Take a Tour of a Vintage Holiday Home

Walking into Robin Gilmore’s home during the holidays is like walking into a Christmas wonderland, with layers upon layers of antiques, ribbon, figurines and ornaments galore. Every corner sparkles, and every vignette draws you in for a closer look. It’s no surprise Gilmore’s love for Christmas runs so deep; Christmas Day happens to be her birthday as well. “I’ve always loved Christmas,” says Gilmore. “My mother and grandmother were very artistic, and my mother owned The Dollhouse in Branson in the ’70s and ’80s.” This is when Gilmore began collecting some of her ornaments. In fact, she still has ornaments she collected when she was 16. Her talent for decorating, crafting and designing may have been sparked by her mother and grandmother, but she’s been cultivating her skills during her long career as a maker and shop owner. “I’ve had showrooms in New York, Atlanta, Los Angeles, Dallas, Kansas City and Denver,” she says. “I’ve sold to every department store, and even to Martha Stewart.”

Gilmore’s love for antiques is at the root of most of her Christmas decor in her home, and she mixes them into her holiday decorations. “I just layer and layer, then I step as far back as possible and try to eye things until it’s right,” says Gilmore.

Her unique talent of displaying treasures in thoughtful ways stands out to anyone lucky enough to tour her holiday home. Some of her collections include old quilts, religious art, ceramic sardine boxes and vintage music boxes. And so many quilts—including one she created from a piece of quilt that’s more than 150 years old and was made by Daniel Boone’s aunt. It’s draped over her white slipcovered French sofa in the home’s formal living area.

In the same room sits her beloved flocked Pisten pine tree, adorned with Chinese lanterns and pagodas, tiny Eiffel Towers and pink sparkly fruits. Large wooden paint brushes stick out near the top of the tree, a nod to her love of creativity and art.

Gilmore’s fireplace is filled with antique violins, garland and pink velvet ribbon, and the mantel is adorned in sparkly pink foliage. “I’ve always been drawn to pink,” says Gilmore. “The Carriage House we used to own was all done in pink, and I loved it.”

Across from the living room, Gilmore’s formal dining room sparkles and draws you in like a moth to a flame. The silver foil wallpaper and antique chandelier set the tone, and the magical displays in her china hutches and on her table feel opulent and very Victorian. Her table is set immaculately, with layers upon layers of tinsel, antique birdcage music boxes, sardine boxes from Austria, candlesticks, and of course gorgeous pink china. Gilmore uses antique wrist watches as napkin rings and litters the table with gold candy coins. “My grandkids love the gold coins I put on all the tables,” says Gilmore. “They will all be gone by the holiday, and I’ll have to add more.” The antique buffets in the dining room display glittery villages with churches and town halls. Gilmore adorns them with antique figurines and mushrooms, which add to the vintage charm of the display.

In the kitchen, Gilmore’s collection of blue calico dishes is surrounded by bottle brush trees, and the kitchen dining table is styled in a mix of red, blue and white. The red quilt on the table was her grandmother’s, and the dishes are her Christmas birthday dishes. Gilmore’s kitchen is small and cozy, with gingerbread houses and antique elves. It’s where she does all her Christmas baking, including lots of sugar cookies—and always a strawberry cake. “I want everything to be homey and over-the-top for my grandkids,” says Gilmore.

If you follow the trail of mushrooms from the kitchen you’ll end up in Gilmore’s sunroom, where she’s been working on her latest Christmas creations: vintage holiday globes. She is always dreaming up new projects to create. “When an idea pops into my head, I just can’t let it go,” Gilmore says.

Around the corner, the den has a more rustic feel than the rest of the home. Leather sofas, bookshelves and her European cloth trees made of red and white feed sacks make the space feel warm and inviting, but the most impressive piece is a life-size vintage television music box that plays a holiday village scene. You can just picture it in a department store window display in the ’50s or ’60s.

It’s true that Gilmore’s Christmas collections are unlike any you will see anywhere else. She’s been collecting her pieces during a lifetime of traveling, constantly seeking out unique and special items to create her magical displays. Sometimes she’ll collect an item for a decade before she has enough to create a display.

Her talent for thinking up ways to dazzle the eye and draw you in is truly remarkable. You can only imagine the magic of a Gilmore Christmas with her 10 grandkids. For Gilmore, preparing for the holiday is as much fun as the holiday itself. “I start decorating right after Thanksgiving and I just layer and layer until I run out of stuff,” says Gilmore. “Well, I never run out of stuff.”