In her own home, Camille Saum used ribbons in orange and mint-green with pink stripes to create a warm and welcoming Christmas tree. © Gordon Beall
Interior designer Camille Saum has always loved decorating Christmas trees. For years, she would lavishly adorn as many as three trees in her own house when holiday season rolled around—in addition to all the trees she’d be called on to decorate for clients. “I absolutely adore doing Christmas trees,” Saum says. “It’s like painting on a canvas. It’s art.”
Razzle Dazzle, for the Georgetown Jingle, is embellished with ornaments made by Saum’s sister; “Avery’s Star” at the top is named for the girl with whom Saum decorated the tree.
For another Georgetown Jingle, Saum sprayed this sparkling, glitzy tree with silver and dusted it with glitter.
In addition to decorating for clients, Saum usually plies her skills at the Georgetown Jingle, an annual fund-raiser for the Georgetown University Hospital’s pediatric oncology programs for which area designers decorate Christmas trees to raise money for cancer research. For these events, Saum partners with a young patient ambassador, allowing the child’s interests and preferences to inspire the tree’s decoration. On her own, however, anything goes. “I never know what I’m going to do when I start,” she says. “It’s unpredictable, a wonderful emotional and creative outlet.”
Below, see Camille Saum’s tips for decorating during the holiday season—whether you are putting up a tree, throwing a party or hosting out-of-town guests.
• Tidy up—remove the clutter.
• Create a new look by rearranging the furniture.
• Brighten up with fresh colors: Repaint a room or two.
• Bring out seasonal accessories; unique pieces will become family treasures.
• Add new throw pillows—they will tie your look together and make the room pop.
• Enjoy your home, specially decorated for the holiday season!
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