Vicki Petulla  likes to call her California decor “Donner Party Chic” for her penchant for mounted antlers, magnolia leaves and willow branches. But she has a knack for reinventing her home every season so old things looks new again and hidden pieces are brought out of the shadows.

“You know me, I get so bored, it’s sad,” she joked. Before Thanksgiving had even arrived, she was already anxious to start her Christmas decor.

In her living room, she added rich foliage and pomegranates into vintage cement urns she picked up at the Alameda Antique Fair that is open the first Sunday of each month.  She drapes a male portrait with fresh cedar. And on her chair, which until recently was red velvet, she rerecovered with an old white linen table cloth.

In her dining room, leave it to Vicki – the daughter of a decorator — to turn a liquor basket she keeps on the side board into a Christmas floral display with succulents, pink cabbages, white hydrangeas and lemons on the branch. It’s an unexpected display with surprising bits of sparkle as she tucks in vintage ornaments here and there.

From the chains of her dining room chandeliers, she hung eucalytus leaves and berries. A bay wreath hangs from the mirror.

Visiting Vicki’s home is always a treat, no matter the season. Thanks Vicki for opening up to us again! We want to come back!

For more of Vicki’s Vignettes — and to see how her house looked in the fall — please read these stories and check out the gorgeous photos:

Fall Decorating Ideas, with Vicki’s Vignettes

A Decorator’s Daughter

Before and After:An outdoor Fireplace Transformation

Vicki’s Vintage-Inspired Holiday Party Favors

Here’s the complete slideshow:

This entry was posted on Thursday, December 24th, 2009 at 1:12 am and is filed under Books, Decorating, Dining Room, Featured, Garden, Home Decor, Home and Garden, Julia, Living Room, Painting, Peek of the Week, Rose Garden, San Jose. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.