These Holiday Decor Ideas Take Traditional Over the Top

An exuberant interior designer, a prominent florist, and an acclaimed landscaper walk into a house in the Hollywood Hills…. It sounds like the setup for a joke, but it’s actually a recipe for the most joyously over-the-top holiday home you’ll ever see. Below, we reveal how these three wise men pulled it off.

1. Set a Stylish Table

Courtesy of Martyn Lawrence Bullard

For Martyn Lawrence Bullard, Christmas isn’t complete without a show-stopping table. “Part of the excitement and the journey and the experience is the beauty that’s around them,” he says. Each year, the AD100 designer creates an entirely new look for his holiday tablescape, changing out plates, flowers, and color palettes. One year it might be antique porcelain layered over gilded chargers; another, bold red-and-white Hermès dinnerware with green linen napkins. Sometimes inspiration comes from an unexpected detail—like a set of chocolate-brown and gold Christmas crackers found in November—that sparks an autumnal palette of tangerines, pomegranates, and warm metallics.

Courtesy of Martyn Lawrence Bullard

Bullard encourages mixing and matching everyday pieces with festive accents: “You don’t actually have to spend a lot of money. You can incorporate things you already own.” For him, the magic comes from the layering—adding ribbon-tied napkins, seasonal fruit, or small party favors at each place setting. Past surprises have ranged from candy to costume jewelry to a favorite beauty product.

Courtesy of Martyn Lawrence Bullard

For Bullard’s longtime guests, discovering each year’s design has become a tradition. “They love to see what we’re doing that year on the table,” he says. In the end, the tablescape itself is a gift—an experience that makes friends and family feel special and celebrated. “It’s like painting a painting,” he adds. “It’s super fulfilling when you finish it, and then you get to see the enjoyment on other people’s faces when they experience it.”

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2. Make the Mantel Maximalist

Thomas J. Story

Jeff Leatham’s holiday world is as bold and multifaceted as the man himself. Known globally for his opulent, otherworldly floral installations; as the Artistic Director of the Four Seasons’ Beverly Hills and Philadelphia locations, as well as the Hotel George V in Paris; and as the “King of Christmas” to his A-list clientele, Leatham’s seasonal work ranges from 19-foot trees for Kim Kardashian to crystal-covered installations in Paris.

In Los Angeles, Leatham creates grand, immersive home décor for clients who now want Christmas early—often by Thanksgiving—prompting mid-December “resets” with fresh, handpicked Oregon trees (“Mariah Carey ruined it for everyone when she said Christmas starts right after Halloween,” he quips). Leatham’s signature is tailoring each design to the space: black-and-white graphics for Martyn Lawrence Bullard’s dining room, vintage-inspired glamour for Williams Sonoma, or sculptural monochrome trees in daring colors like blush pink or gold and jet black for the Four Seasons lobbies. And he always pushes the envelope. “When I’m nervous, I know it’s going to be a success,” he says. Leatham was fully calm when he decorated Bullard’s mantel with fir, black orbs to lean into the Moroccan-inspired black-and-white graphics, and vivid red roses to contrast the green and the black. The results are as romantic and transporting as the room’s decor, but also pitch-perfect holiday.

Leatham’s trends mirror the cultural moment: a shift from themed, change-every-year décor toward heirloom-quality pieces, nostalgia, and vintage charm. His collaborations, including Old World Christmas ornaments and a winter-white Williams Sonoma collection of faux fur stockings, pre-lit garlands, and matte-and-shiny baubles, tap into a craving for comfort. “Everyone needs it right now,” he says.

Petal Power

Thomas J. Story

For his holiday installation in Bullard’s living room, Leatham leaned both into and away from the elements of the space: The vivid red roses pop up against the primarily black and white room, while the firs echo the upholstery on the sofa, and black spheres play into the black Moroccan-inspired graphics. As with the room, more is more with the mantel decor: The firs start at the floor, wrapping up, over, and down again to the floor, with an abundance of roses. The roses and fir repeat again on the coffee table: merry maximalism!

