Holly Jolley Holiday Home

Written by Laura Shimko

Photography by Rebekah Westover

This elegant Highland, Utah, estate glitters with sophisticated and colorful Christmas cheer.

One of the most treasured aspects of farmhouse style is its down-to-earth simplicity. Mix in a bit of sophistication, and the result is a blend of functionality, coziness and elegance. For soccer coach-turned-blogger Holly Jolley of Home With Holly J, there’s also a bit of Old World panache tossed in.

After coaching club soccer for 15 years and with four children grown up, Holly decided to explore her passion for design, décor and all things homemaking. “I’ve always loved design and interior decorating,” she says. “I love that you can make a space feel warm and cozy by adding things in that are a reflection of you.”

The mantel serves as a visual anchor for the living room for people entering from the dining area. Layers of textures add warmth to the space while ribbons, bead garlands, stockings and lots of faux greenery give a festive feel.

When it comes to the Christmas season, Holly works hard to create beautiful and inviting spaces in her two homes and family cabin. “Each home is very different from the others, and it’s fun to decorate all the different rooms with different styles,” she says. In her 11,000-square-foot Utah home, with its spacious rooms and high ceilings, this can prove to be quite the task. To get a holiday-infused, farmhouse feel, Holly uses textures, greenery and a traditional color palette to create an elegant Christmas look.

Deck the Halls

Sometimes it’s the little details that can jumpstart an entire design. “I change up the color scheme every year and rotate all my ornaments around to different trees,” Holly says. A set of red-and-green dishes serves as the inspiration for Holly’s traditional red-and-green holiday décor. “It was the first year I added red into my décor at this house,” she says. With dark emeralds, bright rubies and splashes of plaid, Holly used color to create festive vignettes and a cohesive look. To make her décor more organic, she made some changes to her usual layout. “My home has a lot of blue in it, so going with a traditional red-and-green palette was a little tricky, but I think it worked well for the most part.”

elegant Christmas tree in Utah holiday home — When decorating for Christmas, Holly allows the features of the space to influence her design choices. “The large wall of windows calls for a larger tree and is the focal point of the living room when you come in from the entryway,” she says.

Holiday Home Garlands and Greens

Florals and greenery play a large role in Holly’s décor by enhancing the color theme as well as adding a simple, natural charm. All of her greenery is faux, due to Utah’s intensely dry climate. “I have invested in high-quality ornaments and faux greenery that lasts for years and looks real,” she says. Holly did many of the arrangements herself to perfectly match her theme and create a cohesive design in every space. “Since my main floor is very open and all the rooms are connected, I use the same colors throughout,” she says.

entryway Holly Jolley holiday home — This elegant entryway takes its inspiration from a home in a nearby town. “It was designed by Desiree Ashworth, and our home has many of the same attributes,” Holly says. Faux greenery and a silver Nativity set add Christmas touches.

‘Tis the Season to be Cozy

In addition to her use of red and green to adorn her farmhouse in festive cheer, Holly also uses a variety of textures to create a warm and welcoming feel. Soft velvet stockings, shimmering ribbons, fluffy pillows and fuzzy throws provide an inviting atmosphere. “I love adding different bedding and blankets to change up a room,” she says. “Pillows, throw blankets, baskets, artwork, books, flowers, vases, ginger jars—these are all things on my go-to list.” The result is a sense of coziness and comfort with touches of sophistication that truly makes this house feel like home for the holidays.

Engineered walnut flooring and stairs bring warmth into the living room, family room, dining room and kitchen. The garland is a DIY project Holly did. “I hang it on the rails with wire and ribbon,” she says.

bookshelf with bottlebrush trees and gold accents for Christmas

Christmas Colors in Holly Jolley Holiday Home

Shades of red and green are a great way to get a classic Christmas feel in your farmhouse. Holly provides these tips for crafting your own festive and elegant color scheme.

Go Green(ery). Incorporating natural elements into your holiday décor adds to the festive feel. Holly DIYed her own faux greenery with garlands, berries and flowers that bring out her red-and-green palette with a sophisticated feel. “I made a few faux floral arrangements with high-end frosted greenery and frosted peonies,” she says.

