Read about our news and latest updates.

I am so utterly excited to finally finally finally share with you all my

2020 Holiday look today, on Christmas Eve. I never thought in a million years that I'd be debuting my look to you all so late into the season, considering I usually debut holiday content anywhere between early to mid-December. However, if you follow me on social media...then you'll know my reason and excuse for everything unusual, strange or questionable right now is simply "Because 2020!"

The irony in that statement is, it's really the TRUTH DOT COM!!!

Last year, I both produced and debuted my first ever professionally shot Christmas video, which came out absolutely AMAZING!!!

The video debuted on my website and social media channels on

December 1, 2019 sharing my look with everyone very early into the season. If you missed it, click here.

After the video debuted, I continued to share all of the photo stills from the video and photo shoot on social media as well. Yet, my annual holiday blog post was revealed a few days before Christmas. Although my blog post didn't come until late into the season, my seasonal holiday look itself was initially and fully revealed to my audience on the very first day of December with sneak peeks being dropped in early November.

No year is ever the same as the previous year, but my goodness 2020 most certainly took quite a diversion I'm sure from what we ALL intended. Whew Chile!! I had no intentions on working on a film project at the end of this year, as I did last year while simultaneously working to produce my holiday content. Here's why. For most Designers/Design Enthusiasts and in particular Design Bloggers, our Christmas content is our biggest content of the year and basically a going out with a bang type of mindset. Kind of like putting the cherry on the top on all of the amazing content that's been produced in that current year thus far.

It's sooooooo much work and labor that goes into Holiday prep and Christmas decorating in general!! But, when you're doing this for a blogging audience, it's even more insane and can even be stressful, sadly. Around the holidays, a lot of brands look to partner with Bloggers and Influencers to promote and market their year end deals and sales. So if you have a holiday partnership you've agreed to and signed off on, that means you also have deadlines to meet to deliver content. That part is usually what brings on the stress and anxiety for most Bloggers and Influencers.

I learned through trial and error last year that I never again wanted to commit to a holiday partnership contract or deadline, while simultaneously working on a film project in my regular, day-time career as a Filmmaker. Although, I did meet the terms of my contract last year...I mean I didn't have a choice, as I'd already signed off. I was so stressed working to make it all happen and stretched oh so very thin that I knew I never wanted to have a repeat of that kind of insanity of my schedule again. I mean, I was literally coordinating a TV Series for 20th Century Fox, while holiday prepping my home, hiring the creative team I needed to aid me with producing the shoot, down to working on both projects the day of my Christmas shoots.

Through years of experience, I've become quite a master at simultaneously juggling, managing and coordinating a multitude of projects. But again, even for me...it was just too much!! EVEN with everything all working out in the end. When I began working on a new show at the top of this year, I knew I'd be wrapped well before the Christmas Holidays. Yet, what I didn't know like so many of us is that a pandemic would strike and cause a global upset to our daily lives, including everything we planned for the year.

With that being the case, all of Hollywood shut down, including my show "Queen of the South," and our entire shooting schedule had to shift.

This meant I'd once again have to figure out how to produce my holiday content for my blog and audience while working on a TV Series. In some ways, I guess many would see this as a good problem to have...working in the Film Industry and being the Founder of my own band. It is indeed a great problem to have. However, time is always my greatest adversary while juggling both careers. So, I made the decision very early that my Christmas shoots wouldn't take place until I was on official holiday break and had both the time and energy to pour my full attention and creativity into producing my best work.

Now, that also meant that my content would have to be delivered very late into the holiday season. Most Designers, Bloggers and Influencers begin debuting their Christmas content as early as Thanksgiving weekend. With more people either being at home, or working from home this year due to the pandemic...that also meant holiday content would start debuting even earlier than Thanksgiving with many having more flexible schedules.

But it was a sacrifice I was willing to make to not add any additional stress to my life or schedule. Plus I always have to remind myself...

Not every Blogger, Influencer or Designer is a working, professional Filmmaker. But I am! And, with that comes a commitment to a very demanding schedule.

I've been hinting all season long to all of my social media followers,

that my 2020 Holiday look would be released later than usual, yet

"right in time" for Christmas. So, once again...today on this

Christmas Eve, I can now finally share with you all my latest work.

House Piazza Classic Christmas Blue

Without further ado...

PRESS PLAY!

