Tour Nick’s North Pole Toy-Lover’s Paradise

Name: Santa and Mrs. Claus
Location: North Pole
Size: 2,500 square feet, with multiple 150-square=foot cottages on 25 acres
Years lived in: 195 years, owned

Move over, Martha. When it comes to decorating inspiration for the holidays, there’s only one influencer who truly makes their mark on every home, and his name is Santa Claus.

Santa, a toy company entrepreneur and delivery man, works one day a year. The rest of the time, you’ll find him — along with his wife, Mrs. Claus, and a bevvy of adopted elves — in this North Pole retreat, a 25-acre paradise that reflects Santa’s passion for woodworking and craftsmanship.

Santa recently claimed his home on the real estate site Zillow, allowing us the chance to peek inside and learn more about it. And Santa must be doing pretty well… the current Zestimate for this property is a whopping $710,559 — massive anywhere but especially in the quiet market of the North Pole.

Along with Santa’s rustic wood-paneled 2,500-square-foot cabin, the compound also features several 150-square-foot “tiny home” cottages for the elves — each one designed in a unique style befitting of its occupant. There’s a small farmhouse-style pad that any fan of Fixer Upper would love to call home, along with a woodsy mini-cabin and a zen-like petite bamboo bungalow captured in the gallery above.

Santa, Mrs. Claus and the elves have been living here since the home was built in 1822 — the same year Clement Clarke Moore wrote the poem “A Visit from St. Nicholas” in Santa’s honor — but the property recently took on a massive renovation, enlisting the help of interior designer Marian Bright and general contractor Doug Fir.

Marian and Doug sat down for an interview with Zillow to discuss the home and renovation.

Marian Bright (MB): Santa is synonymous with the holiday season. He has inspired people around the world to change their home decor for at least one month out of the year. How could I say no to a challenge like that?

Doug Fir (DF): I didn’t want to compete with the rustic vibe of the cabin that Santa himself built. So I found ways to enhance that atmosphere with outdoor elements. I brought grandeur to the mantle with floor-to-ceiling river rock, since the fireplace is such a large part of Santa’s background.

More windows and skylights were incorporated into the new open concept design, making the home feel more spacious — especially for his many tiny guests.

DF: Definitely the garage, which was converted from a rinky-dink one-sleigh space to a grease monkey’s dream. Not only does Santa have dedicated parking for his all-weather sleigh, but he has room to work on it, too.

MB: For me, it was the living room. Doug created this masterful fireplace and I needed to match its stateliness with decor that could keep up — without overpowering the space.

MB: There were so many wonderful pieces around the home that Santa had picked up from his world travels. One item that served as my muse was an apron with a Scandinavian print that he got for Mrs. Claus in Sweden. That helped inspire some of the Nordic elements that you see in the kitchen.

DF: Before Santa hired me, the area above the dining and living rooms was closed off. Opening it up gave the house a whole new look, with more room to breathe. So I’d have to say the lofted ceilings is my favorite feature in the house.

MB: Doug’s addition of the lofted ceilings allowed me to suspend a custom-made light fixture over the dining room table. I adore that piece. I commissioned it to be modeled after the property’s landscape.

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