It’s the most wonderful time of the year. Unless, of course, you’re spinning out about cooking, hosting extended family and friends, managing travel logistics, readying your spaces and sourcing (and wrapping) piles of gifts. No doubt, holiday pressure can pile up faster than a mid-December snowdrift. To turn down the temperature on the yuletide frenzy and amp up the comfort and joy, we asked a who’s who of tastemakers — from interior designer Nate Berkus to makeup mogul Bobbi Brown — how they maximize delight and minimize midwinter meltdowns. Consider this your invitation into their homes and sacred spaces to learn how they deck their halls. While the experts all approach the season differently, they share a common sentiment: The last two weeks of December are about indulgence, creativity and connection. Whether your plans include celebration or hibernation, may your days be merry and bright.
Photography provided by Nate Berkus
Nate Berkus
Nate Berkus created “quiet luxury” before it was a thing. The Minnesota-raised designer and best-selling author first rose to fame in 2002 as Oprah’s go-to interiors expert. But he has since created an empire all his own (just ask his 1.9 million Instagram followers). With his namesake furnishings, textile and window collections as well as the high-end residential design firm he founded at age 24, Berkus is beloved for his unique mix of classic elements and unexpected pops of daring. Enter a Nate Berkus–designed room, and beyond the foundational background of checkerboard flooring, brass finishes and creamy neutral upholstery, you might find a Calacata Turquoise Antico marble countertop, a vintage Parisian-style mirrored wall or a black bouclé settee. His ability to create spaces that simultaneously soothe and surprise sets him apart. And his skill at transforming homes into sanctuaries that feel modern and timeless has only sharpened over the decades. Here, he shares his favorite Midwestern holiday traditions and advice for making your house a haven. It’s no wonder that when we asked him about his dream holiday travel destination, he replied, “Home.”
Photography provided by Nate Berkus
On Minnesota Memories
I was raised in Minnesota and Southern California, so I celebrated the holidays on the West Coast every year with my dad and that side of the family. When I was 7, my father and stepmother got me a battery-powered police motorcycle you could ride. I still remember that morning. But returning to the Midwest every January tan and wearing skateboarding clothes did not make me particularly popular in middle school. I still feel nostalgic for the Minnesota of my childhood: the [now-closed] Ralph Lauren store on Nicollet Mall, Dayton’s department store and Boundary Waters [wilderness sanctuary]. Now, when I’m in Minneapolis, I love to visit the Walker Art Center and sculpture garden, downtown Wayzata and the antiques shops on Main Street in Hopkins. I love Lunds & Byerlys’ wild rice soup and anything from Leeann Chin [Chinese restaurant]. I love broccoli casserole. I also love stuffing. Being from Minnesota, I’ll eat almost anything served in Pyrex.
On Global Tables
I like when my eye travels around a room and lands on something that tells a story — an object that evokes memories and is unique to your family. That, to me, is what the holidays are about, however you choose to celebrate. Decorate your tree or tablescapes using meaningful keepsakes. I don’t cook, so setting the table is always my job, and I love it. I keep it simple and the color palette muted, using texture and gold and brass elements rather than reaching for traditional holiday decor. I mix things found in different countries, like woven placemats from Mexico with Italian porcelain plates and lots of candles in vintage candlesticks. Also, don’t leave setting the table to the last minute. I always do it the night before, even though getting me off the sofa after a meal is tough!
Photography provided by Nate Berkus
On Garlands Galore
Nothing nods more to the holiday season than fresh greenery in your entryway, on your mantel or weaving up your staircase. Fresh branches in a vase add a festive touch in guest rooms. [Berkus is a fan of pale marble or textured stone planters, as seen here in his apartment in Manhattan’s West Village.]
On Luxe Linens
I love gifting two sets of white towels because who can’t use a new set? I’ll usually tie them with ribbon and write a personal note. Making your holiday guests feel cared for when they visit is essential. Crisp white sheets and a cozy throw, a reading light and a carafe of water with a glass next to the bed are welcoming touches. I always put new towels and bath mats in the bathroom. If I’ve read a good book recently that I think my guests will enjoy, I’ll leave a copy on the bedside table.
