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🎄 Season's Greetings Allured Loves!! 🎄

💋🎁♥️👠

It's no secret to anyone that's been following me for some time, that the holidays are my absolute favorite time of the year. In spite of how fast it comes and goes, it's such a joyous occasion and just filled with so much warmth, love and excitement. Even with the anxiety and stress that can oftentimes come along with prepping for the holiday season...whether your hosting family, friends and loved ones, traveling during the holidays, or just dealing with the hustle and bustle of trimming our trees and getting our homes all decked out - which can be within itself not only labor intensive but also super stressful.

And, let's not forget the stress of getting gifts for others and dealing with the shipping and receiving madness during the holiday season.

Even with all of that!! The holidays remains as my favorite time of year.

This year I took things up a notch by installing not one or two but three total trees in my home, "House Piazza."

If some of you may recall, I've been hinting at doing this for the last couple of years and I finally made it happen this year. With three trees, I opted for three different themes and for the first time ever, I dedicated one of my trees to the Thanksgiving Holiday.

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Earlier in the holiday season, I shared sneak peeks of each tree and asked which tree were you all most excited to see? The majority voted for the Emerald Greens, Golds & Antiques tree. And, I must admit it came out quite beautiful. Each tree theme was chosen for a very specific reason and I'd like to share those reasons with you.

But first allow me to present to you all my annual holiday video, which I know most of you have been eagerly waiting to see.

I now present and debut to you all my Christmas 2023 Holiday Look

in my latest video titled...

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House Piazza: Let There Be Color For Christmas

Without further ado...

PRESS PLAY!

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CREATIVE CREDITS:
Interior Design & Holiday Styling: Allured By Design®
Creative Direction: Tachic Hickman-Piazza, Joshua Bluford & Stacy Marks
Videography & Editing: Blu Print Media Productions, LLC
Music: A Holly Jolly Time (Frizz Oli)
Cinematographer/Videographer: Joshua Bluford

Photographer: Stacy Marks

Hair: LaShanda T. Johnston

Makeup: Erica Gavin Warren
Location: House Piazza
Handsome Italiano Husband: Charlie Piazza
Produced By: Tachic Hickman-Piazza

Share & Download the Video Link: https://youtu.be/eQy45N-TWwI

 I'd been wanting to install three trees in my home for quite some time now. I knew in particular I wanted to dedicate a tree to my formal dining space. However, when King of Christmas first reached out to me back in early Spring to ask if I'd once again be interested in partnering with them for the holidays...I was almost inclined to decline participating in their annual holiday partnership with designers and influencers.

How come? Well, since you asked...lol

Ya'll already know my life is always and forever busy!! I'm typically or perpetually it seems on the go with a plethora of projects going on at the same time. This year like most years has been extremely busy for me. Wrapping up post production on my web series, then later debuting my web series to the masses on my YouTube Channel.

In addition, producing and planning the local screening & premiere night of my web series.

Simultaneously, I launched a travel venture and partnership with

EF Go Ahead Tours, where I'm now inviting everyone to travel and explore design inspiration with me abroad in the Mediterranean.

I also wrapped up one client project only to go immediately into another one, that's currently ongoing. So as much as I enjoy partnering with King of Christmas, I really wasn't too thrilled about adding anything more to my already excessively busy plate. Also, this was supposed to be the year my Husband and I would update our formal dining space. However, the Hollywood film strikes which had a direct effect on me securing film work this year, forced us to pivot and postpone updating our formal dining space to a later time.

Essentially, my vision was always to debut a new tree in my formal dining space once the updates were complete. But after careful thought and consideration, I made the decision to debut a tree in the space before updates even begin. I figured it would be a great way to visually show you all a before and after. What a tree looks like in my formal dining room as it is currently vs. what it will look like later.

So, as much as I dreaded the thought of adding more work to my plate...

I accepted the partnership and did anyway.

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I really believe everything in life happens as it's supposed to, even as much as we oftentimes struggle with just going with the flow. For the 1st time in the ten years my Husband and I have been in our home, we hosted Thanksgiving this year. And, it couldn't have been a more magical and special occasion. The year I finally debuted a third tree in my home, my family and loved ones all had the pleasure to eat and celebrate the holiday under the twinkling lights of our new tree.

