House Tours
A B.C. Country Home Dressed Up With Festive Garland, Antique Ornaments And Classic Comfort
Photography by Janis Nicolay | Design by Cheryl Krecsy
House Tours
A B.C. Country Home Dressed Up With Festive Garland, Antique Ornaments And Classic Comfort
This welcoming new-build pays homage to old-world charm with inviting style and laid-back allure all season long.
"Christmas for me is about a desire to create a less commercialized, simpler holiday,” says designer and Little White House & Co. owner Cheryl Krecsy. “I want the scents and feelings of Christmas past and start getting the house ready in November so I can slow down and savour the season.”
The results of Cheryl’s nostalgic vision can be seen throughout the 4,800-square-foot Fort Langley, B.C., house she shares with husband Gene and their two poodles. The overall mandate for the two-year-old countryside residence was that it should look like it had been there for 100 years. Cheryl worked closely with designer Stephanie Giesbrecht to achieve the historical aesthetic.
Cheryl’s holiday decor follows suit, leaning subtle and pared back, rather than shiny and new. She gets the look on the home’s exterior by placing unadorned green wreaths on every window. Inside, she layers in evergreen garlands, boughs and trees, along with vintage accents such as bottlebrush trees and antique glass ornaments. It’s a cozy backdrop and one that their children and grandchildren love.
“The whole family comes here and we eat, wear matching PJs and watch old movies,” says Cheryl. “It’s special and reminds me of Christmases I had as a child.”
DESIGN, Cheryl C. Krecsy, Little White House & Co.; Stephanie Giesbrecht, Stephanie Jean Design. PARLOUR WALL PAINT, Stardew SW 9138, Sherwin-Williams. CHANDELIER, Currey & Company. CHAIRS, OTTOMAN, HomeSense.
For the holidays, designer Cheryl Krecsy dresses up her custom-made, double wooden front doors with a full cedar garland. “It smells amazing and stays green during our misty B.C. holiday season,” she says. The French blue parlour to the right of the entry feels serene and only needs a vintage bottlebrush tree on the refurbished antique mantel to echo the holiday vibes.
A black-and-white checkered marble floor conjures a historical presence in the new-build’s front foyer while thoughtfully layering in graphic charm from the ground up. Cheryl says, “We carefully chose everything—from the paned windows, French doors, high ceilings, mouldings, classic warm whites and touches of French blue—to evoke character and that welcoming feel of an authentic old-world home.”
CHANDELIER, Currey & Company.
The dining room features a hand-painted mural inspired by the property’s orchard, which can be seen through the dining room windows. A fresh garland, wreath and potted amaryllis complement a living evergreen tree decorated with vintage candleholders. While a formal space, it’s not remotely off-limits. “The distressed finishes, white bistro chairs and whimsical cane-back chairs ensure this well-used room is never stuffy and always enjoyed,” says Cheryl.
BACKSPLASH TILES, Ann Sacks. MARBLE, Black Pearl Granite. FAUCETS, Emco
“My favourite room is definitely the kitchen,” Cheryl says. “It wasn’t easy to convince my hubby I needed a wall of handcrafted tiles and a curved marble backsplash!” The island forms a pleasingly rustic contrast. “It’s an antique harvest table we modified by adding a lower basket shelf,” says Cheryl. Vintage pendants—featuring unlacquered brass, milk glass and crystal—radiate country charm. “I call them the crowning glory.”
STOVE, Ilve. HARDWARE, BHV.
An antique-white and brass Italian stove galvanizes the kitchen’s European aesthetic. Cheryl’s mix of shiny brass cabinet knobs and unlacquered brass faucets bolsters in more character. The room’s grander elements are a considered contrast to the everyday items. “All of my kitchenware is vintage and I use it all,” says Cheryl. The pale green pantry houses her extensive collections of enamel dishes, milk glass and wooden cutting boards, many sourced from Parisian flea markets.
"Instead of a little Christmas tree by the sink, I chose Myrtle Topiaries. I think they're just as Christmasy."
