By Troy McMullen
Photos by Jenn Marticello
Woodbury landscape designer Anna Haines remembers the warm compliments she received from friends, neighbors, and assorted strangers who toured her home during last year’s Woodbury Holiday House Tour. But she says one comment left a lasting impression.
“They said, ‘If I die and go to heaven, I want it to be here, in your house,” Haines recalls, referring to the Yuletide decor she installed inside the saltbox Colonial she shares with her husband and two children. “In a strange way, it was probably the best compliment you could ever receive.”
This Christmas, amid the magic of the season, Haines is again employing her talent for holiday decor. Though she won’t be showcasing her home in any tours, she’s busy helping clients decorate their homes for the season.
From tree designs and tablescapes to garland installations and wreaths, the Connecticut native uses her deft handling of material, color, and texture in helping homeowners express their own distinctive style for the holidays.
“I want to make the whole house feel festive and welcoming,” says Haines, who has lived in Litchfield County for 17 years. “But I also like to push the envelope by not always using traditional colors and themes.”
A landscape designer for two decades—primarily tending the gardens of large estates—she has spent nearly as much time decorating homes for the holidays. She’s also expanding the boundaries of traditional holiday decor by avoiding the over-the-top approach to Christmas decorating. Instead, she introduces more minimalist interior design schemes that find harmony in understated colors, organic textures, and strong, simple forms.
Nature also plays a role in her work, with designs that incorporate elements of the great outdoors; tree branches, wild berries, and acorns adorn many of her interiors. Dried hydrangeas with spray-painted tips give homes a colorful, festive feel.
“It’s important to include some surprises so nothing ever feels too conventional,” she says.
Haines and her husband, Kyle, both grew up in Connecticut and moved back to the state after college. The couple eventually settled in Woodbury, a picturesque town at the southern edge of the Litchfield Hills that they both fell in love with.
They purchased their current house 12 years ago, and set about handling the renovations themselves. Reconfiguring the downstairs, adding kitchen cabinetry and outdoor decks, and building some of the home’s furnishings—including a massive, single-board dining table designed by Haines that her husband handcrafted from an oak tree that fell on the property.
“Doing it ourselves has always been a sort of mantra for us,” Haines says. “We’re very much a DIY family, and like to collaborate.”
That collaborative spirit also extends to the couple’s daughters, Fiona, 11, and Emeline, 8, who join their mom each Christmas season on her holiday decorating projects. “I love that they like getting involved,” Haines says. “It’s so important to get the kids involved, but it’s more rewarding for me and Kyle to know they really enjoy the whole experience just as much as we do.”
