Melissa Wood

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Dennis Hughes, of Dennis Hughes Visual Displays, seen here in his showroom, can lend a hand with the outdoors decorating. A holiday centerpiece comes together perfectly with a crisp white tablecloth, brilliant red poinsettia and table runner, and a coordinating nutcracker.

The holiday season can produce a mix of emotions: joy, sentimentality, excitement but also trepidation, anxiety, and, sometimes, even panic as that to-do list grows longer as the number of shopping days start to dwindle.

Hiring a designer for the holidays not only helps take some of the pressure off, but the designer can also find ways to breathe new life into old decorations to spice up the décor and wow holiday guests. Designers Diane Hughes and Elaine Jackson, of Diane Hughes Interiors in Rye, N.H., say they are frequently called upon to design for the holidays by people who get into a quagmire trying to balance everyday responsibilities with holiday preparations, shopping and entertaining.

“If Diane and I are doing the decorating that gives the client a lot of latitude to have parties and everything else,” says Elaine.

To get things started Diane and Elaine meet with their clients to talk about what they’d like to do, and take a look at the holiday decorations they already have—often finding new possibilities in timeworn favorites. “You always get inspired,” says Elaine. “The customer is talking to you and you’re always scanning the room.” Some clients give them free range to come up with a design while others have specific ideas of what they want with pictures from magazines. “Sometimes they can’t convey what they’re looking for so if they have pictures we’re halfway home,” says Elaine.

Diane and Elaine will suggest what pieces the clients should buy to bring about the desired holiday effect. They used to do the shopping for their clients, but found it was more economical and a better use of time to make the suggestions instead, especially since they have to juggle many clients wanting their decorations put up more or less around the same time. The key to fitting everyone in is for people to call early. “People need to call as soon as possible,” says Diane, who notes that they started getting the calls this year in August. “People are starting earlier and earlier to decorate for Christmas,” she says. “They’re going from Halloween to Christmas.”

The scope of the design can be as small as decorating a staircase or incorporating a theme into the entire first floor to make it all flow from one room to the next. “You can go from one gamut to the next,” says Elaine.

For those clients planning on hosting a holiday party, a designer can impress the guests by transforming holiday décor from okay to spectacular. “Wherever the guests are going to venture you can put a little touch of something,” says Elaine. Diane and Elaine suggest placing large glass ornaments on a dining table for a fabulous centerpiece or making little presents wrapped up as mementos for the host to pass out to guests for keepsakes.

Outdoor decorating presents its own set of challenges, and Diane has the answer for that too. Dennis Hughes, of Dennis Hughes Visual Displays, does it all, putting up garlands, lights, and decorations to create a stunning outdoor display. He also takes everything down after the holidays, packing away what can be used the following year.

With the decorating taken care of, that’s one thing off the holiday to-do list. Time to start shopping!

For more information call Diane Hughes Interiors at 603 964-9543 or 207 361-1927.