DesignNJ_Dec22Jan23_digitalIssue

The pine-cone cluster on the French door between the
family room and the sitting room was the inspiration for
the home’s holiday décor. It features a hemp rope and
a silk ribbon. A contemporary nativity scene rests on a
pedestal next to the chair.
clean, crisp room with the dark ebony floors created
a striking backdrop for the holiday accents,” the
designer notes.
The ebony floors extend into the sitting room,
which borders the home’s entry hall and which
Sikkema uses as her studio. “I do a lot of staging
there, so it’s a blank canvas. It’s versatile.” Here, the
holiday accents are primarily neutral. The tree is
trimmed mostly in white with textured ornaments,
flocked pine cones, a wooden garland and berries.
The packages beneath it — simple boxes in white
or tan — are topped with rustic burlap and raffia.
“This tree and the packages underneath were very
much what Corinne and I wanted guests to see when
they walk into my home. They’re greeted with those
organics,” Sikkema says. The understated tones of
the holiday décor get a pop of wintry color in the
form of stylized velvet trees in various shades of blue
sitting atop an ottoman. The trees were selected to
coordinate with the room’s deep navy console.
These holiday-ready rooms — which were, indeed,
ready for the sons’ homecoming — reflect the shore
scenery of Sikkema’s childhood. “The coastal shades
of blue represent the water and the sky. The sandcolored
boxes in the sitting room represent the
46 December 2022/January 2023