/ By Tiffany Anderson
Spending time with family and friends and decorating through the Christmas season is a priority for the Ward family. For Brandi, the tradition runs deep into her childhood. “My grandmother went all out for every holiday, and I was always in charge of helping. After she passed from breast cancer when I was thirteen, everything sort of stopped.”
Instead of embracing the details of large family gatherings that once took place, the traditions slowly fizzled out and left an enormous gap.
But after Brandi and Jon married, she took the initiative by letting her family know she would host holidays from there on out, especially Christmas. Her family knows well her knack and love for decorating, but her grandfather specifically encouraged her to seek a degree in interior design.
Holiday interior design advice
Brandi’s top recommendation is figuring out where the tree will go first. “The tree needs to be centralized – I personally love being able to see it from the street. It adds a magical touch.” Once you’ve positioned the tree, don’t be afraid to try something new and out of the box – you never know what you’ll create.
As Greenville natives, Brandi and Jon love watching the Upstate turn into an incredibly diverse city full of character and beauty. They built a business together known as Chestnut Living. With humble beginnings as a side hustle, Brandi took on small decoration jobs while Jon built farmhouse-style tables. When Jon lost his job right after they built their new home, they knew it was time to launch their business full time. “We were freaking out, but we took the leap to full-time entrepreneurship. Best choice we ever made,” says Brandi.
The risk paid off; the couple today works on a multitude of projects, including six home renovations and are launching a coffee/market hybrid in the next few months.
When moving into their home last year, Brandi opted for new decorations to bring the space together in their current style. While collecting pieces, Brandi thought about how many of their friends enjoy her design style and started putting together the idea of an open house. “To be honest, I had no idea what I was doing. I just picked out things I loved, and people were pumped. We had a line out the front door.”
Hundreds of people spent their holiday season exploring the collection of goodies Brandi put on display in her home. Each year, the Ward family takes a couple of trips to Texas, to which Brandi credits a lot of her inspiration. “I find lots of ideas on the road, especially at antique stores,” she says. “But I do a lot of my own things; I see it in my head most of the time.”
Stepping into their home during Christmas is akin to being transported into a unique and atmospheric winter wonderland. With plenty of greenery trimmed from around their home and neutral undertones throughout the space, every room pours out a distinctive decoration story down to the tiny details of miniature trees in the spice cabinet.
While the color scheme may change year to year, Brandi repurposes items she already owns or has used in past years. Greenery plays an important role in the home and is a huge favorite of hers. By adding little touches of live greenery on tables, around picture frames, looped through various railings and wrapped around the 100-year-old heart pine beams makes the home feel warm and cozy. Small fairy lights and candles add to an inviting ambiance sprinkled throughout different rooms in the home.
One of Brandi’s tips is to hang a few decorations from the ceiling, such as the giant snowflakes she hangs in the hallway leading into the dining room. “It’s nice in hallways to add something whimsical. It’s simple and elegant,” she says.
Using items already around the home adds to familiarity and brings a level of comfort, she points out. When she needs new decorations, Brandi relies on wholesalers or retail finds.
Since the Wards are constantly on the move and busy all year round, decorating the home occurs in stages spanning a few days. “I’ve gotten better at letting other people help me decorate. I used to micromanage it all,” says Brandi, and that means the kids too. Together, the family puts on their favorite Christmas playlist, turns on a Hallmark movie, and enjoys pitching in to bring Christmas alive. Both daughters can decorate their rooms in whatever fashion they desire and Brandi loves seeing their own style come to life.
Even with a multitude of items strategically placed throughout the home, the Wards’ space feels put together without clutter. “I think I achieve the ‘no clutter feel’ by using decor that isn’t over the top and super bright. And the use of greenery and garland adds a special touch to bring continuity and beauty without overpowering the rooms.”
Rudolph’s nose isn’t the only speck of red
Brandi says small pops of red go a long way in Christmas decorations, so she focuses on warmer or muted colors, so their home feels cozy, inviting and peaceful. The number of decorations used in each room depends on how they use the space. They fully decorate the living room top-to-bottom, so it feels extra joyful. Adding special touches to the kitchen, where the family spends a decent amount of time, is important for them to feel connected during the season.
Baking cookies together is a huge tradition for the family, but they don’t make it a one-day big event. Instead, it’s done on a whim! The girls will invite friends over and they’ll focus a few hours on spending quality time with one another while laughing, decorating and savoring each moment.
Other rooms in the home, such as the main bedroom and bath, take advantage of smaller touches of festivity as these rooms are havens for Brandi specifically. “I need quiet in these rooms,” is the way she describes it.
A noteworthy addition are presents, specially wrapped with coordinating paper for the room. Brandi favors thin velvet ribbon and small pieces of greenery tying it together.
While they use many of the decorations in the home year after year, there’s a very special unique Advent Calendar hung from clothespins which includes a verse from the Christmas story on each card, flipped day by day during Advent. Ultimately, Brandi and Jon want their daughters to remember that Christmas is not just about presents; there’s so much more. “As you age, you can lose that magical aspect of Christmas and start seeing how broken the world is,” says Brandi.
As a family, they’re shifting their vision and focusing on leaning into peace and calm. While there are many parties to attend and multiple events all season long, the rest means much more this year to each member of the family. “Being mindful of the season is huge this year, it’s hard to reclaim that as you get older.”
Spending Christmas in peace without the need to rush from house to house is their number one priority… but their secondary goal is to see as many Christmas lights as possible.
/ Photography by Chelsea Ashford