SOFAS, Classic Home. THROWS, HomeSense. CUSHIONS, Little White House & Co.
The great room is command central on Christmas Eve, when the panels above the fireplace are opened to reveal a TV that plays old Christmas movies on repeat. A pre-lit Christmas tree looks real and is trimmed with handmade willow wreaths and vintage-inspired decorations. A real evergreen garland drapes the antique mantel that frames a German schmear brick surround.
PENDANT LIGHT, Visual Comfort.
The breakfast room, positioned between the great room and the kitchen, is furnished with a simple round pedestal table and mix of chair styles that invite casual congregating (perfect for sipping the Baileys-spiked coffee Cheryl prepares on Christmas morning). The distressed finishes and informal slipcovers soften any formality the expansive space might command.
Wicker TRUNK, CHAIR, Little White House & Co.
“There’s nothing like a real evergreen garland, but not on a stairway banister, unless you want to vacuum every day until Christmas,” says Cheryl. “So, in this one area I made an exception and used a very good quality faux evergreen garland that I pull out each season for the front hall.” A vintage wicker trunk and casual chair are a cheeky foil to the traditional marble floor tiles.
BEDDING, RUG, Little White House & Co.
“This guest room was designed with my grandson, Theodore, in mind,” Cheryl says. “We wanted to create a room he’d like to play in or come to for a sleepover.” Metal twin beds, antique desk lights and distressed furniture, including a highboy dresser, impart a simple country feel. “The wreaths seen through the windows, the vintage Christmas Day calendar and the real old stockings hung on the bed frame give the feeling of stepping back to a Christmas from long ago.”
“My family stays over during Christmas, and I wanted the grandchildren's rooms to feel special. I love seeing their excitement when Santa has come... even if it is very early in the morning."
CEILING LIGHT, Scott Landon. RUG, HomeSense.
“My twin daughters, who are now 40, loved their pink and green childhood bedroom, so I used the same colours in this guest room for their little girls,” Cheryl says. And those girls, Charlot, Josephine and Luella, are smitten with their bedroom at Grandma’s house. “My grandchildren and daughters say it feels like they are stepping into a dollhouse. Everything in here is antique or vintage, and the green bed trunk used to be my daughters’ childhood toy trunk.”
Viburnum WALLPAPER in Blush, Schumacher. BATHTUB, Vintage Tub & Bath. SCONCE, Scott Landon. VANITY, Old World Kitchens. VANITY COUNTERTOP, Black Pearl Granite. ANTIQUE FURNITURE, Little White House & Co.
“I don’t think you can have a countryside home without a checked floor and floral wallpaper,” says Cheryl. She designed the bathroom to bring smiles to her granddaughters’ faces. “What little girl wouldn’t want to have a bubble bath in a claw-foot tub surrounded by soft pink tiles?”
BEDDING, ARMCHAIRS, Little White House & Co. SCONCES, Currey & Company.
“Most larger homes designed over 100 years ago had bedroom fireplaces, wonderful doors and vaulted ceilings,” says Cheryl, who implemented these heritage details throughout her primary bedroom. Tufted linen chairs flank a formal 1900s fireplace that’s softened by wrinkly bed linens. Holiday touches are added with vintage bottlebrush trees in milk glass vases on the mantel, and a bottlebrush wreath layered over a French mannequin.
CHANDELIER, Scott Landon. OTTOMAN, Dovetail Home. FIXTURES, Vintage Tub & Bath.
The primary ensuite has his-and-hers sinks, an arched shower closet for two, a water closet with hand sink, and a dressing room. “My dressing room knocks my socks off every time I open the arched double doors,” says Cheryl. “It motivates me to enjoy the process of dressing for a good day ahead.” The tub is also a scene stealer. “During the holidays, there’s nothing like soaking in a hot bath with my antique French chandelier dancing overhead, taking in the scent of a real evergreen garland and watching the snow fall.”
Step inside this Scandi-Chic holiday home
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