House Tours
Celebrate Thanksgiving At This Cozy Quebec Farmhouse
PHOTOGRAPHY MAXIME DESBIENS | STYLING NICOLA MARC
House Tours
Celebrate Thanksgiving At This Cozy Quebec Farmhouse
Decorate for Thanksgiving with lighthearted, low-key adornments in muted hues pulled from field and forest.
This year, let’s take Thanksgiving back to basics with natural accents and easy projects that evoke the harvest season with quiet warmth. Stylist Nicola Marc shows us how with her subtle decorating plan that celebrates fall with a handful of understated accents and three easy-as-pie projects. To get the look, select a pared-back palette of two or three earthy colours that harmonize (Nicola settled on faded oranges and browns), and introduce those hues judiciously throughout your home. Polish off the look with natural materials like dried grasses, weather-worn wood and nubby sheepskins. Nicola’s decorations feel picture perfect in the modern farmhouse-style interior of this charming tin-roofed house in leafy Senneville, Que., but they’ll look just at home in urban and traditional homes, too.
Warm Welcome
DRIFTWOOD STAR, QUILT PAINTING, Bonnie Jane. PILLOWS, THROWS, WOOD LANTERN, HomeSense. WREATH MATERIALS, Michaels. PUMPKINS, Concept LV.
On the home’s facade, the oversize star crafted from driftwood and the quilt-pattern painting – both by local artist Bonnie Jane – inspired stylist Nicola Marc’s approach to holiday decor: colourful, creative and natural. On the porch, rustic linen pillows and throws in neutral tones add a welcoming note while allowing the painting to take centre stage. To make the pretty burnished wreath that’s on the door, spray-paint faux maple leaves in copper, let dry, then attach to a wire wreath frame with floral wire and a glue gun.
Gather Round
PLACEMATS, GLASSES, DISHES, NAPKINS, HomeSense. VASE, Misette. GRASSES, CERAMIC PUMPKINS, Concept LV. VELVET PUMPKINS, TAGS, CALLIGRAPHY PEN, CANDLES, Michaels.
A budget-friendly centrepiece of feathery dried grasses (from the garden or craft shop) effortlessly instills fall flair; shaggy sheepskins cozy up the chairs; and candles and petite ceramic pumpkins bring fall colour. Craft place cards by coating faux maple leaves in copper spray paint and fastening them to little velvety pumpkins with a tag and satiny ribbon.
GLASSES, NAPKINS, Misette. VASE, COASTERS, SMALL DISH, HomeSense. OATS, Concept LV. PUMPKIN CRAFT MATERIALS, Michaels.
“Decorations with a handmade feel — wool blankets, linen napkins, dried grasses and mushrooms, and rustic ceramics — resonate with the modern farmhouse charm." – Nicola Marc
At Your Service
PAINTING, SCULPTURE, Bonnie Jane. GLASSES, NAPKINS, Misette. VASE, COASTERS, SMALL DISH, HomeSense. OATS, Concept LV. PUMPKIN CRAFT MATERIALS, Michaels.
A self-serve bar is a great spot for autumnal adornments. A striking driftwood horse sculpture and an arrangement of dried oats bring height, and a dynamic painting plus glassware, napkins and wee paper pumpkins in colours pulled from the art build a celebratory air. To make the paper craft pumpkins, trace and cut out six pumpkin shapes using a template (we found ours at michaels.ca); fold each in half; glue together at the folds; then glue on a stem made of twisted crepe paper.
Dress for Success
PAINTING, FURNITURE DESIGN, Bonnie Jane. BOOKS (on ottoman), HomeSense. WOOD BEAD GARLAND, YELLOW PUMPKIN, Concept LV.
Carry autumn accents into the living room with a few new throw pillows in seasonal hues, plus more raw materials pulled from nature. Again, use a light hand to achieve a graceful look. On this home’s minimalist white oak built-ins, Nicola added a demure white pumpkin, sunny yellow crockery and a stack of orange books.
Colour Theory
TRAY, GREEN BOWL, CANDLE, HomeSense. VASE, DRIED GRASS, WHITE BOWL, PUTKA PODS, DRIED MUSHROOMS, Concept LV.
For a toned-down hit of fall colour, corral dusky orange accents on a tray. Here, a pretty apricot-coloured candle and amber bottle riff on the hues in a bowl of mini pumpkins (actually dried putka pods). Play with different textures – from rounded pods to spiky grasses to mottled dried mushrooms – to add a pleasing energy.
Group Dynamics
FLOWERS, Art et Fleurs. VASES, Michaels.
To give Thanksgiving decorations maximum impact, clear away other accessories from tabletops and shelves, and bring in restrained accents in a palette inspired by the falling leaves, like amber, copper and sienna. Groups of three or five – like these delicate apothecary-style jars (opposite page), each holding fall blooms – are more appealing to the eye than even-numbered groupings.
“Built-ins are lovely to have because they offer the chance to rearrange things or add in a new colour to completely change the look." – Nicola Marc
Subtle ways to decorate your home for fall
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