Birmingham magazine December Dwelling home

Guest House Getaway

A Mountain Brook couple’s guest home is the perfect holiday retreat.

By Laura McAlister Photos by Miller Mobley

There may be no place like home for the holidays, but the guest house of Tony and Dana Davis has to be a close second, especially when it’s decorated for the season in the same rustic style that makes the house so inviting.

Designers Wendy Barze and Marjorie Johnston and Design Assistant Hayden Patton of Marjorie Johnston and Co. decked the Mountain Brook couple’s guest house for the holidays. Using greenery from the Davises’ yard and decorations and accessories from local businesses as well as some left over from years past, the design team was able to create a subtle but inviting holiday getaway for any guest.

“This isn’t anything over the top,” says Johnston. “We tried to introduce color elements that say Christmas. We just wanted to keep it simple and cheerful.”

Without the decorations the two-bedroom, two-bath house is simple and cozy, but it wasn’t always that way. Originally, the charming home was a carriage house or garage, Dana says, one with a little history that they hoped to preserve. The 1924 main house was owned by Leroy Percy, the father of Southern author Walker Percy, who grew up there.

Since the old garage was not connected the house, the couple rarely used it. “It had gotten to the point where we needed to bulldoze it or fi x it,” Dana recalls. With the help of architect Pete Pritchard and Stephen Dorsky of Day Star Construction, Inc., the couple was able to preserve the old garage and turn it into an inviting cottage for guests.

“When we renovated we wanted to keep as much as we could,” Dana says. “The rafters are the original. We wanted to make it go with the big house, so we went with a French country cottage look.”

The front door of the guest house opens to the living area where the walls are a natural pine. The brick fi replace and exposed wooden beams give the home an even more rustic look. Barze and Johnston said they wanted the Christmas decorations to retain that feel.

They placed pillows with reds and greens on the black leather couch in the family room, and since it is a guest house, Barze said they went with a small, potted Christmas tree that could later be planted. The tree is adorned with white lights, peace sign, clear glass and silver ornaments.

When the mother-daughter design team decorates for Christmas they try to incorporate both trendy and traditional.

This year, Barze says the peace sign is the must-have holiday decoration. Not only were small, silver peace signs used on the tree, but red, green and silver peace signs with a simple red bow were used as the decoration for the guest home’s antique, wooden front door.

To incorporate more traditional style to keep with the style of the house, a birch wreath with a red ribbon was placed above the mantle and another over an antique mirror. Magnolia leaves and holly from the Davises’ yard added to the decor.

“We really just try to respond to the architecture and elements already in the home,” Barze says. “We used some elements, like the birch wreathes, that were a little more rustic. Then we added some glass and silver with the lanterns to dress it up a bit.”

The living room opens up to the kitchen where Marjorie Johnston and Co. set up a holiday spread for guests. Again, the decorations were kept simple—a topiary on the island along with a small arrangement of lilies—to match kitchen’s design.

The decorations didn’t stop in the public spaces of the guest home. Johnston says, “Just like you change your wardrobe for the seasons, you should change your home.”

A touch of the holidays was brought into the second bedroom by covering the white bedding with a lime green spread topped with red and green pillows. A few snowfl akes were also hung on the wrought-iron bed frames.

“What we really did in the bedroom was introduce some seasonal colors to say ‘Christmas,’” says Barze. “It’s very simple, and again, they’re items you can get almost anywhere.”

For the Davises, Marjorie Johnston and Co. decorated with guests in mind, but Barze said the same concepts could be used in any home. Decorate with the style of the house in mind and mix traditional items with trendy. Visit bhammag. com for more tips on decorating for the holidays.