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Decorator Ashley Hanley’s guests are encouraged to belly up to the holiday bar, where they’ll find all the fixings they’ll need for festive cocktails.
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Hanley adds touches of holiday cheer to a display of Wedgwood jasperware and miniature topiaries with simple red ribbon bows and candy canes.
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Hand-lettered place cards and menus, pine cones, and flowers add a touch of drama to Hanley’s holiday tablescape.
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Holiday greetings from friends and family are displayed on beribboned pine garland adorning library shelves.
When it comes to holiday decor, interior decorator Ashley Hanley prefers to keep it classic and timeless. “I detest the word ‘trend,’” Hanley says. “I hate trends. I'm usually looking in the past for inspiration for things that will stand the test of time, so I find that my holiday decorations kind of give a nod to the past.”
Taking a cue from her Grandma Skippy, who lived in a Colonial-style home in Williamsburg, Hanley has amassed a collection of pieces that blend seamlessly with her existing decor. A family heirloom cabinet acts as a display for holiday cards, accented with a simple pine garland echoing the use of pine throughout the home. A subdued Colonial blue ribbon used to decorate the tree and hang wreaths in the windows picks up the colors in Hanley’s sofas, creating a cohesive thread from room to room.
With lots of relatives in town, Hanley’s home has become a hub for the holidays. For her December birthday, she invites friends over for cake after an annual viewing of “The Nutcracker.” She also hosts a big family gathering for Christmas Eve, complete with sugar cookie decorating with her mother and two daughters.
“We just want our home to feel like a big, warm hug when you come in,” Hanley says. “I want my guests to be as comfortable as possible, and we want them to feel like it's an extension of their home in a way.” Rather than going over the top in one central space, Hanley achieves this with little touches in each room. Moving outward from her main focal point — the fireplace mantel — Hanley works to layer these small details, such as a ribbon tied around a sconce or a topiary festooned with a red bow. “People really notice, but really we didn't do a lot, and it doesn't cost a lot of money to add little touches like that.”
When it comes to creating a tablescape, Hanley says, she goes all in. She considers the type of food being served and then builds on that theme, whether it’s a casual meal of Chinese takeout or a more formal dinner served on her mother’s wedding china, with an eye on balancing style and practicality. “I always do a dry run of my tablescape, especially when I'm in the process of figuring out what all the elements are going to be,” Hanley says. Before hosting, she sets up the table in advance, balancing high and low objects and making sure guests have enough space to move around and see each other.
For those who are newer to holiday decorating or might be looking for a different approach, Hanley suggests starting with the tree and stockings and developing the vision from there. Her own collection, she notes, was curated over years and weaves in pieces from her mother and grandmother. She recommends collecting new, special pieces annually and developing a system for keeping them organized so they’re clean, undamaged and easy to find year after year.
