A Homestyle Holiday

JENNIFER HUNT, FOUNDER AND CEO OF DOGWOOD HILL, A PAPER AND STATIONERY COMPANY, FILLS HER HOME WITH HER INSPIRED DESIGNS, MEMORIES OF HER CHILDHOOD, AND FAVORITE FAMILY TRADITIONS.

Text by ALICE DOYLE / Photography by JEAN ALLSOPP / Styling by CHRISTINA BROCKMAN

The tree is decorated with childhood ornaments and ones from the family’s travels. Gift wrap from Dogwood Hill covers packages underneath. Nutcrackers and Santas from Jennifer’s mother stand sentry on the coffee table and side tables. LEFT: The Hunt family: Davis (age 10), Buddy, William (age 7), and Jennifer.

rank and Tony are crooning classic Christmas songs; cheesecake is baking in the oven, filling the house with an irresistible aroma; miniature pumpkin breads and spiced tea mixes are being packaged and beribboned for gift giving while childhood ornaments are lifted from tissue paper to decorate the tree—all these are treasured parts of the holiday season for Jennifer Hunt, her husband Buddy, and their two school-aged boys. For Jennifer, it’s all about keeping the family traditions of her small hometown thriving in the big city. “I grew up in Russellville, Alabama, and was raised with generational recipes, heirlooms, frequent entertaining, and a true sense of community,” she says. In their Briarwood neighborhood of 35 houses, which ends in a cul-de-sac, the Hunts have a taste of small-town life every day with its close-knit and supportive F

Jennifer often creates flower arrangements from cuttings in the garden mixed with blooms from Trader Joe’s. For special events and parties, she calls on Christina Brockman, who dressed the space with abundant greenery on the chandelier and window, as well as in the kitchen island arrangement.

OPPOSITE: The breakfast area holds a petite tabletop Christmas tree trimmed with preserved oranges, mini red bows, and candy canes. On a red ticking tablecloth made from fabric found at King Cotton, Jennifer paired gold chargers, bamboo flatware, green napkins, and red Lenox dinner plates, along with a custom salad plate. She added candleholders from Mary and Wilma and custom paper goods by Dogwood Hill featuring art by Sarah Robins Powell.

spirit. During the holidays, neighbors put treats in mailboxes, and an annual Christmas party rotates among families. “This neighborhood is a hidden gem in Mountain Brook,” says Jennifer. “Some people don’t even know it exists!”

When it comes to her personal holiday decorating and entertaining style, she leans towards the classics with red, green, and gold accents and lots of fresh greenery and family treasures. “I love blue and white in my everyday décor, but I still want those traditional colors at Christmas,” says Jennifer. And she has a tried-and-true approach for recipes and tabletop ideas. “I’m obsessed with china. While other girls were dreaming about their wedding dress or cake, I was focused on selecting my fine china.”

Jennifer settled on the classic and versatile Lenox Solitaire because it can be dressed up or down, depending on the

The formal dining room includes a Christmas tree, as well as a mix of handeddown furniture and finds. In her décor, Jennifer prefers structure with white walls, clean lines, her favorite hues (green and blue), and lots of books. “I am bookobsessed,” she says. “They bring visual interest and pops of color to a room.

OPPOSITE: Jennifer’s tablescape consists of Haute Home scalloped place mats, her grandmother’s china and etched crystal stemware, vintage gold flatware, napkins given to Jennifer’s parents as a wedding gift, and custom place cards and menus from Dogwood Hill (with art by Lucy Young). A low, lush floral arrangement bursts with seasonal greenery, paperwhites, pears, and a mix of flowers.

occasion. She also enjoys using her grandmother’s china with its green botanical detailing and gold rims (Arcadia Green by Franciscan) for more formal holiday gatherings. For everyday meals, Jennifer mixes in festive gold and red pieces. including custom salad plates with a boxwood in the center, designed for Anthropologie by Inslee Fariss. Inslee also happens to be one of the artists who works with Jennifer’s company, Dogwood Hill, a semi-custom stationery and wedding papers firm she started in 2015. (See page 48 for more about Dogwood Hill.)

