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It was while chairing the 2007 House Tour when she met Lindsay, whose flair for styling caught Harris' eye. "Lindsay has a talent that combines a classic and contemporary design sensibility, and she's great with holiday floral and greenery," says Harris, who invited her to partner on decorating her newly finished home for an early Christmas cocktail party. "I had some ideas," she recalls, "but I knew Melissa could take it to the next level." A couple of weeks, a few trips to Pimlico and some glue guns later, they had winterized the house into an machine-age-meets-tradition celebration—all in time for the big fête.

MA CHERIE AMOUR (click photo for larger view)

Harris and Lindsay used the historic architecture as reference points. In the French salon-style living room, the pastel palette cued the faux-white tree trimmed with Harris' vintage ornaments. "Maybe one or two are from Crate & Barrel," she admits. To balance the spectacle of the tree, Harris built a topiary tabletop Eiffel Tower, using moss, boxwood, lights and colorful balls. A winter scene at the base, complete with a road, glittery hedges and cars, even got a "wow" from the kids. Lindsay styled the mantel with beaded garlands, oversized glass ornaments and sprigs of boxwood. In mercury-glass vases are flourishes of tall, white branches with sparkling birds and feathered tails that add a dramatic sense of height to the space.

A vintage-garden theme played out in the classical Greek foyer, where urns with moss-and-boxwood topiaries add focal points while greenery highlights dramatic candelabras and, of course, the great staircase. The beige and blue tones of the English Regency Chinoiserie dining room is warmed by a festive centerpiece of magnolia leaves and some fur-trimmed deer the same color as the Lillian August velvet dining chairs. In the kitchen, family room and throughout, greenery, red-berry arrangements and poinsettias radiate cheer.

"I like to incorporate what I already have into the holiday decorations," Harris says of the torchères that were wrapped in boxwood and animal statues wearing crowns. "It makes it interesting to combine what you own with some added sparkle." Her own collections of vintage accessories—ornaments, barware, smoking accoutrement and opera glass—were scattered throughout: a red 1950s Christmas ball on the barware tray, mini-binoculars on low tables for the kids to admire.

"We made elegant pieces fun—it wasn't too serious," says Lindsay, whose work is featured on this year's tour. "With the custom built-ins and millwork, the home lends itself to whimsical design."

The big day of Harris' party turned out to be a complete whiteout, and only a few determined guests made it. So they held a make-up party a few days later, and entertained again with family on Christmas. "Needless to say," says Harris, "we got a lot of mileage out of those decorations!"