Photography provided by Nate Berkus
On Rejecting Resolutions
I don’t believe in New Year’s resolutions because they often make people feel bad when they don’t follow through. I try to live intentionally year round.
Photography by Inês Silva Sá
Laura Gonzalez
Award-winning French designer and architect Laura Gonzalez is unlike any other interiors expert working today. With galleries in Paris and Manhattan, she’s the living embodiment of what the French call “Art de Vivre” — a maximalist mash-up of fearless decorator, skilled engineer, creative craftswoman and avant-garde artist. She wears her many hats lightly, letting her imagination unfurl into every boundary-pushing, breathtaking space she touches. Within the private homes, chic Parisian eateries and five-star hotels she designs, you’ll find eclectic mixes of the unexpected — a fantastical chandelier with dangling glass flowers, a Medusa-inspired end table with undulating brass legs, rich brocade drapes, a tomato-red lacquer desk. She has designed boutiques for L’Occitane, Louboutin and Cartier, including the iconic jewelry house’s landmark Fifth Avenue mansion. Rizzoli has published a book of her projects around the world. Here, she discusses the pleasures of her annual holiday at her country house in Normandy.
On Throwing Down
My house in Mainneville, Normandy, is my favorite place to go for the holidays. I like to be in my bubble with my family during this time. Christmas and New Year’s Eve have a special place in my heart, with our unmissable Christmas tree. I love to add warmth and comfy touches in every room; I cover the sofas and beds with soft throws. It is simply the most precious time.
Photography by Inês Silva Sá
On Sculptural Vases
As the daylight is rare, I love to compensate with colorful garlands inside the house for a unique winter glow. I also add beautiful vases, matching them with the season’s flowers. My favorite vases at the moment are by Nicolette Johnson, a Brisbane, Australia–based ceramic artist.
Photography by Inês Silva Sá
On Vibrant Meals
I like having lots of people around the table. I also love to cook with my children. My favorite dish for the holidays is seafood risotto. It’s simple but very chic at the same time. I’ll pair it with a dry French white wine like Chablis or Pouilly Fumé. I collect glassware from flea markets in different places I’ve traveled. I am especially drawn to plates, glasses and cutlery. Christmas is a perfect excuse to show them off and create a beautiful, colorful table.
On Gilded Gifts
Sharing my children’s excitement about presents and celebrations is one of my greatest pleasures. To friends, I usually offer very arty gifts — small objects that can be useful and decorative simultaneously, like little pocket mirrors or beautiful jewelry boxes. My favorite ones this year are pretty marquetry boxes made by L’Atelier Jallu.
Photography by Inês Silva Sá
On Soaking It All In
I am a big fan of candles; they add a particular atmosphere. To make my guests feel at home, I also like to place a small coffee table near the bath, with a body sponge and a wide choice of soaps so they can feel free to use their favorite.
On Good Intentions
I prefer small intentions to big resolutions. Rather than trying to change everything, I focus on what I can improve daily. It’s a gentler approach, I think. New Year’s resolutions are about cultivating a positive mindset and setting goals that feed our well-being.
Photography by Inês Silva Sá
On Making Beautiful Music
The gifts I love to receive are those from my closest loved ones, especially when they add to some of my collections, like rings or crystals. The best gift I’ve given recently is an art deco rosewood piano to my husband, Benjamin, a music lover. He started playing a year ago but has learned faster than I did with 10 years of lessons! The piano is Danish and dates back to the 1950s. It arrived on the morning of Christmas Eve, an event for the whole family.