All in the Details. Don’t neglect the little details that will help you tie Christmas colors into every space in your home. “Each season, I pick a color and try to add touches of that color to each room and carry it throughout the house,” Holly says. Find wall art or small pieces that work with your color palette, while also giving your style a refined feel. Go for soft-textured, simple pillows and throws that complement the palette.

Bringing It Together. Integrating your Christmas styling with your year-round décor is key to having a design that looks and feels elegant, cozy and inviting. “When I add in a color that’s different from my regular color palette, I change up some of the décor to match the Christmas décor,” Holly says.

wreath and ribbon on woven kitchen bar chairs — Wicker barstools, a custom hood, simple cabinetry and paneled ceilings bring farmhouse charm into the kitchen. Holly uses details like her DIY wreaths on the barstools to give the space a holiday feel. “I style the shelves with Christmas décor like trees and reindeer and mix gold and silver into the palette,” she says. “I add candles, wreaths, vases and other decorative items.”

open concept kitchen and dining decorated for holidays — Trees and greenery are an integral part of Holly’s Christmas décor. With four trees throughout her home, she got creative and DIYed many pieces. “All the florals are DIY arrangements, and I love doing them,” she says. “I love Christmas trees, and if I could have one in every room I would.” With such a spacious home, Holly takes time to ensure every part of her holiday décor is perfect. “I start decorating in early November so I can get it all done,” she says.

white farmhouse kitchen holiday wreath and tree figurines — Holly continues the red-and-green theme in the kitchen. “I have a very large dish collection, and the open shelves allow me to add in color with my dishes and other serving pieces styled on the shelves along with some Christmas décor,” she says. “I always swap out my dishes for each season and match them to my Christmas colors.”

Utah Holly Jolley holiday kitchen white oven hood — Wood floors, a brass pot filler and gold pulls add warmth to the predominantly white kitchen. Marble countertops are mirrored in the marble tile backsplash. “The builder and previous owner chose the backsplash, and I love how it goes all the way to the ceiling and the entire back wall of the kitchen,” Holly says.

Holly’s inspiration for this year’s décor came from a red-and-green holly dish set and the tablescape she built around it. “Setting a Christmas table and leaving it up throughout the season is another way I add elegance,” she says. “I get asked a lot if we actually use the dishes on the dining table when I do a tablescape, and the answer is yes; we use all the dishes, and then I reset the table after we’ve washed them.” Her festive centerpiece is another one of her DIY creations.

aerial view Christmas living room — Because of the scale of the living room, Holly visually anchored her design so it still feels comfortable and inviting. “Placing all the furniture on the rug also creates more of an intimate feel,” she says. To accommodate her Christmas décor, she moved two chairs to another spot in her home. “I don’t make too many changes other than the accessories like pillows, baskets, throw blankets and some of the coffee table décor,” she says. “I usually ‘shop’ my own home and reuse a lot of the things I already have.”

How to Decorate Large Spaces

It can be challenging to know where to start when decorating your home for the holidays.
This is especially true for spaces with lots of square footage or a large open floor plan. Here are Holly’s top two tips for keeping your farmhouse feeling festive and cozy.

Create a focal point (or two). To avoid getting lost in big, open spaces, visually anchor the design with one or more pieces that draw the eye. These anchors will serve as the centerpieces on which you can build the rest of your décor. “I use a very large tree in the living room,” Holly says. “We have a large wall of windows, and I make the tree the focal point of the room.” In addition, she decorates her mantel to serve as another visual anchor in the space.

Create atmosphere with texture. Farmhouse style is all about comfort and simplicity. Find ways to include different kinds of materials in your décor to create an inviting space. “Lots of cozy throw blankets, pillows, flowers and winter greenery are another way to add warmth to your home,” Holly says.

For more Christmas house tours, see A DIY Christmas Home. Of course, don’t forget to follow us on Instagram, Facebook and Pinterest to get your daily dose of farmhouse inspiration!