BY BETH WEITZMAN
PHOTOS BY ERINN VALENCICH
The holiday season brings an opportunity to celebrate with warmth and joy, and what better way to elevate your space than through nature- inspired decor? Designers Erinn Valencich and Susie Crouch share their expert insights on how to blend sustainability, creativity, and elegance to create stunning holiday displays using nature’s bounty.
Erinn Valencich is a celebrated designer, influencer, and entrepreneur who founded her design firm, ERINN V. Design Group, at the age of 24. With a portfolio that includes her eponymous furniture brand; seven licensed collections, including Hollywood Hills with Baldwin Hardware; furniture collaborations with Universal Furniture and Ambella Home; and the innovative software platform StyleRow, Valencich’s award-winning work has graced numerous magazine covers. She has even been tapped to decorate the U.S. Department of State in Washington D.C. for past holiday events. Valencich has taken her design style and turned it into a master- class on her website (www.erinnvdesign.com/interior- design-masterclass) for anyone looking to upgrade or remodel their home.
Susie Crouch, an “almost Arizona native,” comes from an Italian family where celebrating was a weekly tradition, complete with beautifully set tables and formal Sunday dinners. With over 35 years of experience designing homes, holidays, weddings, life celebrations, and charity events, Susie maintains her passion for bringing beauty into people’s lives through her company EverythingSusie. While she enjoys working with extravagant budgets, she embraces the challenge of creating magic from simple materials — her work ranges from villa weddings in Italy to newlywed tiny houses and designing tumbleweed Christmas trees.
THE ART OF WINTER GREENERY
Valencich brings an intentional, sophisticated approach to natural materials. “Winter greenery of all sorts is great: cedar, fir, juniper, spruce, pine, and boxwood all look great. Many times, you may have some of this growing naturally in your garden — don’t be afraid to cut some branches and bring them inside,” she says. “Even magnolia is a gorgeous greenery to use for the holidays. Adding some winter greens to hang from a vase with cut flowers is a really nice and easy way to get a festive look without going overboard.”
Crouch orchestrates natural elements with theatrical flair, suggesting creative placements. She says, “[I] love to tie them to an expansion rod — like a shower curtain rod – with berries, ribbon, or ornaments in door jams or down the center of a dining room table with votives and pinecones nestled in or draped over a chandelier — so romantic.”
FROM LIVING ROOMS TO LANDSCAPES
Nature’s rules shift between indoor and outdoor spaces, a concept our designers understand well. Valencich brings her expertise to creating stunning indoor settings. “Surprisingly, curly willow and grape vine can be a fun natural material to use indoors, either in vases, or even around your tree,” she notes. “I have used them to bring volume to a sagging tree, in vases with some greenery for height, and also in garland to bring texture.”
Crouch, meanwhile, brings her desert wisdom to outdoor decorating. “As an Arizona native, my father would take us to the desert to look for tumbleweeds to make snowmen to line the driveway,” she muses. “Anything that sheds is great in the yard – just don’t bring it inside. Citrus leaves and magnolia leaves make beautiful wreaths and last so much longer outdoors.”
THE PINE CONE CHRONICLES
Who knew these humble seed carriers could spark such creativity? Valencich elevates them to art. “I love to use pinecones of all shapes and sizes. They look great in a glass vase alone, or you can lightly glitter them for some sparkle, or even paint them in metallic gold or silver for some added glamor,” she advises. “I have used them sprinkled down the center of a table, or [you can] attach a small ribbon to one end with a hot glue gun and they look great adorning a package or hanging from the tree.”
Crouch takes the humble cone to new heights, literally. “Pinecones are easy to find in neighborhoods, and I love covering styrofoam or cardboard with cones and tucking in red berries, velvet ribbon and twinkle lights. They can be small for placards on a dining room table or three to four feet tall on fireplace mantles,” she says.
INCORPORATING NATURAL ELEMENTS WITH TRADITION
Both designers know that holiday magic lies in the perfect blend of old and new. Valencich confesses, “I love to mix natural elements with some sparkle. To me, it’s not the holidays without some glitter — somewhere! But that doesn’t mean that it needs to be everywhere! Putting lights in a natural garland adds to the charm in the evening, but I opt for non-colored lights to keep it a bit toned-down. Ornaments and glass balls can be a gorgeous way to add that sparkle to a flower arrangement made with natural materials.”
“While some designers dash to department stores, Crouch prefers a different kind of shopping spree. “I would drive in the desert or woods and look for beautiful branches of every kind — pine branches to eucalyptus,” she reveals. Another of Crouch’s tips: leave them natural or spray them with metallic paint or snow.
SUSTAINABLE STYLE: THE GIFT THAT KEEPS ON GIVING
Even gift wrapping turns into a creative masterpiece with these two designers, and Valencich’s practical flair adds a touch of magic.
“I always save my ribbons and re-use them year to year. If you buy real ribbon, it’s very easy to save in a bag for gift-giving all year and certainly easy to reuse them from holiday to holiday. I have a cloth drawstring bag that I keep them in with my wrapping items, and keep that all in a big drawer in my laundry room,” she says. Crouch turns wrapping into its own gift. She notes, “I love thrifting to wrap gifts in jars and hat boxes, and use scarves and ties to make bows and they become gifts as well.”
THE SECRET LIFE OF NATURAL DECOR
Before you rush out to gather nature’s bounty, however, heed Crouch’s wisdom. “Keep them outside till the bugs crawl out or they dry or shed so you don’t assemble and then it sheds or disintegrates,” she advises. Crouch also recommends preservative spray to treat natural items so that they last throughout the holiday season.
NATURE’S SYMPHONY
Integrating natural elements into holiday decor can deepen the connection to the season. For Crouch, decorating with nature creates a multi-sensory masterpiece. “For me it is all about sights and smells. I love the look and smell of pine needles and cinnamon sticks and dried oranges, so even if you have a commercial holiday, bring in those natural sights and smells of pine!”
THE LAST BRANCH
As our designers remind us, nature’s beauty knows no ZIP code. Crouch puts it perfectly: “Depending on where you live – mountains, country, or desert – there will always be the charm of using natural elements.” Whether you’re foraging in the forest or desert, seaside or city park, nature’s holiday treasures await, ready to transform your space into something magical. This holiday season, maybe the best decorations aren’t in stores after all — they’re just waiting to be discovered, right outside your door.
