Published: Thursday, December 9, 2010
Snohomish parlor tour celebrates beautiful homes, holiday decor
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Jennifer Buchanan / The Herald
The master bath has pink hues and its own two-foot tall tree.
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Jennifer Buchanan / The Herald
The master bedroom features a four-poster bed and a Christmas tree covered in white lights and dried blue and pink hydrangea blooms from the Gilpins’ garden.
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photos by Jennifer Buchanan / The Herald
The dining room table is set for dinner as a tree decked in Merck Family’s Old World Christmas line stands proudly in the front window.
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Pink glass highlights a small dining area off the kitchen.
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Pink and pearl are the colors of choice for the large tree in the family room.
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Jennifer Buchanan / The Herald
Two gilded cherubs adorn a tree in front of a gold-upholstered sofa and an antique baby grand piano crafted in 1915 in the main room that sweeps into the kitchen and family room.
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Jennifer Buchanan / The Herald
Danna Gilpin and her golden retriever, Brandon, relax in the expansive family room.
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Jennifer Buchanan / The Herald
Gold chargers set off festive red plates on the dining room table.
Danna Gilpin's home is, in a word, grand.
Perched on a wooded bluff outside Snohomish, it is 2,700 square feet of wide-open, high-ceiling rooms decked out in high-end features and fancy finishes.
Eclectic European touches abound throughout, including formal furniture, tapestries, numerous chandeliers and Brazilian cherry floors.
Add in a splash of Christmas — make that a big splash, including a dozen Christmas trees, large and small, and decorations galore — and you have something worth seeing in person.
And you can.
The Gilpin home, built in 2005, is one of six private homes to be featured Sunday on the Snohomish Historical Society's annual parlor tour.
“I love Christmas,” said Gilpin, the woman behind the glamour. “I love decorating for Christmas.”
Indeed, Gilpin has collected myriad decorations over the years and has learned to put them together like a professionally trained interior designer.
Visitors here will be able to tour many rooms, each with its own subtle Christmas theme. They'll find burgundy and gold decor in the front parlor, where two gilded cherubs adorn a tree in front of a gold-upholstered sofa and an antique baby grand piano made in 1915.
Nearby, in the dining room, romantic red roses, crystal, china and still more gold come together at a grand table, all set for an elegant Christmas dinner.
To complement the scene, a large tree, standing on a small table, rises in the front window to showcase delicate glass ornaments from the Merck Family's Old World Christmas line. Jewel tones sparkle all over the tree, dappled with wispy gold tinsel.
In the expansive kitchen and family room area, pink and pearl accents are everywhere.
On a large flocked tree in the corner, pearlescent pink garlands and a wide garland of pink lace create a softly festive look, with ruffles of creamy white taffeta and pink rose accents pool at the tree's base.
A large crystal bowl on the mantel holds strands of pearls and holiday balls covered with miniature pearls. Pink Fitz and Floyd Santas hold places of honor on the kitchen counter and on dining table.
The Gilpins' guest bedrooms are decorated too, including one dedicated to handmade wooden creations from Danna Gilpin's stepfather: a cradle, a rocking horse and a miniature sleigh filled with children's books and dolls.
In the master bedroom, a four-poster bed and heavy crown molding set a stately tone, softened with muted pink window treatments and lavish bedding and pillows.
In front of the bed, a 4-foot flocked tree is artfully covered in white lights and dried blue and pink hydrangea blooms from the Gilpins' garden.
“I go to bed with the tree on,” Gilpin, 59, said with a grin.
“I've not always been like this,” Gilpin said, adding that she is most grateful for the life she shares with her husband, Jeffrey Gilpin, 63, the owner of Gilpin Realty of Snohomish.
In fact, Gilpin remembers many a Christmas spent as a divorced, single mother just getting by with her three sons.
“It's very special,” Gilpin said. “I'm very, very thankful I'm able to have something like this.”
Sarah Jackson: 425-339-3037, sjackson@heraldnet.com.
Take the tour
What: The Snohomish Historical Society's annual parlor tour features six private homes, new and old, decorated for the holidays, in addition to the Blackman House Museum, 118 Ave. B, Snohomish.
Where: Homes are in and around Snohomish.
When: Hours for the tour are noon to 4 p.m. Sunday.
Cost: Tickets for $15, $12 for seniors and society members, will be available at 1011 Second St., Snohomish, on the day of the tour. Advanced ticket outlets include McDaniel's Do-It Center, Elisa's Antiques Etc., Kusler's Pharmacy, Annie's on First, Speckled Hen and Joyworks, all in Snohomish; plus Haley's Cottage in Kirkland and Calico Corners in Mill Creek.
Information: See www.snohomishhistoricalsociety.org or call the society's message line at 360-568-5235 for more information.
