Hello decor8 readers, it’s Jessica Senti, Holly’s assistant. I'm visiting to tell you about an event that I attended on Holly’s behalf called, Lowe's Deck The Halls and Walls and All. Lowe's brought together 7 talented bloggers, who used items you can find at your local Lowe's, to turn a Manhattan loft into a Holiday home complete with all the trimmings. They also brought in Anthony Carrino and John Colaneri from HGTV’s Kitchen Cousins. Holly couldn't be a part since she's pregnant and in her third trimester already, so she sent me instead to act as a roving reporter - and it was a lot of fun! Lowe's was great to work with!

The front entry and yard was put together by Gabrielle Blair from Design Mom. She said she was inspired by Scandinavian design. The front door was painted a bright red, which was really fun against the white exterior and black trim. All of the lights she used were clear and she embellished many of the store bought items to spruce them up a little bit. The wreath on the front door was just a simple wreath with lights that she added leaves and a burlap ribbon to. It was stunning up against the bright red door.

In the yard, Gabrielle used great natural-looking trees and animals. Then she styled a cute little bench with pillows and a fur blanket. Probably my favorite detail was the trio of Hunter boots that she had filled with little beautifully wrapped presents. It was inspired by a European tradition I hadn’t heard of where they fill shoes instead of stockings Christmas morning. Holly said in Germany this is common around St. Nicholas' Day which is celebrated in early December around the 5th or the 6th. Such a cute idea if you don’t have a fireplace or even if you do!

The foyer was bursting with DIY inspiration! Jenny Komenda from the Little Green Notebook pulled out all the stops. This space had so many lovely details. When you walked into the room your eye was immediately drawn to three oval mirrors that she framed with a mixture of different metallic Christmas ornaments. On the credenza under the mirrors there was a pair of lamps that were filled with small nutcrackers that she painted a minty teal color. She then styled the rest with a variety of store-bought little trees and a couple of bouquets of flowers, which added a nice organic touch. On an entry table she had another beautiful bouquet of flowers and a mixture of silver trays used to display holiday cards. She also tied in another nutcracker that was painted all white. I loved the way she styled the wall the front door was on. She had two white trees on each side of the door adorned with ornaments that were dipped in paint to create and ombre Christmas tree. She said she used a paint chip to select several colors from the same palette. Then she took a mixture of different white glass ornaments and dipped them in the paint creating the dark to light ombre effect. I absolutely loved this! It made such a big impact on the space. Another cute little detail were the four framed silhouettes with santa hats that surrounded the door.

When you walked through the foyer you landed in the kitchen, put together by Brit Morin from Brit Co. The first thing you saw was the brightly lit Cheers marquee she created using cardboard letters and a string of globe Christmas lights. Something I really enjoyed about her design was the use of everyday red objects. She brought out items that you might usually have tucked away to style the space, like red pots and pans, canisters, mixing bowls, etc. It was a nice way to show that you don’t necessarily have to run out and buy a bunch of stuff to decorate for the holidays. I also really liked her use of various tapes. She had a band of washi tape running along the edge of the counter top and used white duct tape to create candy cane legs on the chairs. On the counter she filled snowflake nesting bowls with various holiday candies and a large gold bowl with ornaments. She also styled all of the space above the cabinets.

Next to the kitchen was the dining room designed by Brittni Mehlhoff and Gabriel Cabrera from Curbly. Their space was styled in fall harvest colors, and this space, like the exterior of the house, was also inspired by Scandinavian design. The table was a simple white farm table, and they used a mixture of chairs and a bench for seating. The main wall was painted black and they added DIY wood boxes to the buffet to create an interesting focal point. The boxes were a variety of sizes and were painted all white except for the backs, which were painted in a palette of harvest colors. They used a lot of natural elements to style the space. The votive holders were made out of birch logs, and succulent pots were made out of pvc pipe pieces that were painted to match the room. They also had pumpkins scattered throughout the space. The table was set with simple white dishes with black bands, and coffee mugs were used as vases for the table arrangements.

Next up was the living room which was designed by Erica Domesek the author of the PS I Made This books. She is such a bubbly happy girl, and you really felt this throughout her space. She painted the walls a deep cobalt blue and created inlays with molding that she covered with wallpaper. She then used this space to hang all of the art. She used a lot of metallic accents throughout the space, which always make a person think of the holidays. Some of the details that really stuck out to me in this space were the DIY silver and gold painted nutcrackers, the chalkboard paint used inside the fireplace with chalk flames, and the giant scissors she used as a topper on the tree. I also really loved the pom trim she used to spruce up these everyday curtains.

The two final rooms, the guest bathroom and bedroom, where put together by Jordan Ferney of Oh Happy Day. The bathroom was really classic and simple. Jordan styled the space in the same manner and it was perfect. She used a simple white vase filled with red berry branches on top of the toilet, and then she draped a red bead garland around the mirror. The red was such a lovely pop in the all white space. She also had some great ideas for organization in this space, making everyday objects and supplies part of the decor. In the bedroom, she used black chalkboard paint on all of the walls. Again, she kept it really simple with the styling using the same berry branches beside the bed and beaded garland on the shelf. She also put some red candy canes in a cloche on the shelf, which was a really cute little touch, and a vase of white flowers that really popped off the black wall. Probably the most eye catching element in the room was the Happy Holidays chalk drawing on the large wall. It made for the perfect art above a mixture of gorgeous plants, which are a nice way to bring a little life to a room in the middle of the cold winter.

With all of this amazing holiday inspiration, I can’t wait to get started transforming my home. Hopefully this inspired you all to do the same! Thank you Holly for giving me this opportunity and for having me on today!

So readers, which space do you like and why?

(images: Patrick Schneider for Lowe's)