Charmed by Christmas

Cynics who think the magic of Christmas evaporates after childhood should spend a little time with Maureen Regan Cannon. One look at her beautifully decorated home is proof positive that the wonder of the holiday season is as strong as ever.

Raised in Kansas by parents who made Christmas a glittery, storybook holiday, Cannon has carried on the tradition, and anyone who drives by her house—or gets invited in—is transported to the land of nutcrackers and sugar plum fairies. “Maureen’s goal is to create a wonderful environment for her family,” says Becka MacPherson of Denver’s The Plum Gallery, a boutique filled with home accessories, art and flowers. MacPherson worked with Cannon to create the home’s spectacular holiday transformation. “Maureen has exquisite taste, so creating a Christmas wonderland in her house is always a joy.”

Deck the Halls
The foyer invites guests into the holiday wonderland with soothing earth tones, baronial chairs, and a glamorous chandelier from Black Tulip Antiques. The lushly adorned greenery has been part of Cannon’s holiday decorations for years. “The greenery is filled with ribbons, leaves and ornaments,” floral designer Becka MacPherson says. “Maureen wants people to smile and feel festive in her home.”

A Light Touch
Beyond a classic seasonal vignette on the fireplace mantle and a simple tabletop tree, the serene and sophisticated Asian-inspired living room is noticeably void of holiday decor. “It’s already so beautiful,” MacPherson says of the space, “that any further adornment would just detract from it.”

Simple Santas
From her collection of stuffed Santas, Cannon chose only white figurines for the side table, a monochromatic counterpoint to the colorful tree on the other side of the room.

Casual Corner
The tabletop tree was MacPherson’s addition, a perfect solution for this dark corner. “It has champagne tinsel and is covered with Maureen’s ornaments by Katherine’s Collection—glass balls studded with rhinestones, gold and crystals.”

Center Stage
The twelve-foot-high tree (above) took MacPherson eight hours to decorate. “Maureen loves every square inch of the tree covered, and she has a large collection of ornaments,” the designer says, “so the tree is draped with feather-covered ornaments, silk flowers, color-coordinated ornaments, gold icicle drops, even letters in gold tin for the family’s initials.” MacPherson’s contribution? The beautiful ribbons woven throughout.

Country Kitchen
The holiday décor in Cannon’s kitchen is fairly restrained compared to other rooms, but it still has a festive feel thanks to an unexpected bow of greens over the range hood and a piece of folk art purchased at a Christmas store in Vail. The cow—which doubles as a blackboard—stays up year round to remind Cannon of her Kansas roots.

Fine Dining
In the traditional dining room (opposite), MacPherson’s goal was to create a focal point using Cannon’s favorite color, orange. “Fresh oranges are such a traditional holiday fruit,” says the designer, “so we studded them with whole cloves, combined them with leaves and greenery, and tucked them into the owner’s silver urns and mint julep glasses.” Add to that a smattering of gold bottlebrush trees and you have sheer opulence.

DESIGN DETAILS

Floral Design: Becka MacPherson, The Plum Gallery, Greenwood Village, theplumgallery.com