On Christmas Eve, Jennifer turns to her repertoire of true crowd-pleasers, such as cranberry balsamic pork tenderloin, brown sugar bacon and green beans, mashed golden potatoes, Ashley Mac’s Baby Bleu Salad, and her grandmother’s beloved cheesecake, of course. From the recipes and the china to the gifts for neighbors and the holiday décor and parties, Jennifer’s Christmas traditions are sure to be handed down and cherished for generations to come.

“Entertaining can be a breeze if you are well-stocked. I keep a closet at the ready with pressed tablecloths, place mats, napkins, silver, and gold and stainless flatware. That way, even impromptu gatherings don’t cause stress.” — Jennifer Hunt

The making of DOGWOOD HILL

Many inspired ideas spring from a discovered void in the marketplace, and the same applies to Jennifer’s creation of

Dogwood Hill, a semi-custom stationery and wedding papers firm she founded in 2015. One year, Jennifer waited a tad too long to order the custom Christmas cards she was envisioning, so she tried to search for alternatives. Everything was either cookie cutter or had too long of a lead time. For the CPA and art dealer, a light bulb flashed, and she came up with Dogwood Hill.

With a collective of 30-plus artists and an inhouse design team that creates unique products to reflect many distinctive styles, the company offers something for everyone and every season of life. Plus, the delivery time of 10 days or less and the reasonable prices resonate with customers.

Jennifer’s entrepreneurial spirit comes from her father, who helmed an insurance business in 1

Russellville, Alabama. Later, she worked as vicepresident of financial reporting in the corporate office of

Zoë’s Kitchen during the earlier days of its growth. “It was like an MBA mini crash course!” says Jennifer. This type of experience, along with working for Arthur Andersen

LLP and later owning her own art gallery, gave Jennifer the confidence to go for it. “I get to use both sides of my brain, exploring my creativity while understanding the details of running a business,” she says.

Before each holiday season, Dogwood Hill partners with tastemakers around the country to collaborate on seasonal collections with one of their 30-plus artists. It’s not just about big names and the number of Instagram followers, although the company has partnered with well-known interior designers such as Meg Braff, Mark

Dogwood Hill artist Riley Sheehey designed the Nutcracker Garden wrapping paper.

Sikes, Amanda Lindroth, and James Farmer. The choices involve more intangible qualities. “Like-mindedness is key,” says Jennifer. “We want to work with people who inspire us, are in harmony with our brand, and are nice!” Going forward, Dogwood Hill is looking into licensing opportunities while also branching out into select branded partnerships, such as one with the Birmingham-based company Bauble Stockings.

“Our next launch will be fabrics sold by the yard and ready-made tabletop pieces such as napkins, tablecloths, and place mats. It’s a natural extension of our paper products—and another piece in the art of entertaining.” — Jennifer Hunt

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Holiday2021 Collection

Holiday Tastemaker CollectionEach year, Dogwood Hill chooses tastemakers who team up with their artists to create seasonal paper goods. 1. (Opposite page) Washington, D.C.-area blogger and creative behind @tallwoodcountryhouse, Jenny Bohannon, looked to her farm animals when designing her goose-themed papers with artist Shanna Masters. 2. Minnesota-based interior designer Bria Hammel partnered with artist Sally King McBride to create the wreaths, magnolias, and delicate blue floral prints. 3. Connecticut-based portrait and fashion photographer Claiborne Swanson Frank’s holiday Santa and golden retriever-led sleigh were rendered by artist Willa Heart. 4. Charleston influencer Megan Stokes cued the traditional juniper branches when working with artist Holly Hollon. For Dogwood Hill’s full line of offerings, and to see more from this year’s tastemakers, visit

dogwood-hill.com

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