Three tips to take away
Conifer crafting: Use cuttings of fresh greens from your property to decorate your whole house, including mantels, tabletops, vases, centerpieces, even the tops of large wall-mounted picture frames. Cedar is easy to cut to size and drapes nicely.
Skirt savvy: You don't have to buy special tree skirts to create a elegant bases. Simply use your favorite throws or runners as swirls of fabric.
Extend the season: Not every Christmas color scheme has to be red and green. If you decorate with items that sparkle and are bright, bringing in pinks, golds or silvers, you can leave many of them up all winter.
Perched on a wooded bluff outside Snohomish, it is 2,700 square feet of wide-open, high-ceiling rooms decked out in high-end features and fancy finishes.
Eclectic European touches abound throughout, including formal furniture, tapestries, numerous chandeliers and Brazilian cherry floors.
Add in a splash of Christmas — make that a big splash, including a dozen Christmas trees, large and small, and decorations galore — and you have something worth seeing in person.
And you can.
The Gilpin home, built in 2005, is one of six private homes to be featured Sunday on the Snohomish Historical Society's annual parlor tour.
“I love Christmas,” said Gilpin, the woman behind the glamour. “I love decorating for Christmas.”
Indeed, Gilpin has collected myriad decorations over the years and has learned to put them together like a professionally trained interior designer.
Visitors here will be able to tour many rooms, each with its own subtle Christmas theme. They'll find burgundy and gold decor in the front parlor, where two gilded cherubs adorn a tree in front of a gold-upholstered sofa and an antique baby grand piano made in 1915.
Nearby, in the dining room, romantic red roses, crystal, china and still more gold come together at a grand table, all set for an elegant Christmas dinner.
To complement the scene, a large tree, standing on a small table, rises in the front window to showcase delicate glass ornaments from the Merck Family's Old World Christmas line. Jewel tones sparkle all over the tree, dappled with wispy gold tinsel.
In the expansive kitchen and family room area, pink and pearl accents are everywhere.
On a large flocked tree in the corner, pearlescent pink garlands and a wide garland of pink lace create a softly festive look, with ruffles of creamy white taffeta and pink rose accents pool at the tree's base.
A large crystal bowl on the mantel holds strands of pearls and holiday balls covered with miniature pearls. Pink Fitz and Floyd Santas hold places of honor on the kitchen counter and on dining table.
The Gilpins' guest bedrooms are decorated too, including one dedicated to handmade wooden creations from Danna Gilpin's stepfather: a cradle, a rocking horse and a miniature sleigh filled with children's books and dolls.
In the master bedroom, a four-poster bed and heavy crown molding set a stately tone, softened with muted pink window treatments and lavish bedding and pillows.
In front of the bed, a 4-foot flocked tree is artfully covered in white lights and dried blue and pink hydrangea blooms from the Gilpins' garden.
“I go to bed with the tree on,” Gilpin, 59, said with a grin.
“I've not always been like this,” Gilpin said, adding that she is most grateful for the life she shares with her husband, Jeffrey Gilpin, 63, the owner of Gilpin Realty of Snohomish.
In fact, Gilpin remembers many a Christmas spent as a divorced, single mother just getting by with her three sons.
“It's very special,” Gilpin said. “I'm very, very thankful I'm able to have something like this.”
Sarah Jackson: 425-339-3037, sjackson@heraldnet.com.
Take the tour
What: The Snohomish Historical Society's annual parlor tour features six private homes, new and old, decorated for the holidays, in addition to the Blackman House Museum, 118 Ave. B, Snohomish.
Where: Homes are in and around Snohomish.
When: Hours for the tour are noon to 4 p.m. Sunday.
Cost: Tickets for $15, $12 for seniors and society members, will be available at 1011 Second St., Snohomish, on the day of the tour. Advanced ticket outlets include McDaniel's Do-It Center, Elisa's Antiques Etc., Kusler's Pharmacy, Annie's on First, Speckled Hen and Joyworks, all in Snohomish; plus Haley's Cottage in Kirkland and Calico Corners in Mill Creek.
Information: See www.snohomishhistoricalsociety.org or call the society's message line at 360-568-5235 for more information.
Three tips to take away
Conifer crafting: Use cuttings of fresh greens from your property to decorate your whole house, including mantels, tabletops, vases, centerpieces, even the tops of large wall-mounted picture frames. Cedar is easy to cut to size and drapes nicely.
Skirt savvy: You don't have to buy special tree skirts to create a elegant bases. Simply use your favorite throws or runners as swirls of fabric.
Extend the season: Not every Christmas color scheme has to be red and green. If you decorate with items that sparkle and are bright, bringing in pinks, golds or silvers, you can leave many of them up all winter.
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