Colleyville’s Holiday Theme Home Tour offers 5 times the fun

Colleyville Woman’s Club Holiday Theme Home Tour on Dec. 4 highlighted five homes decorated and made festive by the homeowners.

One home featured a handmade front door from a 100-year-old cyprus tree, another housed more than 40 paintings, one had a panoramic view from one of the highest points in Colleyville, one home featured garlands of pearls and crystals and one house took on a modern, functional and luxurious approach.

Club president Karen Deakin was at the McFarland Home at 2002 Caspian Lane in Colleyville to provide assistance. Other homes were at 508 Wagonwheel Court in Colleyville, 703 Westmont Drive in Colleyville, 5304 Walnut Lane in Colleyville, 624 Orleans Drive in Southlake and Santa’s Sweet Stop at 40 Village Lane in Colleyville that featured 12 vendors during its one-day opening.

Santa Claus, aka Mark Harrison, enjoyed taking photos with youngsters, including the Hege children, 5-year-old Charlotte and 10-year-old Hudson of Grapevine, who were there with their mother Casey.

His normally red beard is dyed grayish-white for the season, which he said can be off-putting for some parents who think it should be whiter.

“The kids don’t mind,” Harrison said. “They just see the suit.”

Among the volunteers was 16-year-old Lauren Monroe, a student at Fort Worth Christian who chose the event as a school service project.

“Everyone’s so super nice,” said Monroe, who welcomed people at the McFarland home. “I like to look at the decorations.”

Colleyville Woman’s Club boasts more than 200 members who improve the community through volunteer service and charitable fundraising, all while enjoying new friendships, Deakin said.

Membership is open to women and men living or working in Colleyville and the surrounding areas. The club’s successes include its Holiday Theme Home Tour, signature Spring Fashion Benefit and spirited annual Bridge Marathon.

Founded in 1978, the club has surpassed $3.2 million in fundraising and serves people within and around Northeast Tarrant County, Deakin said. Charitable grants, scholarships and service projects are some of the ways its programs and member volunteers assist neighbors in need, she said.

The five homes were:

Brad and Athena Bankhead Home, 624 Orleans Drive, Southlake: An elegant contemporary Holiday.

When Brad and Athena Bankhead designed their home, they wanted to do something different. Athena had a vision: modern, functional, tasteful and luxurious. With the help of Maria Mock of Spice Designs and a designer from Botanical Mix in Dallas, the Bankheads have achieved an elegant contemporary home that is welcoming with unusual architectural and design elements.

The entire home is done in tones of warm gray, soft white, silver and crystal. Instead of a traditional balustrade on the stairway, the Bankheads have chosen a tight row of architectural pillars.

The dining room off the foyer features a series of lighted wall niches set with botanical art. The two-story living room combines with a large gourmet kitchen at one end and an adjoining semi-outdoor lounge at the other. Athena has offset straight lines with curved archways, doorways and soft accents — fluffy white fur pillows and a shaggy area rug in the living room, for example. An arrangement of polished wood, freeze-dried white roses and green organic material sits on a large block coffee table.

Twin crystal teardrop chandeliers hang above the kitchen island. Beyond the kitchen a state-of- the-art laundry room includes a raised bath area for the family dogs.

A comfortable outdoor living room joins the inside of the home via large sliding glass doors. The small courtyard features a multi-level water feature set with tall triangular pillars from which the water pours into square bases, filling the home with sounds of splashing water.

For the holidays, Athena worked with her decorators to combine some of the décor she has used in the past with embellishments that suit this home.

The decorations included soft gray, gentle green and icy pines mix with natural pine cones and birch. Glass ornaments in silver, gold and antique blue graced a 10-foot New England pine adorned with 8,000 LED rice lights.

Brad and Sandra Bowen Home, 508 Wagonwheel Court, Colleyville: A view for the holidays.

Sandra and Brad Bowen love to entertain — friends, family, children — and they designed their home with that objective with a tiered fountain in the front, a large, welcoming entry courtyard, a rustic club/family room complete with several stuffed animals and heads and a professional-sized bar.

It also features a panoramic view from one of the highest points in Colleyville.

Brad, owner of Trinity Partners, a commercial real estate and development firm, combined comfort and drama in his design. A wall of windows and doors across the back opens onto large outdoor living areas: a huge kitchen, seating areas, a dry stone creek stretching across the property, an infinity pool and a large sloping yard that houses a number of young fruit trees and Sandra’s bees — she is a beekeeper and avid gardener.

For the holidays, the Bowens did the decorating themselves. Sandra is especially proud of a collection of nutcrackers her adult son has collected from child. Large holiday balls hang from the second floor balcony across the back of the house and a collection of needlepoint stockings made by Sandra’s late step-mother hang before the fireplace. The dining room with dark beams and hand-scraped wood floors is a holiday treat in lime green and red.

The décor in this room was originally designed by local florist Carol Bice. Sandra has added to this, decorating each room in colors to fit. A huge kitchen joins the family room and game room on one side of the U-shaped house while the other wing shows off the master retreat, a bedroom separated by a fireplace from a reading room that houses Sandra’s large collection of books — she is a former English teacher — which in turn opens onto the back of the home.

The staircase to the second floor has become a family photo gallery, both recent and historic. One photo was taken of Sandra and her sister as small children. A collection of crosses, most gifted to Sandra, are displayed on walls and shelves.

Tim and Diane Connor Home, 5304 Walnut Lane, Colleyville: A feast for the senses.