Photography by Samira Rashid
Kahlana Barfield Brown
Stylist. Fashion and beauty influencer. Brand ambassador. Kahlana Barfield Brown is a major player in the social media game. Privately, though, she nurtures another passion — interior design. As a new L.A. homeowner, “I will talk to you about cleaning supplies, detergent for the best-smelling towels and Christmas ornaments all day,” the former InStyle beauty director confesses. “I love fashion, but I would rather talk about interiors than shoes and bags any day!” During the holidays, the Seattle native hews closely to the minimalist-chic aesthetic that defines her coveted fashion looks. She’s drawn to silver-and-glass lighting, stone furnishings and culture-defining coffee table books — all an extension of the sophisticated simplicity she cultivates in every aspect of her life. “I think about designing my home like putting together an outfit,” she says. “The look is clean, architectural and interesting but never over the top.”
Photography by Samira Rashid
On Fashion as Inspiration
If clothing brand The Row were a house, that would be my design style. Very minimalist. After years in fashion, my wardrobe is almost a uniform. My palette is black, white, ivory or tan. I learned years ago I would get more wear out of investing in neutral blazers with interesting embellishments, fitted tops to highlight the waist and amazing, oversized pants in unique shapes than I would with trendy colors or patterns you wouldn’t be caught dead in after one season. Now, I might be in all-white, but my shirt will be asymmetric, or the silhouette will be unexpected. I take that same approach at home. A neutral palette never goes out of style. You can always bring the look to life with pops of color. Some might find it boring, but it feels fresh and classic to me. I love clean lines, balance and eye-catching details. I want to be as comfortable in my living space as I am in my clothes.
On Holiday Drip
I lived in a small box [apartment] in New York City for most of my life. Now that we are in L.A., it’s the first time I’ve had the space to do the whole Christmas thing. So I invested in a beautiful Balsam Hill tree and covered it in clear glass teardrop ornaments that look like dripping icicles. They look so luxe, but they’re super affordable from Amazon! I used to be a gold jewelry girl but lately I’m loving silver. It’s less flashy and more elegant. Last year, I placed giant decorative silver CB2 orbs under the tree. It’s a classic Christmas look I’ll want to revisit every December. I love coming home to this beautiful tree that lights up our space and puts us all in the holiday spirit.
Photography by Samira Rashid
On Winter Whites
I like my house to feel like no one lives here. That’s very challenging when you have two kids! But they know not to eat anywhere near our vintage seventies white fabric semicircle couch. My mom begged me not to get it. She was like, “You have children. You are not going to be able to keep it white.” But I’m so glad I did. It’s also such a joy to have fresh white tulips or roses everywhere. It’s like a gift I give to myself every week. The Empty Vase in L.A. makes the most beautiful arrangements, with the stems twirled decoratively around the vessel. They’re always my centerpiece when I’m entertaining. I’ll also bring out metallic, snowflake-inspired placemats and clear glass hurricanes. My white porcelain plates have a silver border. That’s as far as I go with color. The tree has lights embedded in the branches, so you click a button to switch them from white to colorful. My girls come home from school and turn on the colored lights, and I’m like, “No!” I am allergic to those lights! I’m always going behind them and switching back to the all-white lights.
Photography by Samira Rashid
On Storytelling Shelves
I can’t just display pretty books. They have to be meaningful to me. I have fashion books on Tom Ford, Louis Vuitton and Virgil Abloh. But I also love rap, so I have Jay-Z and Tupac biographies. My shelves reflect a mix of culture — art, fashion, music, Black history. I always return to my books by Malcolm X and Nelson Mandela. So when someone looks at my shelves, they will understand what I value. They’ll see me.
On Hostess Glam
When hosting, I wear black or white maxi skirts and a blazer, perhaps with feathers on the sleeve. My go-to look is white nail polish, a matte red lip and a sleek bob. My favorite blue-based red lipsticks are MAC Ruby Woo or Bawse Lady by The Lip Bar. I wear them with a brown lip liner — Makeup Forever in Limitless. Some people constantly experiment with their look, but I figured out what works for me and stuck with it.
