Black, white and red all over—it’s the perfect colour combination to meet this family of five’s modern aesthetic and stress-free decorating needs.

Talk about chutzpah. Andrea Hunt must buy Windex in bulk. The marketing professional and her husband, who works in healthcare, live in a slick, art-filled white house full of windows with three boys under the age of eight. Yet, not only is the home warm and welcoming during Christmas – thanks to dark, Jacobean-stained hardwood floors and friendly hits of red – it’s also not a hands-off affair.

“With three boys, how can it be?” says Andrea, who adds that the crisp colour palette and streamlined design scheme is great for a family. “Keeping it minimal helps maintain calmness, and open sightlines mean I can keep an eye on the boys. Living in colour feels chaotic.” This explains Andrea’s penchant for restrained holiday decorating: “I like just enough to signal festive,” she says, “but still feel minimal and clean.” 
 

 

Red for the holidays

"Red is iconic to the holidays – it’s a happy colour that especially works in an all-white decor scheme,” says Andrea. “You can make a lot of impact with a little red.” And during the action-packed holidays, when her boys are at their most boisterous (whose kids aren’t, really?), this busy mom appreciates all the decorating shortcuts she can get.
 

 

Christmas tree ornaments

Mostly decorated with pretty plastic ornaments, the Christmas tree can handle running children bumping into it, notes homeowner Andrea Hunt.
 

 

Simple flourishes

Grey stockings, a ruby-red wreath, fresh-cut amaryllis and a boxwood garland strike a quaint Christmas scene.
 

 

Holiday dining room decor

A controlled colour palette presents a dynamic picture in the dining room. Suiting the home’s streamlined look, the holiday tabletop is elegant and understated, achieved through glass candle holders and crystal wineglasses and restrained punches of red in the amaryllis, table runner and small tabletop accessories.
 

 

A festive vignette

Sparkly silver pine cones and a branch of bright red holly berries transform the living room coffee table into a festive vignette in a jiffy.