feel super happy in an Atlanta, GA, home where all is bright

Scott and Meg with 18-month-old Flynn, raring to go.

LIVING ROOM Layers of blue—navy walls, a Chesterfield sofa from Anthropologie, and hits of teal in the art—give the space personality. Lit up, the tree ’ s lights are even more golden next to the inky wall. A wide Pottery Barn bench turned coffee table is practically made for Christmas morning giftpalooza.

The holidays feel super happy in an Atlanta, GA, home, where all is bright.

paint color

Naval by Sherwin-Williams

DEN Pep plan: Paint the wood paneling white and do a combo of patterns. It worked! A paisley print on the back of the built-in (every wallpaper in the home is by Thibaut) and a geometric one on the drapes play off each other. Along with stockings and garland, holiday movies on loop dress up the fireplace during the season.

This WFH cutie is by Article.

Between the red door, multihued blooms, and blue console, it's clear: Boldness is welcome.

when your home ’ s colors are a mix of reds, pinks, blues, and greens, decking the halls for the holidays is as merry as it is easy.

“Our palette goes with pretty much everything except Halloween, ” says Meg Monteith, who moved into husband Scott’ s 1960s ranchstyle house in Atlanta, GA, soon after they wed. Although he had replaced the white carpeting with wide-plank hardwood, rooms were half-empty and the overall vibe was outdated bachelor pad. Once the couple were having a baby, says Meg, “ we wanted it to look like a family lived here. ” And they knew just who to tap for help: Meg’ s big brother, a.k.a. HGTV designer Brian Patrick Flynn. The friendly-with-flair scheme sprang from a knockout wallpaper by Thibaut that Scott found for the entry (totally impressing Brian). Now that they

’ re finished, those exuberant colors and personal touches have raised the joy factor through the roof.

A punchy tassel garland by Meri Meri creates a window wonderland.

KITCHEN Bland beige cabinets got a bargain facelift with deep green paint—dark enough to hide grubby fingerprints yet not overpowering in a room without much natural light. The siblings debated the layout of the backsplash tiles. “Brian preferred them stacked, but I look at spreadsheets all day for work and didn ’t need to stare at another grid, ” says Meg. “He gave in!” Both were into black grout, a modern move that makes the white tile pop.

DINING ROOM “The

goal was to avoid stuffy— and plain!” says Meg. Cherry blossom wallpaper is cheery 365 days a year. Add poinsettias and mini faux-boxwood wreaths hanging from ribbon on the chairs and it’ s full-on festive.

Way to holiday up furniture!

MAIN BEDROOM Not one to shy away from color, Meg had bright pink walls in her old apartment’ s bedroom. She reeled it in for Scott and they chose grasscloth wallpaper with sky blue streaks and a gray upholstered bed from Wayfair. “It feels like waking up in a hotel room, ” says Meg. Brian snagged the blanket during a trip to Mexico, and it brings a jolt of energy.

BATHROOM It was an overhaul, done mostly by Scott. He ripped out the vanity and past-their-prime mauve square tiles and replaced them. The dog wallpaper nods to their fur babies. “We have two, one belonged to each of us when we met, ” says Meg. “Our first date was in a dog park. ”

If you put your all into making a house your own, it brings cheer the whole year.

—Meg

FLYNN’S ROOM What do you do when you don ’t want a themed nursery but you ’d like some color? Decorate with books! Scott mounted shelves to display them; Christmas and winter reads (including their childhood faves) get prime placement this time of year. Other sentimental details: The couple bought the scenic poster in Patagonia, shortly after getting engaged, and Scott’ s dad found the ship on the top shelf at an antiques store. The cute pouf is from World Market.

Santa hat for the win

wreath

Farmhouse 8½" diameter plastic and burlap wreaths in pink, $20 for a set of 2, sweetscreek.etsy.com

stocking

Striped 20" -long acrylic stocking in green, $24.50, littlehomebythewoods.etsy.com

rug

Dash & Albert Neapolitan 8' x 10' polyester rug, $834, annieselke.com

pillows

From top: Tassel 18" x 18" velvet pillow cover in red, $20, beneboutiquestore.etsy.com; Pine Cone Hill Willowleaf 16" x 20" linen pillow in blue, $75, annieselke.com; Rizzy Home 20" x 20" cotton pillow in blue, $82, macys.com

sofa

House of Hampton Allita 77½" -wide velvet sofa in blue, $1,070, wayfair.com

wallpapers

From left: Cochin wallpaper in pink, $70 per roll, thibautdesign .com for buying info; Seabrook Cherry Blossom Floral peel-and-stick wallpaper in scarlet and petal pink, $35 per roll, decoratorsbest.com

bench

Malibu 48"W x 30"D x 17"H seagrass and wood ottoman in honey, $799, potterybarn.com

garland

Tassel 8' -wide wool garland in pink, $24, merimeri.com

chair

Faux-Sherpa polyester and wood chair, $420, kirklands.com

jug

Gluggle 10" -tall ceramic jug in red, $57, massbaytrading.com

bottlebrush trees

Bethany Lowe Valentine Ombre and Spring Ombre bottlebrush and wire trees, $28 for each mixed set of 3 (the largest is 14" tall), cuddledecor.com