Add Some Twinkle to your Holiday Decor

Returning from work to find your home effortlessly transformed into a winter wonderland might seem unlikely. But that’s exactly what Eric Jones and his team at Akron-based Jones Group Interiors deliver with their professional holiday decorating service.

“We create the magic,” he says. “They miss the mess.”

Jones consults with clients to determine what their holiday decor wishes are, from a glitzy centerpiece for a gala event to an intimate glow for a family den. Then he travels to Atlanta, Dallas, New York City and other locales to search for unique ornaments you won’t find at big-box stores. He also works heirloom ornaments or other pieces a family finds meaningful into his designs that are tailored to each homeowner to avoid looking corporate or overdone.

“There’s a sense of proportion and balance,” he says. “That’s the science of what we do to make the decoration look flawless.”

His crew decorates houses with white-glove care that includes cleaning up meticulously, and they even return in January to box everything up and can store it in their warehouse until next year. The result is a uniquely personal holiday display that creates wonder and joy.

“When you’re sitting there in the evening with a glass of wine, the candles and fire going, the lights on, it’s a space you want to be in,” Jones says.

He discusses some memorable holiday decor.

Impressive Proportions: Jones found a pair of bearded gnomes in Atlanta and used them to set an oversized scale for this lush and whimsical mantel in this west Akron home. “People are afraid to make a statement,” he says. “Trade secret? Start big and keep getting bigger.” He used 12-inch-wide garland, crystals from a vintage chandelier, vertical ornaments and three different sizes of lights, including twinklers for a sense of movement, to fill it with glitz and glamour.

Graceful Grandeur: Because this floating staircase is the first thing guests see upon entering this Clinton home, Jones made it the centerpiece of the family’s classic holiday decor. “A staircase traditionally has been associated with grandeur,” he says. “Our job is to make it look exceptional like it can’t the rest of the year.” He used hundreds of lights and gigantic ornaments over thick swags of artificial pine to match the scale of the home’s 20-foot ceilings.

Quiet Elegance: When a client eschews the idea of traditional red-and-green Christmas decor, Jones spends time getting to know what they really want. A Hunting Valley couple wanted an intimate, grown-up space “away from the Santa Claus mentality” where they could spend evenings together. He based the navy-and-gold theme of this tree with star accents and this mantel with metallic oak and maple leaf embellishments off the room’s chestnut woodwork and richly upholstered furnishings. It creates a tranquil effect that fits seamlessly with the elegant room for a quieter holiday display.

Contemporary Color: To balance a classic holiday look with a more contemporary feel, Jones chose colorful translucent glass balls to punctuate a variety of white and colorful lights on this flocked tree covered in artificial snow. “They look like bubbles, but it’s still traditional,” he says. He incorporated ornaments from the Fairlawn Heights homeowners’ world travels, such as a hand-blown glass fish from Hawaii, and topped the tree with an elegant white peacock for a dash of whimsy.