We never miss the chance to peek inside an interior designer’s home — and when that home happens to be decked out for the holidays, it feels like an extra-special gift. Dallas-based designers Javier Burkle, Jan Showers, Kelli Ford and Courtney Warren all offered to show off their own decor this season, and looking at the photos is like taking a master class in festive style. From a glam townhouse to a palatial estate and more, these residences offer an array of merry inspiration for your own abode.

For designer Javier Burkle, owner of Burkle Creative, more is more when it comes to seasonal splendor. He outfits his West Highland Park bungalow from top to bottom with details like wreaths that hang from curtain rods and chairs, garland that frames the kitchen cabinetry, and five Christmas trees that are each trimmed in different color schemes and themes. Even his bedroom is dressed up with festive plaid linens.

Burkle recently came up with the idea to drape garland through his living room chandelier to create a kind of sculptural installation. “You don’t have to think about just using the surfaces to decorate for the holidays,” he advises.

The garland’s adornments echo the shades of the nearby Christmas tree, which Burkle decorated with gold ribbon, dried oranges and mercury ornaments. He suggests taking notes from the existing decor in the room to inform the color story of a tree and accents. “I like it to feel like the holiday decor belongs in the room and goes with the colors. I like it to be part of the existing decor,” he says, adding that “metallics go with everything.”

In his dining room, Burkle created a moodier aesthetic, playing off the darker walls in the room. From the chandelier, velvet ribbons suspend ornaments. “All the walls are a dark grasscloth, so we went with a navy ribbon that almost feels black.” He accessorized the chairs with mini boxwood wreaths from Trader Joe’s, also attached with velvet ribbon. “I save my ribbons,” he says. “I label them with where they go. That way I don’t have to buy ribbon every year.”

If you have the space in your home, Burkle loves the idea of multiple trees throughout, each serving a different aesthetic purpose. He follows a more formal decor scheme for the trees in his living and dining rooms, spots where he entertains quite a bit, then saves more personal ornaments for a tree that he sets up in his closet. “This is where I hang my childhood ornaments,” he says. “I have a client who gives me a needlepoint ornament every year. I collect teddy bears from Ralph Lauren. This is the tree that has meaning and is layered with my personal collection.”

In his pool house, he shows off his Asian-inspired collection of mini ginger jars, chinoiserie-patterned ornaments and pagoda replicas. He encourages his clients to embrace color and decorate with items and pieces that speak to them. For budget-friendly ornaments — including baubles in chinoiserie styles, metallics and other solid colors — he recommends Ballard Designs. Burkle also loves layering in high-end ornaments that have been collected over time. “Keep building your collection of things that mean something to you,” he says. “Just have fun with it.”

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Designer Jan Showers, owner of Jan Showers & Associates, has mastered the art of glamorous interiors. (She’s even penned three books on the subject.) Showers is known for incorporating French antiques with contemporary pieces, fine art and luxurious fabrics, all while making a home comfortable and inviting. So it’s no surprise that her townhome in the Turtle Creek neighborhood embraces a striking mix of glamor, traditional holiday decor and charming keepsakes. “I love to use the same objects year after year,” Showers says. “There are so many memories in both the tree ornaments and the special objects I use all over the house.”

In lieu of garland, Showers decorates her mantel with a collection of sparkly trees she sourced at Pottery Barn. “I found those years ago and just love them,” she says. “I never tire of them, and we always have them on my mantel in Dallas. They add sparkle and shine that I love. I also use them at my showroom in the Dallas Design District.” The trees are simple but eye-catching, and they align with the overall feel of the room. “Look at your decor and take cues for holiday decorations from that,” Showers suggests. “I also don’t like things to be overdone. There comes a time when enough is enough.” (Try these Pottery Barn trees for your own sparkly-but-tasteful mantel decor.)

Showers decorates her tree with a collection of ornaments that she purchased on her travels to London and Germany, as well as at retail stores such as Pottery Barn and Bergdorf Goodman in New York. She also incorporates meaningful pieces, like an ornament her friend and assistant gifted her with an image of her favorite dog. “I love to see it hanging on the tree,” she says. Her one non-negotiable for her holiday decor? “I prefer [warm white] Christmas lights. Nothing makes me happier during the holidays than seeing those lights on.”

