The Merry McBrides

14 Dec The Merry McBrides

When you meet someone with a cat named Beyonce, and who dresses up for a Christmas parade as a tree, you just know they are fun loving and enthusiastic. And that’s exactly who Amy Swanson McBride is, and her home reflects her large personality and love of color!!!

Welcome to Amy and Keller McBride’s Franklin home. It reminds me so much of the style of a store that used to be in Green Hills called “Happiness Place.” If you’ve lived in Nashville a long time, you may remember it too. The McBrides love living in color with their cat, Beyonce, and two dogs, Binky and Dixie. Beyonce is mesmerized with this year’s tree and you’ll notice the strategically stacked and beautifully wrapped packages preventing her from getting too close, at least for now.

The home is ooozing with bold colors and decor that Amy’s collected or made herself over the years. (The wooden mushrooms in above photo came from Scarlett Scales Antiques in Franklin.)

Let’s start in the foyer, a very good place to start, festooned with a buck and the fun doesn’t stop here!

Those lamps!!!!! They are vintage Hollywood regency green glass and brass lamps Amy purchased and then she added the Anthropologie shades. You’ll also notice the David Arms bird painting, ornaments and nativity scene. And this is just the beginning of the merry McBride home.

The living room is colorful even before you add the bedazzled Christmas tree and other decor! I think the tree is fantastic, full of fun ornaments from a lifetime of collecting and crafting their own.

Amy says she grew up with parents who loved the holidays so much and her father was known by friends as Santa’s helper who showed up at Christmas parties and knew just what the kids all wanted. It’s that same spirit that Amy embraces! What fabulous memories Amy and her three siblings have, and now Amy, Keller and their three daughters can cherish too.

This is Amy around the age of 20 with her dad. She credits both of her parents with setting the tone for the holidays. Her mother decorated almost every room like Amy does today.

The blue and green plates were made by a California potter by the name of Newell Stevens. They were quite popular in the 1940’s and these actually were found under his house after he died. The paper placemats and placecards are by Nashville artist Elizabeth Foster who does work for Hester & Cook. The vintage white glasses are Portieux Vallerysthal White Opaline french glasses. Voila!

Of course the mantle and almost every other available surface is adorned with lovely bottle brush trees she’s collected, and other special finds. Amy loves the hunt. The trees have come from Hewitt’s in Nashville, Glitterville, Target and Hobby Lobby.

Her vintage bottle collection includes a “Genie” style decanter and Italian mid century art glass.

Her second Christmas tree stands tall in the family den.

As you might expect, Amy is sentimental, keeping ornaments and other decor that has meaning, like a nativity scene that was a wedding gift 29 years ago. It’s sitting on the screened in porch where Beyonce also seems to enjoy lounging.

While I’ve focused on Christmas decor, I must switch gears for a moment to share some other art that is meaningful to the McBrides, like the Trevor Mikula art on their staircase landing. Keller and Amy commissioned him to do portraits of them years ago and didn’t give him any boundaries. He put birds on their heads and named them, “the love birds.” They are one of her favorite things in the house.

Her dear friend, artist Celia Turner painted these pictures and the lovely piece above the living room mantle too.

So Beyonce and her family are all decked out and even though they won’t be entertaining this holiday season, the table is set, and so are they, to celebrate the true meaning of the season, the birth of Christ.

Thanks so much to Amy and Keller for sharing their beautiful, festive home. And I can’t leave out some photos of Amy dressed up for last year’s Christmas parade in Franklin. She is so creative, fun, and just a wonderful person to know, loved so much by many. Merry Christmas!

Thank you for reading Stylish Retreats. It’s such fun for me to discover so much creativity all around us. Have a safe and joyful holiday friends.