A hip home for the holidays

Maria Christofilis' ability to unearth sophisticated finds among the kitschy madness of the holidays is a testament to the fragrance maven's style and finely honed shopping skills.

Christofilis, the creative director of the Seattle-based scent company Anthousa, splurged on a delicate eggshell ornament adorned with a gold crown and found three Fabergé-like ornaments to decorate her home this holiday season.

But she also headed to Michaels craft store for "the fluff," such as inexpensive ornaments.

Christofilis, whose luxury apothecary and candle collection is carried in high-end stores like Barneys New York and Neiman Marcus, is undeniably stylish in all realms: her clothing, her company and her home.

And when it comes to the holidays and decorating the Madison Park condo she rents, she combines pricier pieces with bargains to pull together a chic look.

Ideas from Maria Christofilis' home:

Pick a color story first, limiting yourself to three main colors.

Hang a wreath or dangle ornaments in front of a large mirror.

If you don't have room for a full-size tree, do a small one on a table with tiny ornaments.

Mix old and new pieces.

Cull ideas while window shopping.

We wanted to see how she does it, so we tagged along on a recent shopping tour of some of her favorite stores, mining her thoughts on how to find deals and sort through the holiday frenzy.

First we had to know why she made purchases like glitzy silver and gold flowers from Michaels. Answer: to match her holiday colors of silver, gold and ice blue. They became graceful filler for her Christmas tree.

In her skilled hands, holiday gaudy disappears and emerges as part of an impeccably designed whole. "When you get it done, it's inspiring to live in a place you like," said Christofilis, 32. "It's so important to have a home that feels comfortable."

A peek inside

Her home, perfumed by candles from her collection, is tastefully decorated with sparkly snowflakes dangling in front of an antique mirror and candles nestling in glass holders. A beaded wreath (another Michaels score) is tied with an ivory ribbon to a mirror above the fireplace.

Her centerpiece consists of white birch-like branches mixed with pussywillows in a tall glass vase partly filled with blue baubles and adorned with a few luxurious ornaments.

In her business, Christofilis draws upon smells from childhood summers in Greece. But for decor, she looks for ideas elsewhere.

"I went to places that are inspiring and beautiful and great," she said.

Her centerpiece was culled from a window display at Ballard's Souvenir. There, owner Curtis Steiner erected birch branches and trunks made from rolled birch bark.

And Christofilis couldn't resist the $85 crowned red eggshell ornament dotted with colorful stones and a fur ruff.

Around town

Shopping resources

Anthousa: www.anthousacollection.com

Christofilis' collection is sold at Great Jones Home, Nordstrom and Barneys New York, all in downtown Seattle; and Essenza in Fremont.

Lucca great finds: 5332 Ballard Ave. N.W., Seattle; 206-782-7337; www.luccastatuary.com/retailGreatFinds.asp

Souvenir: 5325 Ballard Ave. N.W., Seattle; 206-297-7116

Great Jones Home: 1921 Second Ave., Seattle; 206-448-9405

Swansons Nursery: 9701 15th Ave. N.W., Seattle; 206-782-2543 or www.swansonsnursery.com

Pottery Barn: 600 Pine St., Seattle; 206-621-0276 or www.potterybarn.com

Crate & Barrel: 555 Bellevue Square, N.E., Bellevue; 425-646-8900 or www.crateandbarrel.com

Michaels: 3115 Alderwood Mall Blvd., Lynnwood; 425-771-6979 or www.michaels.com

Bert's Red Apple Market: 1801 41st Ave. E., Seattle; 206-322-1330

Her color theme grew from the colors in her living room, but she often finds inspiration at Great Jones Home in the downtown area, which also carries her line.

She gushed over the combination of a chocolate brown chair and lavender pillow, admired a graphic framed Hermes scarf and picked up coasters with a gold brocade design. It was here that she found the encrusted ice-blue ornaments ($29 each) in her centerpiece.

"You come here and get all your color ideas," she said. But several decorating ideas originate with her. She knew she wanted something glittery for the mirror by the stairs and found affordable silver snowflakes ($9-$18) at Lucca in Ballard. She used tacks and fishing line to hang the ornaments from the ceiling, where they sway and sparkle in the mirror's reflection.

Christofilis loves a bargain. She picked up fresh items at Bert's Red Apple Market in Seattle, including an amaryllis for $11.50, wreaths for $12 and garlands.

And she bought basics like the glass base for the centerpiece from Pottery Barn, glittery tree table decorations at Crate & Barrel, and her Christmas tree and poinsettias at Swansons Nursery in Ballard.

A worldly sense of style

Christofilis wanted to sell luxury with Anthousa's apothecary products and candles, and part of that stems from her own appreciation of beautiful objects.

After college, she studied fashion in Italy for two years before starting her own clothing line, Tono Su Tono.

Her sense of style has been honed over her years in Europe, and she loves hunting flea markets. Her collection includes massive mirrors, delicate glass pieces and antique furniture. She tends to limit her purchases to items she loves, which she finds difficult to apply when shopping during a holiday immersed in the culture of "more."

But Christofilis practiced restraint for her holiday decorating this year, buying a few special objects and decorating just three areas of the condo — the dining table, the stairwell and the Christmas tree.

The result is a polished, classy holiday look. It's too easy to clutter space, she said.

"You don't need a lot to make it look pretty."

Nicole Tsong: 206-464-2150 or ntsong@seattletimes.com