Friends of the Rochester Hills Public Library Holiday Home Tour

How will you start your observance of the holiday season?

For hundreds of area residents, it’ll be by attending the 2016 Friends of the Rochester Hills Public Library’s Holiday Gala, Home Tour and Boutique.

The fun begins Wednesday November 9 with a gala holiday party Wednesday evening from 6:00 – 8:00 p.m. at Hepplewhite’s Interiors, 322 S. Main Street.

Wine, champagne and appetizers will all be a part of this festive kick-off, which will also fete the homeowners who are opening their abodes four days later. Tickets are $25.

Then on Sunday, November 13 , five area homes — two are in the Stoney Creek Historic District near the Home Tour boutique at the Rochester Hills Museum at Van Hoosen Farm’s renovated calf barn — will be open from noon – 5:00 p.m. Docents will be at each location to guide visitors through and answer questions. Tickets for the home tour and the boutique — separate from the gala tickets — are $25 per person and include a map guiding patrons to the festive sites.

All the homes are highly and uniquely decorated for the upcoming festive season. Tour participants will see a wide-array of décor styles and several one-of-a-kind displays put together by the site hosts. All of them have volunteered to open their homes (and in the instance of the Museum, opening for a rare Sunday event) to let others peek at what usually only close friends and family see.

And at the boutique, eye these offerings to help whittle down your Yule gift lists: Toffee, festive socks, warm scarves, plenty of holiday decorations and many more unique items.

All proceeds go to help raise funds for the Friends, the Rochester Hills Public Library’s volunteer support arm. Friends President Ron Meegan said “We are very grateful to the homeowners and our friends at the Rochester Hills Museum at Van Hoosen Farm who offered to get an early start on their holiday decorating to help the Rochester Hills Public Library. Many local businesses and individuals have donated money to the Holiday Home Tour to help underwrite the cost of the event. Special thanks go to Hepplewhite’s for opening up the store for the kick-off event and to the Crittenton Foundation for providing booties for visitors at each home. The tour presents some truly singular design options and ideas and shouldn’t be missed by anyone who enjoys this time of the year. This has become a signature annual event for the area and we hope everyone will make room on their schedules to take in these seasonally decorated residences.”

Participating has become kind of contagious. Marcia and Al Decker, whose home was a popular stop on the 2014 tour, have convinced a nearby homeowner to offer a display for the second consecutive year.

Tickets for the November 9 Gala and the November 13 Home Tour and boutique sale are available at:

• The Friends Store inside the Rochester Hills Library lobby, 500 Olde Town, Rochester and at http://www.rhpl.org/friends-of-rhpl/special-events. Payment is via Pay Pal or credit card.
• Lytle Drugs, 340 S. Main, Rochester.
• Sharon’s Hallmark, 115 S. Livernois and 3038 Walton Blvd., Rochester Hills,
• Dillman and Upton, 607 Woodward, Rochester.
• Hepplewhite’s Furniture, at 322 S. Main Street

HOME A

This built-in-1966 colonial is 50 years old this year and what better way to mark it than turning it into a House of Trees for the holiday season?

Expect to see seven – count ‘em, seven – themed trees on the main floor. Here’s the roll call:

• A white-needled Art Deco Tree near the home’s baby grand piano
• A pink tree with – you guessed it – pink ornaments
• A Dachshund-ornamented tree to mark the home owner’s favorite breed
• A rare, eye-catching purple needled tree with green, purple and white ornaments
• A patriotic tree done up in red, white and blue ornamentation
• A lavender and cream tree
• A peppermint tree

This home is on display thanks to a 2014 Holiday Home Tour participant who has recruited homes in 2015 and now 2016. That’s keeping the holiday spirit by passing it on.

HOME B

Red and gold

This modern home is elegantly decorated with a traditional red and gold theme. The main tree tops out at 12-feet and features a crisscross ribbon design with a handmade bow topper. Many of the festive accessories are from the Frontgate collection and the eye-catching stockings were handmade by a family friend in the fashion industry.

Think big outside as well. In front of the residence is another tree that requires a rented basket loader to get all its decorations properly positioned. That’s something that should give everyone who views it a rise – pun fully intended.

HOME C

This cozy Cape Cod, nestled in the historic Stoney Creek Village district, is an eye-catcher in and of itself. But Holiday Home Tour visitors will encounter an 8 ft. natural tree decorated with white ornaments. Cast your eyes on the mantel to find more fresh greens creatively gathered and adorned with festive beaded garland.

A walk through the kitchen into what the owners jovially refer to as the East Wing and you will find a smaller whimsical tree decorated with some of the owners’ beautiful Mark Roberts Santa Faeries.

One more treat: Visitors will also get to see a circa-1840 barn on the property that will get an eye-catching display for the season.

Why take part in the event? “We just wanted to make people aware of the beautiful surroundings we enjoy here.” 

HOME D

Now here is a pedigree: This Craftsman-style bungalow, also in the Stoney Creek Historic District, was built in 1917 and was originally the Cook’s House for the Rochester area’s historic showpiece, the Van Hoosen Farm.

So as you might surmise, the owners (since 2004) have worked with a conscious effort to maintain the period and style of the house even when using new materials. Translation? Many Friday night date nights at Home Depot and lost weekends of carpentry, plumbing and electrical work.

So do they take holiday decoration seriously? But of course. Your hosts actually have a fused glass ornament business and will incorporate some of their own ornaments throughout the house and have them available at the boutique. They have been doing his and hers trees for several years; visitors can guess whose is whose. This year, they are looking forward to expanding their traditional decorating to create a Christmas experience that complements the style and period of the house.

HOME E

This sprawling ranch home in Oakland Twp. is a case study in delayed gratification

How’s that? Because of a major remodeling project, the homeowners haven’t decorated for the holiday season for a couple of years. That means 40 bins worth of festive materiel have been in storage waiting for a big rollout in this 4,000 square foot home. And what better happenstance than the Holiday Home Tour to display a life’s worth of Yule trappings.

Expect to be dazzled as everything you see will be getting a new airing in a greatly altered space. And to top it off, your hosts say they’re looking to add lots of new stuff to make up for those lost holidays.