The one-of- a-kind cowboy wreath on the front door of the Connor home only begins to hint at the feast for the senses that awaits inside. Santa Fe and a love for fine art define the eclectic décor. Paintings stretch nearly to the ceiling and the warm colors of the Southwest dominate.

Over the years the Connors have owned their home and have totally customized it. Scarcely a space has remained untouched. The front door was handmade from a 100 year-old cyprus and features layered 3D glass inserts. The living room fireplace is a creation of concrete and copper.

In the guest rooms, the Connors replaced the doors to the adjoining bath with top-hung sliding doors. The bathroom mirror was replaced with a sand-basted creation and even the shower doors are a work of art.

Diane defines herself as a collector and has filled every room with Christmas for the holiday. Her collection of Lynn Haney Santas are scattered throughout. The corner of the dining room is home to a nearly life-sized Santa with a deer and a snow-covered tree. Stockings hang by the family room fireplace and tables hold collections of snow globes, sparkly animals, Christmas balls, and nutcrackers.

The family room features an unusual bar fashioned from acid-washed steel and formica and a ceiling fashioned in Taos, N.M. The back guest room just beyond this bar is filled with memorabilia from the Connors sponsorship of the Defenders of Freedom, an organization that supports post 9-11 service people. Their home, especially the back guest room, is filled with notes and letters of appreciation from some of the individuals whose lives they have touched In the guest room, the arch over the window is a wagon wheel with the spokes turned to angles.

Instead of a traditional ceiling light in the living room, the Connors have placed an upside-down colored glass dome. The walls of this room are painted with an oversprayed color that graduates to lighter shades at the top and on the ceiling. A special piece of art is a framed viola — one is beaded and lavishly painted.

David and Teri Larsen Home, 7013 Westmont Drive, Colleyville: Holiday sparkle.

When Teri Larsen decorates for Christmas, everything sparkles — and David Larsen claims he sparkles, too, as the glitter seems to be everywhere and often rubs off on him.

As the Larsens love to entertain family and friends, the holidays provide a palette to entertain their guests. A collection of wreaths has been placed in various places on the front of the house. The graceful curving staircase and upstairs railing are wrapped with garlands and each of the three fireplace mantles throughout the home is lavishly decorated to coordinate with the rest of the room. Teri puts up five trees, each distinctive and special.

A large traditional tree in tones of red and gold fills a corner of the two-story living room. The same area is home to a pencil tree in rust, copper and gold, a tribute to nature. The family room is graced by a blue and silver tree — it is not a Cowboy tree but reflects Teri’s love of the colors. An upside down tree hangs over the octagonal kitchen island in the middle of the kitchen.

A very special angel tree upstairs was created by Dana Zents, a dear friend of Teri’s, for her mother, Glenna White, who recently died. The angel tree is decorated with lace, crystal, angel wings and a halo. Teri has given the tree a place of honor to honor her friend’s mother.

A teenaged girl’s dream accessed down a private hallway and up a few stairs, the upstairs bedroom of the Teri’s daughter Carley is a treat of teal, black and white. Many of her treasures displayed on narrow shelves on one wall glitter as well. And Teri has created a special teenage tribute tree to match the colors in the room for her daughter to reflect the joys of her high school years.

But there is much to see in the Larsen home in addition to Christmas. David, a radiologist, avidly collects art with a special eye for young artists in the early stages of their careers. More than 40 paintings hang throughout the home and reflect his interest in landscapes, wildlife and portraits. He has spent more than 20 years patronizing art galleries and art shows to amass his collection.

McFarland Home, 2002 Caspian Lane, Colleyville: A chic winter wonderland.

When Kelly McFarland and her decorator set out to furnish and embellish her new home, this mother of twins wanted a feminine home fit for a princess. Crystal chandeliers, soft colors, lavish draperies and bedding and carefully chosen art have turned this home into a habitat fit for modern royalty. Much of the vision for this home comes from decorator Susan Gage of Susan Gage Designs and her partner, Lori Palmer, who have not only worked with Kelly to create her home but have decorated it for the holidays.

The entry and formal living room of the McFarland home has become a winter wonderland of white, champagne and platinum with crystal accents, starting with the delicate Schonbek crystal chandelier in the foyer. A tall pencil tree embellished with crystal balls, bouquets, jeweled flowers and elaborate ribbons stands by the staircase. Garlands of pearls and crystals adorn the tree, mantle, and stair railing. White mink stockings hang ready for Santa. In the adjoining dining room, the dining table is set with pavé crystal deer, white flowers, candlesticks and a white mink runner.

The heart of this home, the family room and kitchen area, are highlighted in accents of aqua — aqua glass art high above a doorway and a set of abstract paintings by artist Blakely Bering. Complementing this scheme, a massive 14-foot tree is clad in tones of aqua, brass, pewter and mercury and includes various angel wings, vintage and transitional ornaments and bouquets of icy branches, adorned ribbons and amaryllis.

Upstairs in the domain of the 7-year-old twins, their spaces reflect their personalities and interests. A wall-sized mural highlights the purple and pink little girl’s room. Down the hall, her twin brother’s room is fit for a super hero, as masculine and strongly colored as his sister’s is soft and feminine.

Finally, the backyard provides the perfect setting for royal entertaining. Two covered structures shelter a seating area on one side of the pool and an outdoor kitchen on the other. A rarity, this is the second home Kelly has put on the tour.

This story was originally published January 3, 2017 at 11:38 AM with the headline "Colleyville’s Holiday Theme Home Tour offers 5 times the fun."