holiday decorating

holiday decorating

Before and After: A Small Flower Garden Finds a Beautiful New Use

Last week, I toured a Reston family’s home to see their lovely Christmas decorations. You might remember their beautifully inviting outdoor living area near the front door. That space is a new renovation that they recently finished after several weeks of landscape remodeling. You are going to love their transformation. Here is how the front entrance of their house used to look:…

December 21, 2015

Holiday Home Tour: Raquel’s Cozy Family Christmas Decor

It’s time for another holiday home tour!  If you enjoy seeing beautiful holiday decorations as much as I do, you’ll love Raquel’s charming home. She invited me to visit her house and see her sophisticated yet family-friendly holiday decorations. Raquel lives in North Reston with her husband, Dave, and their five-year-old son, Fletcher. She is the President of the Board of Directors…

December 13, 2015

A Restonian Goes to Washington: A Peek inside the White House Holiday Tour

Most of us never get to take the White House Holiday Tour. Luckily, one of our very own Reston residents, Alisa Ades, was able to score exclusive passes and snap some pics with her iPhone to share with us.

December 24, 2014

The Inside Scoop on the Hyatt Gingerbread Village

Every December, the lobby of the Hyatt Regency Reston features an intricate gingerbread village created out of hundreds of pounds of sugar and flour. Visiting the gingerbread village is an annual holiday tradition for many Reston families, and a cherished part of the holiday experience at Reston Town Center. The gingerbread village is a charity fundraiser that…

December 23, 2014

Shopping Reston’s Small Businesses for Handmade Holiday Decorations

When people think of shopping for holiday decorations in Reston, they probably think of Target and Home Depot, and perhaps other chain stores like Pottery Barn or Williams Sonoma. But if you would rather have decorations that don’t look just like your friends’, or you’d like to support local businesses and independent artists, look beyond the chains. There are lots…

December 17, 2014

A Hanukkah Latke Vodka Party: Get Lit While Lighting the Candles!

Bored with child-centric Hanukkah celebrations, Modern Reston co-founder Michelle Schoening and her husband Charlie decided to kick things up a notch this year. With a nod to Michelle’s Russian Jewish heritage and their collective love of swanky cocktail parties, a vodka bar sounded like a no-brainer. After all, it rhymes AND what better way to soak up a strong drink than with…

December 16, 2014

Holiday Home Tour: Allison’s Classic Christmas Elegance

It’s time for another holiday home tour! Home tours are some of my favorite things that we cover here at Modern Reston, and they are especially fun during the holidays. We have featured lush autumn decor and dramatic Halloween decorations in earlier tours. Now we are pleased to present our first Christmas home tour, Allison Romero’s elegant house in North Reston. As you approach…

December 11, 2014

It’s Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christkindlmarkt

[This article is from 2014. For this year’s schedule, refer to our article about the 2016 Reston Christkindlmarkt.] December is finally upon us! With it come the lights, decorations and festive merriment of the holidays. At Modern Reston, one of our most favorite holiday events is the Bundeswehr (German Armed Forces) Christkindlmarkt here in Reston. This year it…

December 3, 2014

Cox Farms at Christmastime: Winter Wonderland and Corner Market

If you have children in Northern Virginia, you’ve probably heard of the Cox Farms Fall Festival. It’s legendary. Each fall, a farm in Centreville transforms into a massive playground with more clever and hilarious details than I could list. It’s absolutely worth the half-hour drive from Reston. Because my family loves the fall festival so much, I…

December 2, 2014

Holiday Home Tour: The Wests’ Incredible Halloween Decorations

A few weeks ago, Dorothy and Duke West invited me into their home to see their lovely and skillful fall decorations. While I was there, they told me that their decorating specialty would actually come a few weeks later, when they would put together an outrageous party display for Halloween. I was excited when they invited me to…

October 31, 2014

Holiday Home Tour: The Wests’ Lush and Surprisingly Affordable Fall Decor

Their front steps overflow with eye-catching autumn color, and the inside of their home is just as lavishly decorated. I’m excited to present our first holiday home tour: the townhouse of Dorothy and Duke West of Whisperwood Cluster in Reston. We look forward to seeing how Restonians decorate for Halloween, Christmas, and other seasonal celebrations. First up is…

October 2, 2014