Orange is Chic for the Holidays!

The trend this holiday season is to design your decorations to blend with your color scheme rather than the traditional red and green..

Just ask  Los Angeles designer, Mary McDonald.

Mary is known for her classically designed interiors and also as one of the designers on "Million Dollar Decorators".

Take a peek at her house decorated for the holidays as featured in Veranda magazine.  Mary is obviously well travelled, talented and has the resources to create an over the top, to "die for" home.

She pairs orange with blue to create a festive

updated look along with an occasional peacock, to add a royal touch to the mix.   Look how lovely and festive her home looks.  You certainly don't miss the traditional colors at all.  

 Who but Mary McDonald would have an entire peacock 

as their tree topper!  Love it!

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 Gorgeous orange velvet everywhere!  Interesting how the blue and white porcelain vases become part of the punch in the room.  

Mary says she loves Christmas because she can create a theatrical setting and use things she collects from her travels.

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Greenery garlands mixed with pinecones and other natural

elements add just the right balance of warmth to this stairway.

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She even has orange trees flanking the Swedish empire

daybeds...

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Real and faux fruits, peacock feathers and birds Mary

bought on her trip to India create drama to the entrance

 to the dining room.

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If you aren't Mary McDonald, but still want orange in your decor

here are a few ways you can add orange to get the look you want for the holidays....

Add oranges to your greenery..

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A bowl of decorated oranges would be a special touch.  I love the way these have designs and cloves added...

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Add orange ribbon to your stairway garland...

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Whole and sliced oranges added to a wreath.  

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bystephanielynn blog has some of the most clever wreaths I have

ever seen.  Click to check them out and see her blog.  She has great ideas.  Here is one made with orange slices.  

bystephanielynn

 Add orange monkeys to your tree like Tobi Fairley did on her daughter, Ellison's tree...

Tobi Fairley

Here is a lovely little card about the Christmas Orange

 with a sweet story.  If you would like to make one 

 Visit Gemscottage for the complete directions.  

Here's the story behind the card...

The Christmas Orange

In an orphanage, the children have very little surprises and gifts.
Every year at Christmas time in one such place, each child gets
a fresh, round orange as a treat. The orange is very special,
and is something the children look forward to each year.  

One year, one of the boys saw an old man outside in
ragged clothes wandering by as though he had no real place to be.
The little boy's heart fills with love and he decides to give the
man his orange. After all, he knows he will have a meal
tomorrow, and is not sure when was the last time
the man had something good to eat.  

The next morning the boy wakes up to an unusual orange:
it was an orange alright, but made of different orange slices!
All of the other boys had saved 1 slice of their own orange to
give to the boy who gave away his orange. .

So whether you are decking the halls like Mary McDonald

in a large way or simply adding a little orange to your holidays,

enjoy the process...