Enchanting Elegance

The holiday mood at Adrian Barber’s home is as warm and comforting as a mug of hot chocolate and as fun as a glass of bubbles. From decorative flourishes to family traditions, it’s all about celebrating in style.

Nestled on a Ganaraska hilltop and surrounded by a forest of native white pine and silver maple, the rural home of Adrian Bar ber and her husband Gerald Smith has a distinctive international flair dur ing the festive season.

Welcome drinks are ser ved in crystal stemware from Versace, a dark-chocolate-dense and jammy Sacher torte is flown in from Vienna, and ornaments the couple have collected on their travels around the globe shimmer w ith festiv it y. “It’s so funny,” says Adrian. “When I asked my designer, Tim Badgley, of Atelier on John in Port Hope, how he would describe my aesthetic he said, ‘comfortable, casually elegant and with a European influence.’”

Indeed. This is a home where sculptures and art gallery-worthy photographs share the space with the couple’s rambunctious fur babies – an American bulldog called Lenny and a mini bull, Gabby. “I think it would be fair to say our lives revolve around Lenny and Gabby,” Adrian laughs. No space is off limits here and that only adds to the convivial charm.
“Our home is very much lived-in and loved, elegant without compromising the things that make a house a home: comfort, pets and function. It’s a reflection of the things we enjoy and it’s all meaningful.” The black-and-white photographs of Mick Jagger, Tina Turner and Ray Charles for instance (all signed originals from acclaimed American photographer Norman Seeff) aren’t just visual show – stoppers. Adrian says, “I really love music and always have a killer holiday playlist or even a live band when we host larger parties, so these are a perfect fit for our home.”

The house, a 3400-square-foot bungalow custombuilt in 2016, sits on a lovely lot that Adrian and Gerald chose for its panoramic exposure. She says, “We get the most amazing views of the sunrise and the sunsets here. And the night skies are phenomenal, especially when the stars are brilliant! It really is our paradise in so many ways.” The setting even boasts a nearby ski hill that’s visible from the road. “I love driving down our street and seeing the ski hill lit up at night. It’s so pretty, especially when they’re making snow – it feels like a cosy Hallmark movie.”

Adrian begins decking the halls at the beginning of November and, like Santa, has a bit of help with the preparations. “Sian Pritchard is purely nothing short of a remarkable holiday whisperer,” she says. Sian, a horticulturalist, willow artist and teacher based in Grafton, has been working closely with Adrian for eight years, managing the garden yearround and pulling out all the stops for outdoor holiday planters, winter-scapes and indoor displays. “Sian enhances my indoor vignettes of faux and fresh greens with her special-ordered greenery, which is always somehow much lusher and livelier than mine. She knows how to perfectly add abundance and volume and then layer in fun, imaginative touches, like holly, to make everything magical and bright.”

“We get the most amazing views of the sunrise and the sunsets here. And the night skies are phenomenal, especially when the stars are brilliant! It really is our paradise in so many ways.” ADRIAN BARBER

While always cheery and jubilant, the holiday décor can’t be pinned down. Adrian says, “It changes yearly, depending on what I’m inspired by or what the Christmas party theme is.” To be sure, Christmas parties at Adrian and Gerald’s are more than a bowl of mixed nuts and a mug of eggnog. Smaller dinner parties might include prime rib or roast turkey and a table set with those Versace glasses and matching china, while larger shindigs are themed bashes held in the home’s expansive lower level. “We hire caterers, bartenders and always have a list of signature drinks,” says Adrian (last year’s quaffs were White-Cranberry Cosmos and Christmas Old Fashioneds). “There’s a band and the live music is often themed, again, to the party. One year, we did Elvis’s Christmas in Hawaii, another time the theme was European Christmas markets.” It’s clear an invitation to a Barber-Smith holiday soirée is not to be passed up. “I think that’s the magic of Christmas,” says Adrian. “Walking in the front door, seeing a beautiful tree all lit up and gathering family and friends together for fun holiday cheer.”

Lucky guests know that when they arrive the candles will be lit and twinkly and the air will be fragrant with woodsmoke and the foresty notes of Adrian’s favourite seasonal scent: Festive Fir, which she has burning in one of her go-to Maison Berger Lampes. They also won’t be surprised to see anywhere from three to five fully decorated Christmas trees sprinkled throughout the space. “I like a tree on each level inside and also one in our outdoor cabana,” says Adrian. “The basement tree is themed to any party we are hosting and is always more whimsical and fun. The cabana tree gets inspiration from nature: owls, deer and hydrangeas from my gardens. And the main living room is where I keep it formal – a tree adorned with lovely collected glass ornaments. I add ribbons and some store-bought ornaments that might change year to year, but our glass always remains.”

Guests know that when they arrive the candles will be lit and twinkly and the air will be fragrant with woodsmoke and the foresty notes of Adrian’s favourite seasonal scent: Festive Fir.

Lavishing festive touches throughout her home, even in unexpected spots, is a signature of Adrian’s. Railings are festooned with luxuriant, be-ribboned garlands, window sills are gussied up with tiny potted firs, even the kitchen island becomes centre stage for a reindeer display. “I feel the kitchen is a showpiece in our home,” she says. “In an open-concept design like ours, I like to unify the spaces and add interest with seasonal décor. I want the whole house to feel like Christmas, whether it be a bedroom, a fireplace mantle or, yes, even the kitchen counter.”

The unifying brief extends to the property’s three separate outdoor entertaining areas – a treat yearround and a coup for winter get-togethers. “We like to use our home to the most of its abilities, often hosting indoors and out. During the holidays, I want to incorporate a cosy fire wherever possible.” Flame fans are spoiled for choice with a bonfire pit in the yard, a propane fireplace on the dining patio and a well-fed log-burning fireplace in the cabana. All are shifted into holiday mode with festive embellishments like table centres, mantel garlands and, in the cabana, that nature-inspired tree replete with playful owl ornaments.

It’s clear Adrian is passionate about holiday décor and clearly not resting on her holiday laurels (or pine boughs), evolving the aesthetic and constantly switching up looks. There are, however, two traditions that are impervious to design whims: one is well-established and the other, relatively new.

The Sacher torte that is flown in directly from Vienna each December marks the established one. Austria has personal meaning for Adrian. Her brother was born there and it held a special place in her mother’s heart. “My mom came to Canada during the Hungarian Revolution,” she says. “The hardship of war was very much a reality for her, and it fostered an appreciation for finer European things that were meant to be savoured. She loved Austria and she loved her Sacher torte, which is why it is always a part of our holiday.” It’s something the couple’s son Isaiah, 24, who lives in Ottawa and spends every Christmas with his parents, appreciates. “When Isaiah was a boy, I took him to Austria so he could see where his uncle was born and also discover one of his grandmother’s favourite places. This cake is a sweet reminder of our family history.”

The new tradition requires no international flights as it is much closer to home, in fact just steps out the front door. “Our street does a yearly Christmas Crawl, where each house offers a cocktail and appetizer,” says Adrian. “It’s a themed event and has become one of the highlights of our year. It’s really such a special and fun way to build relationships and get to know our neighbours.

“You asked what I like most about my home and, maybe, it’s actually my neighbourhood and the people who live here.”