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3. Gather a Gorgeous Garland

Thomas J. Story

The holidays are always a chance to go big, and this doorway makes the case for bold, but in a most California way thanks to the found and foraged feeling that Thomas Diehl of The Living Canvas landscape design brings to this arrangement he created for Bullard. A draping garland of cedar, pine, and eucalyptus frames the entry like a living sculpture, spilling with texture and fragrance. Look closely and you’ll spot dusty miller leaves frosted in silver, banksia pods lending sculptural punctuation, and long, trailing strands of Amaranthus in deep red that echo the season’s warmth. Woven through it all: a ribbon as unapologetic as it is festive—velvet in a rich crimson patterned with leopard spots, tied in an exuberant bow at the center.

Thomas J. Story

It’s a look that feels both wild and composed, a mash-up of California garden abundance and holiday maximalism. Inside, the glow of a neon light and the flicker of candles push against tradition in the best way—proving that holiday decorating is no longer about red-and-green rules but about layering personality.

Foraged and Found

Thomas J. Story

The banksia, eucalyptus, and Amaranthus Diehl strung together into a casually draping garland has an informal and thoroughly Southern Californian charm: These are the plants Angelenos regularly see on walks and arrange in vases the rest of the year. Combined with a rusty red ribbon they become a truly Western decoration perfect for the casual and true-to-place way to celebrate.

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4. Raise the Holiday Bar

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For Bullard, the holiday home bar is all about versatility, style, and a dash of surprise. “Being a Brit, of course, I love a little gin. It’s the real basis to so many classic cocktails,” he says. Alongside a premium gin (family-owned Bullards is a fave and worth seeking out), he always keeps a quality vodka on hand, plus a full tequila lineup of Blanco, Reposado, and Añejo. Mezcal makes an appearance for guests who want “a little smoky moment at the end of the evening.” Mixers are just as important: Cointreau, Courvoisier, Aperol, and Campari add complexity and festive color. Bullard also stocks a few “mad bits” like Fernet-Branca—conversation-starting bottles that invite adventurous sips. The result is a bar ready for any request, from a classic martini to a spontaneous spritz. “It’s wonderful when an adventurous guest feels like they’ve got a fun night ahead of them,” he says. If you’re invited to Martyn’s for the holidays, expect a signature cocktail. There’s always a pomegranate martini on the menu for its holiday hue, but for this issue he’s sharing a cranberry and orange Christmas cocktail that exemplifies holiday cheer.

Christmas Cocktail

Thomas J. Story

Says Bullard, “The Christmas Cocktail is a tangerine and cranberry–infused cocktail that’s spiced up with a healthy pour of your favorite vodka and a nice splash of Cointreau orange liqueur. The mixture is shaken in a cocktail shaker and poured over an ice-cubed glass. I like to add fruit into my ice cubes, using large-sized ice trays or molds and adding raspberries and cranberries to the water before it freezes. These become not only decorative and surprising but also add to the cool vibe of the drink whilst chilling it just enough. Garnish with a tangerine slice, a raspberry, or large cranberry on a cocktail skewer, and a little cinnamon stick on the side to add festive spice to the whole experience. Voila! Christmas in a glass! Cheers.”

Ingredients

• 2 oz. Ketel One or your favorite vodka
• 1 oz. Cointreau or your favorite orange liqueur
• 2 ½ oz. tangerine juice, fresh-squeezed for full taste
• 1 ½ oz. cranberry juice

Directions

1. Shake all ingredients in a cocktail shaker for 20 seconds and pour over a giant ice cube.
2. Garnish with slices of tangerine, raspberries, and/or large cranberries skewered on a cocktail stick.
3. Add one cinnamon stick on the side for spice and fragrance as desired.

Thomas J. Story