A Closer Look At bb Interiors’ Winter Wonderland

Learn how Claudia and the bb Interiors team is transforming the Mehr home for the Geneva House Walk

For anyone who lives in or enjoys visiting Geneva, the Geneva Christmas Walk marks the official beginning of the holiday season. The town-wide celebration brings friends and neighbors together to enjoy the most wonderful time of the year as a community, centered on a celebration of something we hold dear: exquisite interior design.

The hallmark of the festivities is the Holiday House Tour, which showcases five unique homes decked out for the season. We’re honored to be styling the Mehr home for the event, and have been hard at work for weeks pulling together our Winter Wonderland-inspired display. Here, take a peek behind the curtain for a look at our process and a sneak peek of the magic that awaits you Dec. 1 and 2!

A Design Relationship That’s Deeply Rooted

We couldn’t be more thrilled to be appointing the Mehr family home for this event, because we feel so deeply connected to the Mehrs and their stunning French Provincial estate. The bb Interiors team had the privilege of designing the home’s entire interior, partnering with the family when the house was a blank slate and selecting elegant and versatile furnishings that complemented the exquisite architecture — truly a designer’s dream. As the space came together, it was hard not to imagine how stunning the home would look festooned for the holidays. Inspired by the home’s design features, like the sweeping balcony and commanding fireplace, our vision to create a Winter Wonderland around those focal points began to take shape more than a year before the House Walk decorations will be revealed. Months before we even began installing our seasonal decor, we had been imagining and planning and discussing our theme and ideas.

Steering Clear of the Expected

For any occasion or event with such deeply-rooted design traditions, our first thought is always to seek the unexpected. For the Mehr home’s holiday decorations, that meant steering clear of the typical red and green color scheme. While we love a classic Christmas aesthetic, we wanted to use this occasion to create a more unique, immersive seasonal experience that would be memorable for House Walk attendees. While white is often viewed as an accent in a traditional Christmas palette, we turned that trend on its head and made it the predominant color. The all-white backdrop evokes memories of the first snowfall and the simple joy of admiring pure, untouched snow.

The sophisticated Winter Wonderland theme allowed the natural design elements of the home to shine. We believe that Christmas decorations — or any seasonal decor for that matter — should enhance or embellish a home’s unique structural assets. A flocked white Christmas tree adds subtle drama to the Mehr home, with glittering hints of silver, gold and copper that draw the eye to the beauty of the dramatic staircase and hearth. The final result embodies Principal Designer Claudia Beebe’s contemporary approach to traditional design: elegant, understated, purposeful and unique.

A True Team Effort

To execute our vision, our whole team was involved, and we collaborated with beloved local businesses known for their exemplary creative work. Months before the House Walk, our design team, including Claudia and Ian Essex began sketching and re-sketching, choosing key pieces and assembling displays off-site for future installation. Weeks before the House Walk, we began executing our vision in the home’s interior and exterior. Aiding us in our efforts was Avant Gardenia, who designed and installed the custom greenery that functions as the centerpiece of our vision, and Neri Landscape & Maintenance, who arranged the outside lighting that welcomed visitors to the Mehr home’s holiday display.

We look forward to the holidays all year at bb Interiors, and participating in the Geneva Christmas House Walk has made this year an especially festive occasion for us. We can’t wait for you to see what we’ve created at the Mehr home. For more information on the event and to purchase tickets to the Dec. 1 & 2 event, please visit the Geneva Chamber event page or visit our showroom at 600 S. 1st St. to buy tickets in person and meet the bb Interiors creative team.