A Christmas Cottage

as well as our A professional interior designer 2022 Brand Ambassador-gets to deck her own halls and express her cottage-meets-farmhouse style for the holidays.

- By Autumn Krause

CHRISTMAS AT THE COTTAGE. When decorating the exterior of her home, Kara always shoots for a classic and nostalgic Christmas look. "To get this aesthetic, I hang wreaths on our windows and fresh cedar garlands on our white picket fence. I tie red bows onto our porch and use white lights with a few red lights sprinkled in," she says. "I want people to feel the Christmas magic when they pass by our home."

SNOW WHITE. A couple of Christmases ago, Kara decided to switch her living room tree to a snowy and neutral style instead of her typical traditional red-and-green style.

Sometimes, it's good to bring work home. That's the case during Christmas at Kara Williams' home, which is located just 30 minutes north of Seattle. This interior designer has been in high-end residential and commercial interior design for the past 15 years, so home is an expressive playground for her own style and expertise, particularly during the holidays.

DOOR DÉCOR. Real greenery swathes the door. Kara uses real cedar garlands on her exteriors, which means they look and smell authentic. Also, because she uses them outdoors in the cold, the greenery lasts longer. She attaches the garland around her door with removable Command brand hooks.

INTO THE WOODS. Kara has a plethora of bottlebrush trees she thought would be fun to group together. "Here, I created a mini snowy Christmas forest by lining up my tiny trees and dusting them with faux snow," she says.