To achieve a similarly chic holiday style in your own home, Showers recommends shopping locally at Madison (co-owned by designer Kelli Ford, whose home we see next), Neiman Marcus, and her own showroom off Slocum Street. At the latter, you’ll find vintage Italian Murano tree figurines — some of Showers’ personal faves. She also has an affinity for snow globes, which are also placed around her home. “CoolSnowGlobes has the best snow globes,” she says. “I love them and give them to friends for Christmas.”

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Designer Kelli Ford’s shares her University Park manse with her husband — prominent banker and SMU football stadium namesake Gerald J. Ford — and the couple go all out for the holidays. There’s the nine Christmas trees throughout the residence, for example, or an elaborate poinsettia display that surrounds the appropriately festive Baroque Egg with Bow sculpture by Jeff Koons in her living room. It’s clear Ford delights in transforming her home into an over-the-top winter wonderland. “I love to start early and enjoy everything through Christmas,” says Ford. “I love traditional Christmas decor. Everything is very traditional and paired with the eclectic backdrop. It brings all the yuletide cheer.”

In her living room, Ford displays a 15-foot faux tree from online retailer Balsam Hill. “We had a real tree in the past but switched because we wanted to decorate earlier,” she says. “The large tree size works perfectly in the room and really makes a statement.”

She starts decorating the tree from the top and works her way down. “We always start with our most special ornaments that we have collected on trips and while antiquing, and then we fill in with everything else,” she says. She sources her new ornaments from Madison, the aforementioned store she co-owns with her sister Kirsten Fitzgibbons. Madison recently moved from Highland Park Village to an 8,000-square-foot showroom in the Dallas Design District, and it features furniture, antiques, gifts and holiday decor. The sisters have also co-owned design firm Kirsten Kelli since 1990.

The Fords’ winding staircase is covered in lush faux garland, which Ford layers with pinecones, berries, bells and ornaments. “This gives the garland a full and lush feel,” she explains.

Ford utilizes multiple types of faux garland around her home, including pine and magnolia leaves, and she loves a flocked look as well. “Do not be afraid of flocked trees and garland,” she says. “They add a quiet and cozy serenity while also bringing the outside Christmas wonderland in.” (Shop flocked garland and wreaths at retailers including Williams Sonoma, Pottery Barn and Balsam Hill.)

Ford also loves to showcase her holiday collections, like the Byers’ Choice figurines which sit on her entry hall table. “They still make these, but a large portion of my collection is vintage,” she says. “Putting these out each year is one of my favorite things and truly gets me in the spirit.”

“During the holidays, anything goes,” says designer Courtney Warren of Courtney Warren Home. “If it’s not fun, you shouldn’t do it.” Warren certainly lives that philosophy to the fullest in her own home.

For her personal Christmas tree, Warren started with a white tree, which she adorned with bows in black-and-white stripes and pops of color, as well as glass baubles in creamy white and jewel tones. “[Glass ornaments] look so pretty with the light shining through,” she says. (You can find similar ornaments at Neiman Marcus or Anthropologie.) The bows deliver something extra.

“Bows are definitely having a moment,” Warren says. “I got the ribbon colors that I wanted, and I started with the black ribbon first. I made loops and attached them to the tree’s branch and tied them in a bow.” From there, she placed her ornaments. “Once the bigger items were placed, I started filing in the gaps with the smaller ones,” she says. “There are some glittery silver branches coming out of the tree, and I do those last.” If she still has holes to fill, she’ll grab more ornaments. “It’s like a big puzzle,” she says.

Her tree sits on a riser, which is a way to achieve the right scale for the room. “It’s a six-and-a-half-foot tree, so when I put it on the ground it’s too short,” she says. Instead of a traditional tree skirt, she styled the tree with a bright pink blanket. “You don’t have to do a tree skirt,” she says. “There are also tree collars and baskets. Maybe you have a cute blanket with pom poms to wrap around the tree. Your creativity can help you stay on budget.”

If you like the idea of a bold, non-traditional tree but aren’t sure about how it will look as the centerpiece of your living space, consider putting it in another room, like a playroom or bedroom. Then go with your more traditional tree in the place of honor. “I love a family tree that is red and green,” Warren says. “The handmade ornaments hold so many memories. With social media we feel so much pressure to have perfect, gorgeous trees. But remember that every tree is beautiful in its own way. … Do what you love. If that means non-traditional colors or a different theme in every room, go for that. Christmas should be fun and jolly and festive.”

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