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Bucci anchored this arrangement with a pair of silver pheasants and a silver loving cup that have been handed down through generations of her family.
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The Zeugners enhanced the condo’s original fireplace mantel by adding mermaids cast from the Mermaid room at the Branch House, built by her great-grandfather John Kerr Branch.
When an environmentalist with an enviable collection of family heirlooms decorates for the holidays, she turns to the things she loves the most — nature and a trove of family treasures. Bucci and John Zeugner live in the Fan, in a condo overlooking Stuart Circle. It’s a downsize for the two of them. “We crammed a lifetime into 1,500 square feet,” she confides. They did not concede their love of nature to the consolidation, however. The condo’s spectacular deck, with the steeple of St. James’s Church as a backdrop, is an escape outdoors for the longtime conservationists who met while serving together on the tree committee of Friends of Bryan Park. For the couple’s first holiday in their new home, Bucci chose to make new memories using items that were already rich with tradition.
R•HOME: What natural materials did you use, and where did you find them?
Bucci Zeugner: A generous friend let me cut red cedar branches with blue-gray berries, magnolia leaves and pine boughs from her backyard. A dwarf Alberta spruce that I had planted in an heirloom cachepot on the deck became a focal point outdoors, accented with potted succulents and thyme. Poet’s Laurel is also very nice if you have it, or holly.
R•HOME: Where did your inspiration come from?
Zeugner: I just used what appeals to me, highlighting things that I already had in an interesting way. The glass gazing ball on the deck was a wedding present. I borrowed a pair of silver pheasants from my cousin. The silver loving cup was a gift to my great-great-grandfather from the Methodist church on his 80th birthday, and the collection of vintage iron mortars by the fireplace are family heirlooms.
R•HOME: Do you have a background in design?
Zeugner: I don’t have any experience or education in design. It’s more fun to get together with friends who have a strong sense of style and just have a good time decorating.
R•HOME: Describe your design process.
Zeugner: It all evolved organically. I started with things that I love as focal points and built from there, working fresh greens in around the objects until it looked lush and full. Then I added layers of lights — battery-powered pillar candles and strands of tiny white twinkle lights. Silver reflects candlelight so nicely. I didn’t even polish it — it just glows in the candlelight.
R•HOME: How long will the decorations last, and how will you keep them fresh?
Zeugner: I snuck in some faux garland as a base, and the hydrangea on the English oak server is silk — but combined with the fresh greens, it all looks very natural. Some of the live elements are in pots and vases, so they can be watered. Otherwise, I’ll refresh the cut greens with a spritz of water regularly and then just replace them if they get too tired.