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I can honestly say this Thanksgiving holiday was one of the most special ones I've had in a very long time. For that reason alone, I'm so thankful that I made the decision to say yes to the partnership. However, with or without the twinkling lights of a Christmas tree, I believe it would've still been special having everyone come over.

Yet, having the tree installed in our formal dining space (where we all ate and broke bread) and took in the holiday decor sprinkled all about...

most certainly added to the magic and tenderness of the holiday season.

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In partnership with King of Christmas, here are the details of my newest flocked beauty dubbed the Thanksgiving Blue Harvest Tree sitting nice and pretty in my formal dining space...

• 7.5' King Flock® Slim Artificial Christmas Tree with 650 Warm White LED Lights

   

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Earlier, I mentioned that I chose specific themes for each of my trees. Allow me to delve into the reasons behind each theme, now.

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 THANKSGIVING BLUE HARVEST TREE 

It's no secret to anyone that's been following me whether for years or even recently, that blue is my absolute favorite primary color. It's common knowledge to see blue accents or blue decorative pieces sprinkled all throughout my social media feeds.

Also, both my Husband and myself have a deep love for all things blue. So it was kind of a no brainer that some pops of blue would be added to our Thanksgiving tree. However, I did initially consider only doing all metallics for the new tree, as I did last year for my bedroom tree. I even considered retiring blue altogether this year for the holidays.

Can you believe it? That's crazy talk, right!?!?!

Once I came to my blue loving senses...I decided to instead allow the colors in my dining room rug, which has soft tones of blue in it to inform the direction I'd go with the tree. My dining room rug has a combination of soft and warm neutrals all paired with ice blues and even some medium hues of blue. While the neutral tones include greys, whites and even some warm tans and beige ever so subtly.

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There's also a really beautiful silver, icy, shimmery sheen all throughout my rug and depending on how the light hits it usually determines how noticeable the sheen is. That's precisely what I wanted to emulate in my Thanksgiving tree. So I chose to style the tree with lots of ornaments that had bedazzle and sparkle to them. In addition, the same colors in my rug I implemented into my tree as well.

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Whenever I think of the word harvest, warm colors come to mind, as harvest symbolizes the gathering of crops. And, when I think of crops...I think of beautiful, autumn colors. Although a Christmas tree it is...I still wanted to make sure my dining room tree would celebrate the season and spirit of the Thanksgiving Holiday.

So often, (especially in modern times of social media) it feels as though Thanksgiving doesn't get its just due because we skip right over to Christmas. People are promoting the commercialization of Christmas as early as "Christmas In July." And, for some mass brands they begin in July and never let up. Or, just continue promoting the season of Christmas from July until the end of the year.

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But for me personally, I was very intentional about the theme of my dining room tree being a representation of the Thanksgiving Holiday. When I found these gorgeous autumn colored poinsettias in Hobby Lobby, (pictured above) I knew immediately that it would not only work well in my tree...but that it would symbolize the fall colors of Thanksgiving and also pair extremely well with blue.

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And, I truly love how beautiful it all turned out. I hope you do too.

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CHRISTMAS REGAL RED DECADENCE

My favorite tree in my home to style every year is always my Master Bedroom tree. This tree for me is always the real and true show stopper.

There is just something so magical about seeing the beauty of a Christmas tree in a bedroom setting with beautiful pillows, luxurious bedding and holiday bedroom decor that gives me the most amazing feelings ever.

I love waking up to the beauty of the season in my bedroom and I love falling asleep at night under the twinkling lights. I also love the comfort and coziness of snuggling up under my bedding sheets, quilts and throws and enjoying a Christmas movie right in my bedroom.

And, I absolutely love the fragrant aromas of holiday scents filling up the atmosphere in my bedroom. These are all things that most of us enjoy in the comfort of our living room under our main family room tree. But for me personally, I never want that holiday feeling to end at my living room. So it's become tradition for me to spread holiday joy and those warm, fuzzy feelings into my bedroom as well.

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For the past few years my holiday looks for my bedroom has been centered around my love for blue. Only last year, I moved the blue to my living room and went with an all metallic theme in my bedroom...loaded with silvers and golds.

My Husband is more of a traditionalist when it comes to Christmas. He loves traditional reds during the holiday season. I'd only introduced red into our bedroom once before, which was several years ago and it was absolutely stunning!!! Only this was before I began installing a tree in our bedroom.

