A Classic Old Town Christmas

“In the South, celebrating Christmas is done in many ways, from the cookies we bake to the garland we hang, and from our gifts thoughtfully given and our trees festively decorated. We celebrate the reason for the season by spending time with those we love and expressing our inner joy with our favorite Christmas décor. We have our holiday staples that we might not ever budge on—white lights or colored, or fir over spruce—but we can’t ever get enough of admiring the creative, cozy ways Southerners decorate their homes for the holidays.” (Southern Living)

Christmas is certainly in the air all around our Southern Living Inspired Community, Old Town, in Columbus, GA. As you drive down each lovely lane, you will get the warm feeling of the holidays. Last week, we caught up with interior designer, Laura Burbink, to talk about her latest holiday design inspiration for one of the beautifully decorated homes here at Old Town.

Laura Burbink has stepped in and transformed this custom home built by the Woodruff Contracting Company for the holidays. Every corner in this featured home is filled with festive Christmas decor. With over 15 years of interior design under her belt, she did an excellent job to make every room in the house feel cozy, inviting and visually appealing for the holidays. When Laura was asked about her design for this particular home, she said: "Christmas is all about twinkle and glam. We wanted to incorporate these fun elements without going over the top." Laura did just that.

What better way to make a great first impression! This simple, but elegant, front entrance is perfectly inviting for holiday guests. Laura kept the front porch of the home welcoming without being too overdone.

One knows that weather in the south can greatly vary from day to day. What a wonderful porch to visit with friends or to take a breather from the rushed holiday season on pleasant days. With two outdoor sitting spaces, there are options to spend time by an outdoor fireplace or on the front porch. The festive Christmas pillows, beautiful pillar candles, and green plants add a special touch.

One popular decorating trend this year is using multiple trees of different sizes throughout the home.

Items found in nature, such as pinecones, deer, and quail figurines found in this arrangement make beautiful statements!

One can only imagine the fine food and fellowship that will be shared around the beautifully decorated dining room table! Once again natural items have been used and this centerpiece includes red berries giving the room a fun pop of color.

To the side of the table, the Christmas tree decorated in white and gold lace, ribbon, ornaments, and white lights set an elegant yet not overdone feel. This tree is surely the center of attraction in the home!

Throughout the home, Laura chose to use as much natural greenery as possible and even filled in with some faux greenery to keep things low maintenance.

In the living room area, an oversized couch paired with all the right throw pillows and a dark grey colored ottoman set the stage for a family gathering. This is the perfect area to see a Christmas Day Parade or quite a few Bowl games.

The adorable stockings have been hung by the fire, watched over by classic nutcrackers. One can imagine many bright eyes of wonder in this room after Santa has arrived!