CREATIVE CREDITS:
Interior Design & Styling: Allured By Design™️
Creative Direction: Tachic Hickman-Piazza & Drake Matlock
Videography & Editing: DBM Creative L.L.C.
Music: Dillio - A Merry Christmas For Me
Photography: Stacy Marks

Hair: Lashanda Taylor

Makeup: Javetta White
Location: House Piazza
Handsome Italiano Husband: Charlie Piazza
Produced By: Tachic Hickman-Piazza

Share & Download the Video Link: https://vimeo.com/494447099

One of the main things I desired to do this year, was really be sensitive to the current times. With so many of us, including myself having spent a considerable amount of time at home when the pandemic first hit...most of our daily attire became house clothes, pajamas, or a comfy robe. So instead of getting all dolled up in stylish clothing, I presented the idea to my Husband that we consider rocking matching robes to acknowledge what life has been like this year...basically living in our robes.

He loved the idea, so I ran with it.

I'd actually been wanting for a long time to upgrade our robe game anyway, and purchase high-end luxury robes for us. Ya know, grown people shit! The robes I'd been eyeing for some time were the Luxury Plush Robes from Restoration Hardware. Yes, they sell not only furniture and home decor but robes and slippers too. So as an early Christmas gift to both myself and my Hubbie AND, as part of our holiday shoot...

We rocked these comfortable, luxurious robes.

When I tell ya'll, I've never felt more at ease and comfortable at ANY of my shoots as I did with this last one. I'm usually in my creative, perfectionist zone and filled with anxiety or stress, because contrary to belief, I actually hate being in front of the camera. I'd honestly much rather work behind the scenes, as I do in my film career. But this branding life requires and demands an authentic connection between the Founder of a brand and his or her audience.

Which I totally get and it's the reason I work through my anxiety and get my butt in front of the camera nonetheless.

But for this year's holiday shoot...Ya girl was cool, calm and collect.

I firmly believe it was because this plush robe had me feeling so cozy, warm and just comfortably free to be me. That's it, I'm wearing robes from now on, on all of my shoots!! LOL
 

Oh, and there was also lots of wine at this year's shoot.

I'm sure drinking a few glasses helped my anxiety too. 😉😂🤪

At the end of last year, Pantone announced that the 2020 color of the year would be "Classic Blue." So all throughout the year, I've been really working to share my love and passion for blue in an even bigger and more obvious way on all of my social media feeds. So in essence when any visitor or new follower stumbles upon my page, it's very clear that I'm a lover of all things BLUE. And, not only is it my favorite color, but it's also my Husband's as well.

To further profess my love for the color...Blue is just a constant in my life. It's not a trend at all for me. When every one else grows tired of the color, it'll continue to be one that I work into my home. Mainly because I see it more as a neutral instead of just as a primary. By doing that, I give myself more options on how I'm able to work the color into my designs, or into any space.

So in sticking with the 2020 color of the year, I thought I'd finish the year out the way I started by paying tribute to my undying love for beautiful, classic and bold hues of BLUE.

Most of you all know and have seen my ever so popular blue living room with it's deep indigo blue sofas and accompanying toss pillows in various hues of blue as well. So for quite some time, I'd been contemplating carrying the blue from our living room into our master bedroom. With this year being the year of Classic Blue, I don't think I could've chosen a better time to do it.

Per my Husband, he believes carrying the blue into our master bedroom has been my best holiday look yet that I've created. You guys can judge that for yourselves. The year I created the rich crimson red look in 2018, is still one of my top favorites. To revisit that look, click here and here. But I can't even lie, this blue hits so very different. It's just so...

BOLD

DECADENT

GORGEOUS

AND, BLUE!!

Blue also has very unisex appeal to it. It's not overly feminine, nor too masculine. However, deeper rich blues can tend to lean towards a masculine aesthetic, which is probably why my Husband really fell in love with this year's holiday look.

But to soften it up just a bit for myself, the Queen of #HousePiazza, I balanced the deep blue hues, with lots of brighter colors as well, which included the new addition to our room...our gorgeous Lady Bird rug from My Texas House by Orian.

That Blue Is Hitting Right?

Before I move onto the next room, let me just say...if you have the space to accommodate a Christmas tree in your bedroom, DO IT!! It's a game changer!! I'm talking a total mood lifter and just a great way to start your day by its presence alone in your space the moment you awake. I've been sprinkling holiday decor into our master bedroom for the last few years and each year it seems to become more and more sprinkles. So it was only natural that eventually, I'd stage one of our trees in there.

