When you think “holiday decorations,” most people typically think of Christmas, but there’s no need for festive, decorative cheer to begin and end in the month of December!!!

I recently revisited Stephanie’s beautiful home for which my Segreto team did all the finishes during the building phase with designer Julie Dodson and builder Greg Taylor of Epic Homes.  This lovely abode was featured as part of the Bellaire Nature Discovery Center showcase home tour a couple of weeks ago and Stephaine wanted me to come by and see all the changes.  I was so taken back by the beautifully done accessories and Easter decorations that I was inspired to investigate who did them and how to incorporate similar holiday decor in other home interiors.

Janet Gust styled the home, adding accessories, art and some furnishings, while her sister Regina at Twins Design Christmas  brought in holiday spirit with wonderful florals and Easter trimmings. Her ablitlty to incorporate these decorations while fitting in with the home’s soft palette and pink accents was brilliant. With such an interesting niche in the interior design world, I wondered how Twins Design all started!

Regina and Janet started Twins Design in 1989. While they now work independently – Regina at Twins Design Christmas and Janet at Janet Gust, Interiors – they collaborate on several different jobs with Regina focusing on the holiday design and Janet on the interiors. I love seeing how passionate they both are for their work, and it definitely comes through in the design, as this entryway scene reveals. The fresh flowers draw out the tones in the pillows and the clear bottles and candlesticks bring a clean and airy feel echoing the open floor plan. This area stays sophisticated with its Springtime flair by making the floral the main decoration.

Regina’s developed an eye for different color palettes and an appreciation for various decorative styles.  “Ultimately, I never want to overpower the home with decorations, but complement the everyday decor.” This formal living room has such an elegant feel! The paneling is softened by this glazed finish, providing a beautiful backdrop to the light, upholstered pieces with fabulous lines and the subtle floral touches! It’s hard to tell where the interior design ends and the Easter decor comes in!!!

Calling holiday decorating the “icing on the cake,” Regina integrated fun floral and rabbit decorations in this dining room to play off the whimsical vibe offered by the hand-painted trees on the walls. Bringing a bit of blue in with the pinks, this Easter scape is so colorful and cheery. Regina always tries to bring her clients’ personalities into her designs, and she definitely picked up on homeowner Stephanie’s upbeat personality and vivaciousness. As Regina explained, “Color was not a problem in this house… Stephanie loves life and lives each day to the fullest.” These bunny decorations certainly reflect that sense of fun!

The beauty of this glazed cabinet needed little adornment, but the hundreds of green flowers over the countertop certainly make it feel special! These button flowers were hand cut at the stem and layed individually on the counter – so pretty and unique! One of Regina’s favorite parts of holiday decorating is working outside and putting the final touch on outdoor spaces, so she also places great value in bringing the outside in… Greenery is so important, and all too often overlooked. The best thing about this floral look is that it can be adapted with different colors for every holiday or season!!!

I love the eclectic mix of elements in this kitchen – the different types of barstools, large candleholders, stunning range hood, cabinetry we finished to accents its furniture lines – It all works together really well! To keep from interfering with the basic functionality of the kitchen, festive accessories were kept to a minimum here with the exception of the wonderful wreath adorning the range hood.

This den area is so beautiful in part because it carries through with color. Showcasing neutral furniture, this room integrates bright pink accents to add personality and flair. Regina got a lot of inspiration from this space: “I loved all the pastel colors and the fact that the home is so accepting of the color pink.” With the addition of the potted tulip and fern, the room really comes alive.

Regina’s love for designing and picking out pieces that go with the individual look of the home really shows through in this wonderful breakfast nook. Carrying through the bunny theme, this table’s lazy susan is adorned with all sorts of cute accessories! While Regina enjoys the decorating aspect of her job and admiring the finished product, she also loves taking down the decorations – I wish I was like that! Since most of her clients are working professionals, she likes that they can go to work and come home after a busy day to all the festive adornments put away and ready for the next year.

By going to several markets each year and staying ahead of the trends, Regina instantly picks up on her client’s style and decor and recognizes the importance of understanding the textural and color combinations of the home. Her first sign of this talent and passion came while hanging 1,000 mylar icicles with her family one Christmas. “Mom and Dad had pretty much retired at a certain point. Janet and my brother lasted another two handfuls, but I kept going and individually hung icicles on every tree limb! Now that I would call passion and patience!”

Regina, after over 21 years in the business, was still amazed with how it all came together, saying, “I don’t know if it is fate or just pure luck, but I have to go on fate.” The trends in holiday decorating have certainly changed since Janet and Regina first started! Their first Christmas project was for a live 20-foot tree in an outdoor shopping center, so they threw a bow making party for their friends and fed them spaghetti!

Even though the days of bow making are, for the most part, over, Regina has adapted to each new trend. This bedroom is another great lesson on how to use flowers for holidays! Choosing tulips, peonies and lilies for Easter, Regina selects the right flower for each season.

The flower touches are continued in this elegant master bath. This room blends together effortlessly, with the clean lines on the cabinetry to echo the floor and the modern chair offset by the claw foot tub. I just love the fuzzy bench that Janet lended to bring in the same whimsical spirit from the rest of the home!

Sometimes just a subtle touch will do – like this Easter bunny hanging out on the hall bench. I think it’s easy to feel overwhelmed with the stress of decorating, but just placing a few festive pieces in key places like this can do the trick. Regina’s so wonderful at doing the right amount without taking over or distracting from the beauty of the interior and architectural design.

Twins Design Christmas stays its busiest during the December holiday season with clients booking up to a year in advance and others placing emergency calls on December 20th, but Regina also helps her clients celebrate Halloween, Valentine’s Day, Easter and does florals and decorations for special events. I think it’s such a fun way to keep the holiday spirit going all year long! If you’d like to learn more about Regina’s work, visit http://www.reginagust.com/, call 713.426.1166 or email  janet@janetgust.com

Hope you had a fun holiday! This home, and many more, will be featured in the book, Segreto: Secrets to Finishing Beautiful Interiors, due out in September.  Visit the Book Release tab on the home page if you would like to be notified when the book arrives.

Next week, we’ll be posting on revamping Grandmother’s attic – how to take older furniture and heirlooms and transform them with finishes to suit your new style! Don’t forget we post every Monday and you can sign up to receive an email notification of each new blog on the right hand side of the home page.  Have a great week!!!