Matters
You can spend months researching finishes, layouts, and spatial planning. You can watch every design show, save every inspiring image, and create elaborate Pinterest boards that could qualify as graduate-level research.
And you’ll still miss things that someone with professional training sees in about thirty seconds.
Not because you’re not smart or capable, but because this is specialized knowledge that takes years to develop. Understanding how light moves through a space at different times of day. Knowing which architectural elements are doing the heavy lifting and which are just taking up real estate. Seeing the potential in a floor plan that looks impossible to someone without that trained eye.
Here’s what most people miss: professional design isn’t about someone imposing their taste on your home. It’s about having a partner who can translate what you want into what actually works and who can solve problems you didn’t even know you’d have. So you don’t end up with a beautiful kitchen where you can’t actually cook, or a stunning living room where no one ever wants to sit.
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Even a small living room needs to accommodate a crowd a few times a year. This room has a couch that fits 3, 2 lounge chairs, two ottomans, and two extra chairs in the reading nook that can be pulled over as needed. The perfect spot for a book club or exchanging presents! /Photo by Karen Palmer.
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Looking Toward the New Year
If you’ve been thinking about a renovation or new construction, if you’re genuinely tired of working around your space instead of having it work for you, the new year is a good time to start those conversations.
Not because of any artificial deadline or resolution nonsense, but because these projects take time. Real-time. The planning phase matters. Getting it right matters considerably more than getting it done quickly.
We work with clients who value that kind of thoughtful approach. Clients who want a home that feels like theirs, not like a hotel lobby. Who understands that good design is an investment in how they’ll live for years, not just how their house will photograph next week.
If that sounds like you, let’s talk.
If putting up a Christmas tree every year stresses you out, or you worry about all your ornaments becoming cat toys, here is the perfect solution: a forest of trees sitting on top of a fur throw. An enchanting vignette with lots of lights, space for presents, and your cat will claim it as her newest napping spot. And the best part, it only takes half an hour to dismantle and put away! /Photos by Marcia Moore.
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