Luxury designer Sandra Espinet decorated Brooke Burke and David Charvet's Malibu home in an all-white Christmas theme for HGTV's one-hour special, "Celebrity Holiday Homes." Her fantasy design included white floral arrangements, white candies and cookies, and even a few special surprises waiting in the backyard. Sandra's designs are elaborate and over the top, but can also be recreated on a smaller budget.
Sandra's tips for designing your own winter wonderland are included below.
- White Furniture Slip Covers: Rent or purchase white slip covers for your furniture. You can also use sheets or fabric to achieve this look. You won’t have to worry about spills since you’ll be removing the slipcovers after your holiday party. Accessorize with white throw blankets and decorative pillows. Sandra used silver and white pillows in Brooke and David's home.
- Decorate Wreath and Mantle with White Accents: Sandra placed a wreath above the fireplace mantle and covered the mantle in garland, which is accented with white ribbons and decorative elements in white and silver. She used silver reindeer statues on each side to create balance.
- Matching Stockings: Use matching stockings on your mantle for your holiday party. A chic line of matching stockings will look beautiful. If your family has personalized stockings, you can always have them on hand for Christmas Eve and Christmas morning.
- Cover the Dining Table with a White Linen: Cover a buffet or dining table in a white tablecloth or other white fabric. Visit your craft store and choose something with a great texture or use what you have already at home! Sandra also added silver placemats to add drama.
- Display Clear Glass Containers and Vessels: Gather all the clear glass containers and vessels from around your home or purchase some inexpensive ones. Sandra used clear glass jars with lids (for foods that needed to be kept fresh) and many containers of different shapes and sizes to create visual interest. Use dishes, bowls, vases, platters – and don’t forget a fabulous glass or crystal pitcher for some egg nog! Haul out your cake stand or punch bowl as well.
- White Holiday Treats: Arrange glass containers and vessels on your table and fill with an assortment of white colored holiday foods. Sandra used popcorn, marshmallows, white chocolate covered strawberries, vanilla iced cupcakes, and white sugar cookies with white frosting and silver decorations. Use a variety of foods for maximum effect and satisfied holiday guests.
- Hang Tree Decorations: Sandra hung tree decorations and other charms like glass balls and jewels from the ceiling and chandelier.
The holiday special airs again on December 15th, so be sure to set your DVRs.
MORE INFO: Celebrity Holiday Homes 2010 and Sandra Espinet
Images: Photos courtesy of HGTV and Sandra Espinet
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Umm. Yuck?
Minimalism is out of the door! Beautiful nonetheless!
She clearly subscribes to the "more is better" school of decorating.
Personally, I think a dining table should showcase the food, not the decorations.
Would be good for a winter wedding, but a bit too monochromatic for Christmas. People get carried away with doing things in one or two colors. Doesn't get me in the right spirit, and you need all the help you can get with this 70+ degree weather!
Wow, that's...exuberant.
One of my favorite Xmas decorating books is Tricia Foley's White Christmas, which handles the same idea with a *bit* more restraint
Sorry, in my opinion, it looks like someone threw-up white.
Less is MORE!
Many elements of this display are nice, and would be lovely if one or two were displayed. As it it everything get lost in the overwhelming fussiness.
I do like the clear sparkly things hanging from the ceiling. I like the flatware, the silver ornaments on the table. The big bells and fake plant bits on the chairs as well as the... are those teacups hanging from the chandelier? All of that is tacky, imo.
gross
it looks like a department store display
Holy Crap...this is way over the top! I would prefer a more subdued display.
The table is so full of decoration that there is no space for food. Forget even striking up a conversation with the guest sitting in front of you.
But most of all: with all the money spent in the decoration couldn't they buy a dress for that poor lady in the pictures??
I hated this on the show, but really disliked her personality too. She wouldn't go outside due to the weather so supervised from an open door, then couldn't walk on the grass with her 6 in heals. If you are going to do a tv special, be prepared and wear shoes you can actually walk and work in. Just plain stupid and her decor is as fussy as she was.
I did get a kick with the reveal. Brooke looked like she was really trying to like it and David just had this look of "what did you do with all of our furniture"!
I want to go back to their house and see what's left of this nightmare after the cameras stopped rolling. Have a feeling they got rid of half of the stuff.
i think it looks like a fun place for a holiday party! i would definitely be wowed if i showed up here!!! fun, fancy and beautiful!
I love the idea of white for Christmas but this is not my idea of the season. Simple is better.
If there is ever a time to be over the top, it's at the holidays! I love this winter white look and it would carry over through New Year's too.
i love the idea of using slip covers for a party! never thought of that. will definitely try that for my next event.
and white chocolate covered strawberries, YUM! i like the idea of all that white with a little pop of color in the strawberries.
I simply love white and gray! The detail in these rooms is beautiful. I don't have the talent to pull these rooms off, but I am definitely going to take some ideas from this theme. Well done, Sandra.
I LOVE a white christmas! These decorations are so elegant. It was also a great creative take to change the stockings to white and gray ! If I went to a holiday party with these decorations, I would definitely be amazed by the decor!
That "um yuck" comment made my day! Thanks for the laughs, AT!
I LOVE LOVE LOVE the idea of this white christmas! From the centerpieces to the fireplace, the grey and white is a chic look for the holidays (thank goodness we're over green and red...)... I'm just going to have to modify it for my studio (it's easier to go from over-the-top to minimal rather than vice versa when modifying inspiration). My fave- the treat filled jars... that would even make a great holiday gift for others (now everyone knows what they're getting...) and the using of decorations in non-obvious ways. Yea for the holidays being here!
that is HIDEOUS!!!
What a load of c**p, do they really pay her to do that?
You realise that the heads of our colleagues over at re-nest.com are exploding right now...
I was absolutely thinking to myself "Ummm....yuck" when I saw the first comment. Nuff said.
tacky-they could have put that money into better use:like feeding the hungry!
i love white! I love over-the-top (once a while, ESP during xmas, MUST over the top..).. sooo indulgent. Soooo LOVE-LY. =)
Now *this* is a Theme. Excellent, if you at other parties would have to pretend to watch the decorations because your table company is dead boring, here you would have a real excuse. Silly me, you can't even see those in front of you...
Winter White may cut it in Malibu, but here in the TRUE Winter wonderland, why would I bring all that white INDOORS? It's white outside for 5 months out of the year. I crave color for the Holidays and beyond.
This scheme was atrocious. Looked like Robin Leachville.
since when do people get so worked up about fucking christmas decorations? y'all need to put down your iPads and go for a run, people. its just some fucking holiday decor.
I was not a fan of this design either. But the plaid theme that one of the other designers sis was incredibly cool. I am totally going to my local thirft stores to find plaid skirts to repurpose into a tree skirt and ornaments.
Another vote for "not my style". I bet my aunt would though.
What did she smoke?
Oh please, a mostly white and ivory "winter wonderland" mash-up of Victorian shabby-chic and country cute is not at all original or worth emulating. This honestly looks like a craft store vomited all over it. Such a 'tablescape' is the essence of trying too hard to be stylish, with the result that form wins over function and consumerist excess overwhelms good taste. TL;DR version: This is tacky.