Photography by Jack Junk
Tiffany Howell
Los Angeles–based designer Tiffany Howell, founder of Night Palm Interiors, began her career in film and fashion, including as director of the music video studio for iconic fashion photographer Herb Ritts. So it’s no surprise that sexy, cinematic spaces are her signature. Howell thinks of each project as a “visual poem,” drawing inspiration from references like eighties music, floral Gucci campaigns and Mediterranean villas. The results are glamorous, texture-rich rooms, often accented with historical French wallpaper, custom wood furnishings and jewel-like vintage sconces. Her talents have been tapped by industry insiders like Hollywood actors, celebrity real estate agents, screenwriters, top wellness gurus and authors. At holiday time, however, her focus is on family and flowers, heirlooms and silk robes — all imbued with their own romance.
Photography by Pablo Enriquez
On Lush Living
I would never design a home that is not cozy. My word that I probably use too much — as my team will tell you— is “lush.” Seating must feel lush, both aesthetically and from a sensory perspective. I love sculptural objects, but I will find a way to make every room feel lived in. I do complete comfort studies with my clients to personalize their furniture. Some like ergonomic seating. Some like it cushy. But I avoid anything too heavy or clunky.
On Soft Hues
I’m drawn to holiday colors but more muted versions, like rust reds and mint greens. For example, we selected teal velvet couches because this client liked green and blue. That house could be seen as bold and wild, but because of the color palette, it has a lushness. I may pick a pink, like the one in the bathroom (opposite, upper right), but it’s not jarring. I custom-made that paint by finding a vintage dress then color-matching it. The walls are painted in a tadelakt finish, an age-old technique that feels like Venetian plaster.
Photography by Pablo Enriquez
On Moody Lighting
I change my spaces for the holidays by bringing in more lighting as it gets darker earlier. I love creating a cozy vibe with candles and lamps everywhere. I try to incorporate artful moments into the architecture and find interesting objects nobody else has, like vintage sconces from 1stDibs or Chairish. I like to translate ideas from fashion into interiors, so I think of lighting as jewelry for the room.
On Hollywood Hospitality
I know the favorite smells of everyone in our family. So if they come to stay, I’ll find a related candle or create a flower arrangement of peonies or citrus branches I know they’ll love. I’m obsessed with this Lola James Harper room spray that I keep gifting and falling in love with. They made a fragrance sold at Colette in Paris, so it brings me right back there. If my guest is a fan of, say, Pablo Neruda, I’ll put a vintage book of his on the bedside table. And I’m all about giving guests super plush Four Seasons robes or vintage silk kimonos and slippers. I want them to feel like they’re in a beautiful hotel.
Photography by Pablo Enriquez
On Vintage Barware
For this Hollywood Hills project (pictured here), I selected beautiful vintage Christian Dior dinnerware and Gucci barware for my client. My own entertaining bar gets significantly beefed up during the holidays, with beautiful vintage glassware and trays from my travels. I don’t keep a holiday table permanently set because my son would dance on it and break everything.
On Heirloom Magic
The holidays are a time for nostalgia and connection. My favorite gifts of all time are handwritten letters from my son that I keep in a vintage art deco box. I lean into romance during Christmas but not with traditional decorations. Listen, my husband is totally like, “The nutcrackers are coming out!” And I’m like, “No more nutcrackers! No more Santas and weird elves!” But it is a time to reflect on what’s important to you, to express yourself and honor your history. The holidays can be challenging, so I try to surround myself with objects that bring me joy. I’ll set out many personal mementos, tableware and linens I typically don’t want to see all year. Heritage pieces like beautifully mismatched plates from my grandmother, or I’ll fill her pitchers with dahlias. I bring out all the old poetry books I grew up with or the nostalgic Dr. Seuss books I read to my son every Christmas and place those all around.
Photography by Pablo Enriquez
On a Sensory Experience
In my home, all the senses are awakened. I love the scents of evergreen and whisky because they remind me of my grandfather. We’ll watch When Harry Met Sally a million times. I’m obsessed with jazz and I’ll listen to Chet Baker’s rendition of “Winter Wonderland.” I want to be surrounded by things that bring me closer to the people I love.
