We’ve been big supporters of the Homes for the Holidays tour from Kids Help Phone for going on 12 years now€”and it’s pretty clear why. Every year, many of our favourite designers donate their time and skills to decorate homes all over Vancouver for the holiday season, and they truly go all in. There have been elaborate Santa villages, backstories built around The Nutcracker, and handmade ornaments that take the design teams literally hundreds of hours.

Credit: Janis Nicolay

Designer Ami McKay also decorated up the outdoor spaces in the Eagle Harbour home she designed.

This year, like the rest of us, the Homes for the Holidays crew is doing a COVID pivot and moving the tours to your home sofa: that is, the whole tour weekend will take place virtually. On November 28 and 29, ticket holders will have exclusive access to a virtual tour of five homes, hosted by Krissy Vann of CTV and yours truly. (I’ve seen a sneak peek of the homes, and once again, the designers knocked it out of the park.)

There are five designers this year, and regular readers of WL will be familiar with them: Gaile Guevara, Ami McKay of Pure Design, Karla Dreyer, Giovanna Averill and Sydney Carlaw of Purity Design. Some, like Carlaw, have decorated their own pretty houses, while others have gone into lucky clients’ spaces to give them a holiday re-do (including the home of Vancouver media personality Tamara Taggart.)

Each designer will be sharing tips and tricks for how their look came together, and I’ll be doing plenty of trend-spotting in my conversation with Krissy Vann.

Credit: Janis Nicolay

Designer Sydney Carlaw is decorating her gorgeous, renovated farmhouse.

This year you’ll also be able to bid on silent auctions at the same time. So do what I plan to: make cocoa (with a shot of something warming? I won’t judge…) and grab a blanket and a notebook for jotting down holiday decor ideas: there will be lots to take away this year!

Tickets are $35, and of course, all of the profits head straight to the important work of the Kids Help Phone. 

See you on the 28th and 29th!

homesfortheholidays.ca

Credit: Janis Nicolay

Designer Gaile Guevara decorated a McLeod Bovell home, with a focus on sustainable holiday decor.

Anicka Quin

Anicka Quin

Anicka Quin is the editor-in-chief of Western Living magazine and the VP of Content for Canada Wide Media. If you've got a home design you'd like to share with Western Living, drop her a line at [email protected]