Since she was about 17, Kim Vincze has had a passion for holiday decorations. “I love Christmas,” she says. “The bright lights and colors have intrigued me for years. … I really enjoy doing something temporary. It’s something I can do that’s manageable, it comes together quickly, and it goes away in a month or so, and you can start planning something new.” Over the years, Vincze accrued loads of decorations, and friends began asking her to decorate their houses after attending holiday parties in her home. About six years ago, Vincze turned this passion into a business. Be it a simple wreath or large-scale staircase garland,
Vincze adores adorning others’ homes. She also sells pieces to help add a bit of glamour year-round, through her business Verve Home Furnishings, which operates out of booths at The Shops at 5807, West End Antiques Mall and Cold Harbour Antique Mall. Here are some of Kim’s holiday favorites.

Tree
“I’m one of those people that does a different tree every year. I tend to fall for oversized ornaments. One mistake people make when decorating is, when they have a big house, they don’t think to scale. Small ornaments get lost on a tree.”

 Mirrored Urns
When these dramatic mirrored urns didn’t sell at Vincze’s booth, she brought them home and filled them with mirrored branches this holiday season: “I just couldn’t bring myself to sell them at half price. They were just so cool, I couldn’t let them go.”

 Tree Toppers

“I have a really cool collection of tree-toppers. I’ve got the coolest of the cool. … One is bright pink with crazy fur. I’m going to try to have them displayed on my piano this year.”

Glamorous Glassware
“I have a lot of glassware. I love to pull out my vintage Hollywood Regency stuff at Christmas. I love decorating the table.”

Vintage Snowman Collection
Vincze’s collection includes crazy, wacky and deranged-looking snowmen. “When I’m looking for Christmas, I just try to find unusual pieces. It boils down to stuff that just makes me laugh
or smile.”

Glass Christmas Trees
“The Christmas trees are made from cut glass. I bought them from Saks [Fifth Avenue] about 10 years ago. We had just bought our first house on Seminary Avenue. They are hand-cut, and they light up. It was just a special thing since it was our first Christmas and our first purchase together.”

Handmade Wooden Star
Vincze found a huge, handmade wooden star at a yard sale and decided to use it on the balcony in the front of her house. “The star was as big as the railing, and I traced it in lights. I did it like it was a shooting star with colorful lights.”
 

 Over-the-Top Mantels
“Having a mantel or staircase decorated often balances a room or house. Too often people have just a tree and nothing else decorated. I also find that people gather near a fireplace at a party, and a garland like this makes for great conversation.” 

Front-Door Urns
This Christmas, Vincze plans to top the two urns outside her front door with small exotic-looking snow-covered huts: “They were so cool. … I look for unusual stuff for my clients that you’re not going to see everywhere you turn.”