Photography by David Engelhardt
Bobbi Brown
Bobbi Brown essentially invented “no makeup makeup” — building a blockbuster brand based on the once-revolutionary idea that we look best when we enhance our features rather than try to transform them. If you wore makeup in the nineties, you were probably obsessed with her rum raisin lip pencil. Consider her accomplishment: Her products went viral three decades before TikTok. And Brown hasn’t stopped innovating since. The Chicago native once again took the cosmetics business by storm with the 2020 launch of Jones Road, a clean makeup-skincare hybrid beloved for its pots of multipurpose Miracle Balms, setting the standard for natural beauty a second time. Just a few years earlier, Brown poured her passions for design and travel into The George, a landmark inn in Montclair, New Jersey, the hip New York City suburb where she raised her three kids. Thanks to an extensive renovation, the historic building has been reborn as a 31-room boutique hotel, where art nodding to famous Georges — from President Washington to the Beatles’ Harrison to Seinfeld’s Costanza — abounds. Whether celebrating the holidays there or at her waterfront Hamptons home, Brown takes an equally artful yet down-to-earth approach. One formula she hasn’t improved upon: believing authenticity is the main ingredient for beauty — and betting on herself.
Photography by David Engelhardt
On Easy Entertaining
I may not be a great cook, but I’m a great entertainer. I believe in having everything prepared before the first guest arrives. I’m the host but also want to enjoy the party! I don’t typically use chefs, but I’ll often bring in delicious food from my favorite takeout spots. I love a beautiful platter, so I’ll get amazing cheeses from our local shop. I’ll serve something extra special like caviar with all the fixings in my most beautiful pottery bowls. It makes it look like you had it professionally catered. And I don’t mind splurging to bring someone in to help with the cleanup. It makes a perfect night of entertaining stress free.
On Moderation and Meditation
I do my best to maintain my regular exercise routine and healthy eating habits, even when my calendar is full of holiday parties and work commitments. If I do indulge, I try to do it in moderation. My favorite cocktail is one I invented called “The Bobbi Rocks.” It’s a large ice cube, fresh cucumber juice, a squeeze of lemon juice and clean vodka like Tito’s or Belvedere. If I eat French fries or have an extra cocktail, I enjoy it in the moment. But then I’ll eat clean for the next few days and get back on track without feeling guilty. I love the first few weeks of January. After indulging during the holidays, I reset and recharge myself. I also try to take five minutes out of the day to slow down and take a breath. That habit doesn’t always last, but it’s an excellent way to start the year.
Photography by David Engelhardt
On Festive Faces
If you love a red lip, make a strong statement with a matte finish. ’Tis the season for it! Pair it with some pink blush on the apples of your cheeks. When picking a red, start with the texture. A sheer balm or lip tint is forgiving, so you can choose a brighter or deeper shade. But if you’re like me and feel more comfortable with a neutral lip, use a poppy red on your nails. That’s my signature look. Then accentuate your eyes and cheeks. Top off a pop of blush with shimmery highlighter on your cheekbones. You can get dramatic eyes in just a few easy steps: First, define your brows with a brow pencil. Add some smoky gray shadow on your lids for definition. Line your top lash line with black pencil, then finish with three coats of black mascara. Now you’re party-ready!
Photography by David Engelhardt
On Signature Swag
I love to gift a leather picture frame or a chic domino set. Whether at our home or our hotel, I’ll stock guest rooms with small comforts like healthy snacks — fresh fruit, raw almonds, plain yogurt — and bottled water with sliced lemon to keep everyone well-hydrated. Finally, I always leave a Jones Road lip balm, a Hippie Stick (an all-over face, body and hair balm) or our Fragrance in Shower as a special gift.
Photography by David Engelhardt
On Travel Traditions
Blue water and white sand make the Caribbean my happy place. In the Bahamas, we stay at Baker’s Bay. But the best holiday travel experience I’ve ever had was taking a safari with my extended family to the Londolozi Game Reserve [in South Africa]. Wherever I am, I love to be in a luxurious hotel bed. Give me clean, crisp sheets, the TV remote, a charger for all my electronics and a comfortable bathrobe, and I am one happy girl.
