Serena & Lily's Holiday Houses Reflect The Magic Of The Season

Serena & Lily unveiled its third annual Holiday House this week, enlisting six design firms across the country to transform a Serena & Lily Design Shop with their unique seasonal touches. Each space captures the distinct styles and traditions of its location, inspired by the designers’ personal holiday memories. LUXE caught up with the participants to learn how their designs reflect both their signature styles the local design scenes. Enjoy the warmth and wonder of the season with a look at each Serena & Lily Holiday House below.

Will Huff and Heather Dewberry of Huff-Dewberry, Inc. | Atlanta, Georgia

Picture it: It's Christmas morning inside a sweet and cozy Southern abode. Atlanta designers Will Huff and Heather Dewberry of Huff-Dewberry, Inc. imagined just that for a bedroom and sitting room at Serena & Lily’s Atlanta Design Shop. In the sitting room, the brand's Lily of the Valley pattern is sprinkled throughout the space from window treatments to armchairs. Blue-and-white gingham prints in the bedroom nod to classic Southern design elements. A Whitaker four-poster bed and luxurious velvet upholstered Grady sofa complete the room. It's charming country Christmas at its best.

"The use of floral wallpapers and fabrics embodies the essence of traditional Southern design," shares the Huff-Dewberry team. "The freshness of the blue and white tonal design with pops of chartreuse modernizes the look for current fashions."

Sissy Yellen of Sissy Yellen Living | Birmingham, Michigan

Designer Sissy Yellen reimagined the entryway and living room in Serena & Lily’s Birmingham Design Shop as an homage to traditional Midwestern holiday vibes. "Having always lived in colder climates, the holidays were centered around the fireplace, as so in our vignette," shares Sissy Yellen. A pair of Harrison round stools with bullion fringe feature a brown and white gingham. A corner Ross banquette and Cutler sofa give guests a place to gather while the Faux Bois table waits to hold a host of holiday goodies.

"Growing up in a traditional colonial-style house in the '90s, I was surrounded by really traditional elements like brown suede sofas and plaids and checks," says Yellen. "The palette and pattern of our holiday vignette feels like a fresh nod to many Midwestern family rooms during the holiday season!"

Javier Burkle of Burkle Creative | Dallas, Texas

This menswear-inspired space in Serena & Lily’s Dallas Design Shop by designer Javier Burkle emanates hospitality while deftly accommodating the flow of living and entertaining. Antica rattan armchairs surround a Cobble Hill table topped with chartreuse velvet cushions (an apt color choice, given designers' predictions for green's continued staying power). "Christmas comes to the room; we don’t take the room to Christmas," says Burkle. Case in point, the magnolia garlands draped around the Balboa floor mirror. Meanwhile, in the living room, Burkle’s fresh take on masculine interiors includes a rich navy upholstered Hinsdale sofa paired with boucle Provence chairs and a tufted Essex ottoman.

"Dallas is the epicenter of hospitality and hosting," says Burkle. "This big city can feel like a small town with all the dinner parties, cocktail hours, mahjong games, and book clubs happening around town every day. We wanted to create a space that was flexible and welcoming for all occasions."

Kari McIntosh Design | Palo Alto, California

In her “love letter to Scotland,” Kari McIntosh lets maximalism take center stage. Inspired by the relaxed grandeur of Balmoral and familial connection, her space includes sentimental antiques and is bursting with color. "Sharing your home is a gift to your family," says McIntosh. "The atmosphere created becomes the backdrop for core memories for both immediate and extended family." Hinsdale sofas are festively upholstered in green velvet with a French stripe. Surrounded by Grace dining chairs, the Cobble Hill table beckons visitors. Serena & Lily's new Wisley print envelops the space in a punchy yet classically beautiful pattern.

"For this design I took inspiration from my travel to Scotland filtered through a Northern California lens," shares McIntosh. "I found many parallels between the terrain of Scotland and Northern California and tried to echo those themes through the color schemes—greens of the Highlands and blues of the sea, as well as embracing schematic designs most often requested by my clients; space to entertain a crowd while keeping a cozy and intimate vibe for the family and friends to connect."

Landed Interiors | Roslyn, New York

Greta Gerwig’s Little Women inspired Landed Interiors to create a moody, jewel-toned living space in Serena & Lily’s Roslyn Design Shop. With the look and feel of a home on the brink of a celebration during a New England winter, the space exudes a well-lived charm, from the goldenrod Piccadilly armchair to Portside dining chairs topped with flouncy gingham pillows. "We were inspired by winters on the East Coast and the store location itself in historic Roslyn, defined by character, time, and place," says the team at Landed Interiors. "When asked what the holidays mean to us, we pictured a room for gathering around a Christmas tree and a hearty fire, a timeless snapshot of the season." Handmade details like the Antibes cafe curtains add to the shop's cozy character.

"We loved the idea of creating a space that replicated Christmas morning after the family has had their intimate time together to open gifts," says the team. "The table is still set and decorated from the night before, and party guests start to arrive one by one, walking into a warm room from the cold. That sense of anticipation—that's the feeling of the holidays."

Leslie Martin and Kim Meardon of M+M Interior Design | Winnetka, Illinois

Designers Leslie Martin and Kim Meardon of M+M Interior Design imagined a home filled with wondrous anticipation and fanciful traditions. Thus, they enveloped Serena & Lily’s Winnetka Design Shop in muted blues and mauves in a nod to storied sugar plums and vintage ornaments. Inspired by their own childhood memories of the magic of Christmas Eve, the designers crafted a whimsical en suite bedroom with a curtained Franklin canopy bed, fabric walls, and Spruce Street swivel chairs all in Serena & Lily's Claremont pattern. "Every home seems to take on a special glow during the holidays and that magic doesn’t need to be limited to the living room," shares the M+M Interior Design team. "Carrying your holiday styling into the bedrooms (especially the children’s bedrooms) is such a wonderful way to infuse a home with warmth." A playful hot cocoa-inspired Essex ottoman (replete with marshmallow-white buttons) and a vintage firescreen anchoring stockings on the mantle up the charm. Here, the childhood magic of Christmas lives on.

"Chicago’s winters can really make you yearn for a long winter’s nap, so creating a space that was all about the bed made sense," says the design team. "A canopy bed in a dark blue and dusty pink felt like the perfect spot to escape the chilly temperatures, and by drenching the entire space in a bold blue floral pattern the winter gray seems to disappear."

Open to the public, the seasonal installation will be on view at select Serena & Lily Design Shops through the month of December. Learn more about Serena & Lily's Holiday House 2024 here.