A House That Was Made for the Holidays

For designer Caitlin Wilson and her family (here with husband Brigham Wilson and kids Penn, 2, and Olivia, 5, with Caitlin’s parents, Roger and Kathy Carter), there’s no better place to spend Christmas than at her parents’ home in Oregon’s Rogue Valley. Tucked next to a lake among pine and spruce trees, the three-bedroom Craftsman — which Caitlin decorated — feels like “the best winter getaway,” she says. And it’s not just because of the house’s nearby sledding hills and snow-blanketed yard.

Inspired by her mom’s fondness for classic plaids and her dad’s love of the outdoors, Caitlin filled the space with dark woods and warm wool tartans, perfect for snuggling up to once the temperatures dip. Come December, the house’s cozy vibe gets a festive oomph with metallic mini trees, woodland-creature ornaments and, of course, a stunner of a Christmas tree. On the porch, a raw teak bench gets a soft touch with Pendleton wool throws.

“All decked out, the house looks gorgeous, but more important, it’s comfortable,” says Caitlin. “Everything’s designed so we can just kick back and hang out together, playing silly games, watching movies and baking cookies.”

Her parents don’t use the marble fireplace, so Caitlin stocked it with logs. Buffalo-check stockings from Filson put a woodsy spin on holiday trimmings.

Thanks to double-height ceilings, the great room feels bright and open despite its dark tones. It also easily fits a 12-foot-tall tree, which Caitlin’s mom, Kathy, jazzes up with bottle-brush-animal and glass-ball ornaments. Although the furniture has traditional shapes, everything — the leather Pottery Barn ottoman, the Patricia Edwards bobbin chairs, the Lee Industries sofa — is super plush. To keep the fabrics dirt-free, Caitlin had them treated with industrial-strength Scotchgard. “I wasn’t going to joke around with stain-proofing — not with all the little visitors running around!”

Although the house is newly built, Roger wanted it to look authentically Craftsman, a style popular in the early 1900s. So his designer daughter stained, rather than painted, the wood trim and added a mission-style chandelier from Rejuvenation. The table, made from the same white oak as the trim, is surrounded by tufted chairs covered in army duck fabric from RH. The curtains are made from Barbara Barry for Kravet linen.

Since the family spends so much time here, Caitlin went for ultra-functional fixtures, like a large apron-front sink, but also worked in look-at-me elements like Calacatta marble counters and cushiony Lee Industries stools. Painted a soft white (White Dove by Benjamin Moore), the Shaker-style cabinets with inset doors have an old-fashioned charm but are generously sized to accommodate Kathy’s prized dish collection. “Caitlin did an amazing job on the kitchen,” says dad Roger. “The colors and materials she chose make it feel cozy, even though it’s a large, open space.”

Although this space was designed without a season in mind, its cranberry color scheme feels especially holiday-like. Also boosting the room’s snuggle factor: cable-knit Pottery Barn throws and custom tufted headboards, upholstered in heavy Greek key fabric from F. Schumacher. Between the beds is a snow-white lamp from Robert Abbey and a pair of mounted antlers, one of several throughout the house.

Simple white subway tiles line the walls, while swanky Calacatta marble hexagon tiles cover the floor. A dual vanity (painted Alpaca by Benjamin Moore) gets a luxe touch, too, with a marble top. The relaxed Roman shade, made from Idelle fabric by Kravet — also used on pillows and a chair in the adjoining bedroom — sits inside the window frame so you can see the pretty molding.

Caitlin has three siblings, two of whom have big families of their own, so it made sense to reserve the space above the garage as a kids-only sleeping spot. “Usually my mom stays there, too, to keep an eye on them,” she says. “But they always play pranks on her!” Each of the six trundle beds (scored at Costco) sports Pottery Barn Kids bedding and a pile of pillows — a.k.a. cushions for wrestling. The monogrammed ones are from The Land of Nod, and all the rest are stitched from Caitlin’s own line of textiles.