Jordan Kruse remembers the bottom of the punch bowl.
“It was so much fun,” Kruse said.
As a test run, the party was a smashing success.
Kruse (left) and Hewlette add holiday decor that goes the distance from November to January.Credit: Marta Pérez; Styling: Vero Designs
“They’re great hosts,” said their interior designer and longtime friend,Elly Poston Cooper.
“Their door is always open; the bar is always stocked.”
“Masculine Southern” style was their goal.
Credit: Marta Pérez; Styling: Vero Designs
(Yes, just inside the entry.)
Will this stair runner stand up to lots of foot traffic?
(It will if it’s indoor/outdoor.)
Credit: Marta Pérez; Styling: Vero Designs
What’s the largest possible table we can fit in our dining room?
(The answer was 63 inches, and they bought it online from an English antique store.)
In the past, their holiday season kicked off in mid-November with Friendsgiving.
Credit: Marta Pérez; Styling: Vero Designs
Quieter nights during theChristmasseason at home are special too.
Bing Crosby croons from the record player as they sip old-fashioneds.
Lean On What Lasts
Ribbons, not cut flowers, are the duo’s big Christmas splurge.
The front door is paintedCharleston green, which is befitting for these natives of the city.
Cooper also carried that shade onto the interior doors and banister.
“This was the starting point for the house’s color story,” Cooper said.
She balanced it with a hard valance tailored in ribbon.
“White and black make it more modern,” she said.
“It’s whimsical yet still very Southern and traditional.”
Credit: Marta Pérez; Styling: Vero Designs
Sterling silver elevates plain tulips to centerpiece status.
Monogrammed napkins fromCourtland & Co.and persimmon-rimmed china pull in the wallpaper’s bold color palette.
Don’t Sweat The Sweets
A signature dessert makes entertaining that much easier.
Credit: Marta Pérez; Styling: Vero Designs
“We get a little fancier about the way we serve it around the holidays,” he said.
A toppings bar is a reliable crowd-pleaser for every generation.
It’s set up casually on the kitchen counter so guests can just head outside with their scoops.
Credit: Marta Pérez; Styling: Vero Designs
“We knew a bar would be a much better fit.”
The cool sophistication of the bottle green lacquer and gilded mirror belie the room’s utility.
Every bit of seasonal decor they brought in boosted it.
Credit: Marta Pérez; Styling: Vero Designs
Sapphire and tourmaline no-break balls brought their sentimental ornaments in step.
A crown of DIY spray-painted pheasant feathers makes a playful topper for the tree.
“He gets a paper crown every year,” said Kruse.
Credit: Marta Pérez; Styling: Vero Designs
Cooper extendedFarrow & Ball’s Calke Green (No.
34)from the walls to the trim and window muntins to get the most out of the color.
“We wanted modern photography to balance some of the more serious traditional things,” Cooper said.
A wreath crowns the outdoor fireplace, painted to match the home’s brickwork.
For their party, they placed a second tree outside and tied ribbons to it.
“That’s going to become a tradition of ours,” Hewlette said.