Our King of Christmas: King Flock, Slim Artificial Tree fit so perfectly in our bedroom. Not too big, nor too small. Just absolutely perfectly!! There is just something so very special about waking up to a beautiful well-decorated Christmas tree in your own bedroom. It's just pure holiday magic and I highly recommend it.

If you're a new email subscriber, I should share with you that my Husband HATES participating in any of my shoots.

He'd so rather NOT be bothered at all!!

Men, I tell ya! 🤦🏽‍♀️

So I've limited him to only participating in my annual Christmas shoot for my brand, because the holidays are all about spending it with family and our loved ones after all.

But even with him only having to participate in just ONE PHOTO SHOOT a year...I still had to get in his face to make him act right. 🤦🏽‍♀️

When that didn't work, a little twerk action finally broke the ice and got him more into the spirit. 😂

Hey, whatever works right? 🤷🏽‍♀️

So yeah, moving on from my Christmas twerk party, lol..

For our living room theme...I had a very simple desire, which was to create a warm, mixed metallic, and golden glow combined with some earthy vibes as well.

Being that our master bedroom was really the star holiday room this year, I didn't feel the need to do the most in our living room.

To be frank, nor did I have the energy to do all of that this year. Ya know,

"Because 2020!"

I wanted our living room to still keep it's regular identity and not be buried in holiday decor. So besides staging our main Christmas tree in the living room, where it's usually staged...I did very minimal holiday styling and dressing around the room. Again, I just didn't feel the need to be super extra with it this year. We put up the stairwell garland and our metallic swags as we usually do, but I decided against putting up our mantle garland.

It felt soooooo good to not have to deal with unboxing all of that or having even more glitter and garland all over the floors. Look at me working the "less is more" theme into my life. Ya'll know my motto is usually MORE IS MORE!! But uh, ya know...

"Because 2020!"

I mentioned in addition to a golden glow, I wanted an earthy vibe in our living room. I kept envisioning our fireplace burning, logs of wood, the smell of fresh balsam in the air and holiday pine cones spread about. Typically, I always pull out our glittery pine cones. But this year, I added to the mix more of the natural, woodsy earthy toned pine cones and it was just the vibe I wanted in our living room...comfy, cozy, earthy, and holiday golden.

Look who broke out into a smile and a laugh before the shoot was over.  Twerk action works err'time!!

Another thing I did different this year, as you can tell from my holiday video...I decided against staging decorative Christmas boxes underneath my trees. NOPE! Not one single box was added.

Instead I created a bed of ornaments and glittery pine cones underneath each tree, as I wanted our trees to look as if we shook them and ornaments just loosely fell about.

And, I have to say I LOVE this look even better!!

As I bring this newsletter to a close, I'd like to remind you all to make sure you're following me on my social media platforms both

Facebook and Instagram where I share daily and seasonal design inspiration. Also, because I've gotten into the flow of producing both a video and a photo shoot for my holiday content, it's become far too much material to share in one single blog post. So last year, as I mentioned much earlier in this newsletter, I debuted the video first and then the blog post followed a few weeks later with all of the photo stills.

This year, you're getting my holiday video in the form of my quarterly newsletter on this very Christmas Eve. And, on Christmas day you'll receive my 2020 Holiday Look Book in the form of a gallery of photos. I have a ton more not shared in this newsletter, so it'll still be fresh and new content. It will NOT be a long drawn out blog post of words, as I've taken you all through my mindset and inspiration for this year's theme right here in this newsletter.

It will mainly be just the photos, as I know that's really what ya'll are here for, lol. I'm not cray cray!! Obviously it'll have some wording accompanied, yet very minimal

I truly hope you all enjoyed my 2020 holiday look. I hope it gave you all some inspirational ideas for styles you may want to work into your own homes next year for the holidays, or even just colors you may want to consider throughout the year. As popular and trendy as the color blue has become, I know there are still so many people that admire the color from afar but are still afraid to embrace or work with it.

As I mentioned earlier, the key is to treat the color as a neutral and not as a primary. Trust me when I tell you, it will open up your perspective on how to work it into your space with any other color or theme.

Wishing you all a very Merry Christmas, as well as a happy, healthy and prosperous New Year.

From House Piazza to Yours.

-------

Until next time...

⚜️Laissez Les Bon Temps Rouler⚜️

Get in Touch