To see my previous holiday & crimson red bedroom look from 2018,

click here.

Charlie had been eager for me to bring the reds back into our bedroom for a while. And, honestly...I was ready to bring them back as well. I knew this year's bedroom theme would be a remix or an update of the look I created several years ago. Only this time, red would no doubt be the main star. In addition, instead of accenting with blacks as I did before...

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I accented mainly with lots of golds and mixed metallics. Also for those that may not be familiar...mixed metallics is a mixture of implementing a variety of metallic tones into your aesthetic. Gone are the days of sticking with just one main metallic where it's everything silver or everything gold. Instead have fun with your metallics, especially during the holiday season.

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To create or design a more customized or amalgamated look - mix your silvers, golds, champagnes and even add in some antique mercury elements to really diversify your look. Trust me when I tell you there's a huge difference in look and feel just by mixing your metallics.

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In addition to the beautiful hues of reds and golds...

Charlie of course came through with the black accents in his attire, as he loves rocking black in his wardrobe.

It's become so hard for me to choose a favorite amongst all of the holiday looks I've designed in my home, especially in my bedroom.

But for this 2023 Holiday Look...

let me be very clear when I say the reds are giving me EVERYTHING!!!

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Also, red will always and forever be special to me and Charlie, as it's a throwback to our wedding day theme and colors of deep reds, black and ivory.

And, can we please dive into the beauty of my toss pillows?

 I think we shall.

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Now ya'll know I absolutely love to style and update my bedding with gorgeous pillows. I have quite the collection of pillows I've acquired over the years, so I don't buy them as frequently as I used to.

Why? I just knew you'd ask. 😉

Space and storage issues are a real thing and because it's so real, I've made a conscious effort to cut back on consistently consuming more things.

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However, the holidays have become the one main time that I'll add a couple of new pillows to the mix. In this case, I'd purchased the red velvet & shimmery gold snowflake pillows a few years ago at TJMAXX.

I saw them and knew instantly I'd work them into a holiday theme one year. So, I grabbed them and stored them away for the perfect time.

Knowing I'd be returning back to reds this year, my TJMAXX pillows were the perfect addition to my holiday bedding look. What I love most is that they're a brighter red than my velvet quilt, which is more of a deep and darker red...more like a rouge.

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 I personally like a variety of hues in the same color, without everything being the same exact tone. For me, it creates a bit more depth and a more customized look. And, because red was the star of my holiday bedroom look, my goal was to play up the reds in both texture and varying hues. I wanted bright Christmas candy apple reds mixed in with deep, rich and decadent hues of red as well.

In addition, I brought in a variety of different textures including velvets, silks, linen, embroidery, glittery, taffeta, and more

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Golds, neutrals, greys, winter whites and ivories, were all chosen as accents to compliment the star of the show, red. All of my other pillows including the gorgeous bedazzled, gold and white velvet pillows all came from V Home & Interiors.

Many of you that have been following me for some time will know that

V Home & Interiors is one of my favorite local go to shops in my area to purchase beautiful home accents and furnishings.

Owner & Principal Designer of V Home & Interiors, Lesle Veca was also featured in the pilot episode of my web series. So yes, I have a very strong admiration and love for all of the amazing pieces Lesle carries in her store.

And, I often purchase some of the most beautiful, high-end toss pillows from V Home & Interiors as well, especially during the holiday season when Lesle is known to carry even more gorgeous pillows.

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I knew the moment I saw the white and gold pillows they were meant to be part of this year's Christmas look for my bedroom. I'm so thankful for the unique ability I have and the creativity in my mind...to be able to see beautiful pieces and know almost instantly what they will pair well with.

In this instance, I knew right away the pillow line-up I had in mind for my holiday bedroom look would be gorgeous.

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But even with having the vision and knowing beforehand it would be beautiful...once I saw it in person, it still took my breath away.

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EMERALD GREENS, GOLDS & ANTIQUES

For our living and family room tree, I chose emerald green as a dedication to my Mom. Green is my Mom's favorite color and after she suffered a stroke a few years back...she's no longer able to physically decorate her home for the holidays. Both my Mom and I are early Christmas babies...with my Birthday on December 5th and hers on December 9th.

