Spend the Holidays With Sarah Richardson

As soon as mid-December rolls around, Sarah Richardson heads north to her weekend getaway in Creemore, Ontario, with her husband, Alexander, and their daughters. "It's two weeks of nonstop baking, family visits, and snowy adventures," says Sarah. Since she decorated their full-time home in Toronto with lots of bold hues, the host of Sarah 101 picked a quieter palette of white and blue for this winter retreat. "I love icy colors year-round, and they work especially well in this house," says Sarah.

Sarah designed the marble-top coffee table and the sofa and chairs, which are upholstered in sturdy, $7-per-yard cotton twill. The chandelier and most of the other pieces are flea market finds. The walls are painted pale blue-green on top and light gray on the bottom. For a similar look, try Opaline and Popular Gray, both by Sherwin-Williams.

The family's tree is a 7 1/2-foot-tall Fraser fir that Alexander cut from their property. Daughters, Fiona, 5 (left), and Robin, 7, helped decorate it with white lights and handmade, vintage, and heirloom ornaments in silver and gold. "It makes the room feel like a wonderland," says Sarah.

Shutter-style upper cabinets, walnut floors, and vintage pendants keep the kitchen feeling homey. "We bake a lot, so I wanted durable countertops," says Sarah. She chose white quartz for the counters and cream and gray quartz for the island. "Spilled wine, hot pots, even paint haven't harmed them," she says. The lower cabinets, from Lowe's, came in this soft gray.