Each year, friends of Leslie and Ron Newcomb eagerly await their holiday visit to the couple’s Yankee Trace home. They know from experience that the moment they pull into the Newcombs’ driveway it will feel as if Christmas has officially begun. Functional pieces—like the lamppost, bench and flowerpots—are carefully transformed into elegant works of art reflecting the season’s beauty. But perhaps the most exciting part is knowing that what is seen on the outside is just a taste of the holiday décor that awaits them on the other side of the door. “I love putting everything together and making it flow,” Leslie says. “I want to create an unforgettable welcome where the inside and the outside flow into one package.”
That’s exactly what Leslie achieves when she switches out many everyday pieces in her home and replaces them with seasonal décor that has been carefully archived in her basement. The decorating event begins on November 15th and takes a solid two days, but in the end it produces a scene unlike any other.
It’s a ritual that Leslie has done for years and takes very seriously. As an interior decorator and owner of Interiors by Leslie, she often uses her home as a showcase for clients and finds great delight in creating a new experience each year.
It starts in the Newcombs’ front entrance where bright red packages, greenery and bells create a path to the home’s front door. Large red ornaments hanging from a tree just outside the dining room window offer a unique view to guests enjoying a holiday dinner. The same ornaments are nestled into large shoots of greenery and sticks placed in pots on either side of the front door.
A large custom-made wreath beckons visitors to enter the brick home where an 11-foot Christmas tree awaits them in the home’s grand foyer. It’s one of Leslie’s favorite touches.
The tree—which is framed by the lights and garland running up the banister—sets the home’s tone, which Leslie refers to as traditional formal. It’s also the first peek visitors have into the latest decorating flair Leslie has added for the year.
Leslie’s tree has evolved over the years to keep in step with her family. Its decorations were much simpler and more informal when her two children were younger. But as they have grown and moved away, her tree—and home—have become much more formal. This past year, she incorporated the color black into her home’s Christmas décor as a way to create a more formal tone.
Black ribbon was added to the Christmas tree to complement the red that was already being used. The ribbons create large bows that hold together bouquets of wispy greens, feathers and twigs. The result is a dramatic extension of what normally would be a very typical holiday accent.
Leslie carefully carries the feel that is created in the foyer throughout the remaining living spaces. Her home acts as the perfect canvas for a Christmas scene since it is already painted and decorated in golden tones and warm red and green colors. Even her recent addition of black is complemented in the great room where everyday chairs were re-covered in black fabric.
Each room has its own main attraction that acts as the centerpiece for its holiday display. The great room’s fireplace is undoubtedly one of those pieces with its full and abundant use of greenery, poinsettias, gifts, ornaments and berries. Leslie’s unique touch can be found on the mantel piece which was crafted on a section of tile so it can be carefully removed and stored without being taken apart.
The home’s sunroom has a four-foot Santa Claus that looks more like what one would imagine when they hear the term, Father Christmas. He, along with the table’s centerpiece and three-foot Christmas tree, serve as the room’s focal points. Each carries the home’s holiday colors and themes with their reds, greens and gold hues. The table’s centerpiece, in particular, brings many of the same materials that are used in the home’s front porch designs, indoors.
Leslie says she doesn’t design by any specific rules other than allowing herself the freedom to go in whatever direction her imagination takes her. She does have one piece of advice, however: “Don’t be scared to take away all your normal pieces and replace them with holiday things,” she says. “Move around your accessories and make it feel as if you have a whole new room.”
Each year it’s hard for Leslie to temporarily part with the beautiful chest that rests in her foyer, but she knows the Christmas tree that replaces it will take everyone’s breath away. She has also learned that if she would let go of some small things for a little while, she’ll be able to create memories for a lifetime.
“It is just such a fine time of the year,” she says. “It’s about sharing the holidays with the ones you love.”