My love and obsession for Christmas comes directly from my Mom. I have so many memories of seeing my Mom decorate our family home, the house I grew up in for the holidays. I remember the excitement and joy it would bring her to trim our family tree and put out all of the million Christmas villages and nativity scenes she'd collected over the years. My Mom has always loved everything about the holidays and the magic it brings.

It pains me that she's no longer able to do all of the holiday decorating she loved doing for so many years. Last year I dedicated my all metallic bedroom tree to my Mom, as that's her favorite theme for a tree. When I was little, my Mom would always let me and my older siblings help with decorating the tree and it was usually or always very colorful. I'm sure we all know and can agree that color is always a thing with kids.

But once we'd all moved out and began living lives of our own in our very own homes and apartments...my Mom started styling her tree more to her own personal liking of silvers and golds. I knew all too well how much my Mom missed being able to style her own tree. So I was happy to dedicate last year's bedroom tree to her, in the theme she loves.

And, she truly loved seeing it.

This year, I surprised her with the family room tree having an emerald green theme, which has long been my Mom's favorite color. The smile and look on her face seeing the beauty of various hues of greens and mainly emeralds really warmed my heart and instantly made me happy that I chose the color.

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Typically right after the holiday season is over is when I start thinking about a theme for the following year. But I never fully commit until I know for certain that's the theme I want to go with. As a multi-hyphenate creative that's both a filmmaker and designer working to consistently create content to share with the masses...the way I experience and shop for the holidays today is a little different from what it used to be.

Content deadlines and holidays partnerships will usually inform how soon I have to have my house transformed for Christmas. Most of the time, I have to be completely done by or before Thanksgiving. Whereas at one time, I wouldn't start holiday decorating until Thanksgiving weekend...which was clearly when I had the luxury and freedom to move at my own pace.

But because I'm usually already done by mid-November leaving me with the comfort and peace of mind to now sit back and enjoy my Thanksgiving break...by the time December starts, there's no longer a need for me to be in any stores shopping for holiday decor because my house is already styled, staged and set. Plus I'm usually so exhausted from the two or three weeks of labor getting my house ready for the holidays, that the last thing I want to do is set foot in another holiday store. At least not at the moment, because mind you the holiday shopping for me begins as early as August.

So I usually try to give myself a few weeks to take a breather, enjoy what I've created and just enjoy the holiday season overall. Once Christmas is over or right before it's over...I'll start getting ideas for next year's theme. Last year, I just so happened to be shopping in a local design boutique

in my area during their after Christmas sale.

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I walked in and saw the most beautiful emerald green ornaments paired with even more beautiful gold and mercury antique ornaments. I could not stop staring at how gorgeous the tree was. I immediately thought of my Mom and how much she loves the color green. Right then and there, I decided that emerald greens, golds and antiques would be the theme of my main living room tree.

I knew it would pair very well with all of my blue accents in my living room. In addition, I was just excited to see green take center stage.

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My 2023 Holiday Look Book will follow behind my newsletter dropping right before Christmas with a gallery of additional photos. The gallery of photos will be a mixture of images shown in this newsletter and also a host of new ones as well. So it'll still be fresh and new content.

For anyone not following me on my social platforms, I can't encourage you enough to do so. There is where you'll always find a host of additional photo stills, reels and videos that aren't shared in my newsletters or blogposts. My handle is the same everywhere...

@alluredbydesign

Facebook + Instagram + Threads + TikTok + YouTube + Vimeo

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If you'd like to view my previous holiday videos from the past few years, click here, here, here, and here. Or, you can always see all of my video content on either the home page of my website or directly on my

Vimeo Channel.

For the moment, I'm keeping my Vimeo Channel up and running. But at some point, I'll be transferring all of my video content that's on Vimeo over to my YouTube Channel. So please make sure you're subscribed.

And, finally links to all of my previous newsletters can be found here.

As always, I truly hope you all enjoyed my holiday look this year, including the video. It was a lot of work installing three different trees and themes!! Especially on top of managing my existing busy schedule, which always includes juggling multiple projects.

Nonetheless, I hope my Christmas 2023 looks 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 next year as well outside of the holiday season.

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

From House Piazza to Yours.

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Until next time...

⚜️Laissez Les Bon Temps Rouler⚜️

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