Featured Homes
Primitive Chic
Bundles of baubles trim the nooks and crannies of this vintage Parkville home.
BY
Gloria Gale
PHOTOGRAPHY
Bill Mathews

Miss Marie tiptoes past the lavish tree, daintily brushing it without stirring a branch. Morton, on the other hand, is far less discreet. 

Suddenly, conversation stops as their owner David Boucher hears a crash and heads for the parlor, where his community stray and big bruiser of a tabby have little regard for his holiday embellishments.

Oblivious, Morton comfortably wedges himself under the heavy branches while Miss Marie asks politely to be excused outside.

“You should have seen what this guy did last year when he decided to climb the tree. This year I tied it to the wall to prevent a complete catastrophe,” David says. 

His 8-foot-tall tree is barely visible through a blanket of ornamentation, with only snippets of evergreen peeking out. “It takes a good 20 hours to trim,” he notes.

While it seems unlikely that this tree can be the scaffolding holding up an extensive 4,000-bulb bounty, it’s just one showstopper in the l875 Victorian farmhouse.

“Collecting, as I’ve been doing forever, starts the minute Christmas ends. That’s when I’m out the door to grab whatever ornaments are on sale,” David explains. Although it may be unbelievable that he needs more of any shape, style or color, he insists it’s the joy of the hunt — and the satisfying impact of full-out decoration.

From the front door, a passel of red glass balls intricately knit in tight, blooming clusters winds up the staircase lined with old silvered mirrors.

Studying the scene, David ponders then comments, “It all starts with the garland interspersed with ornaments individually wired. Every room has its own color, which changes annually according to my whim. Next year the staircase will probably be done all in blue.”

The process seems labor-intensive, but David says he’s been making decorative magic so long he’s “gotten it down to a fine art.” The real work was in making the house livable in the first place.

David, along with his 19-year-old son, August, whom he adopted when the boy was 8, have resided in the house for more than a decade and have renovated it to fit their needs.

“I added the kitchen, which is probably the largest room in the house. And, since I love to cook and throw a huge holiday party that has taken on a life of its own, this room is a functional and good gathering place,” he says.  

Other areas of the home are just as inviting and quirky. “I’m really crazy about American antiques,” David says. Thus, the schoolhouse pictures of a stoic George Washington and Abe Lincoln, along with other anonymous portraits, render a spare New England feel to the interior of the green, middle room that David off-handedly calls the “purple couch room.”

In this room, clusters of gold and silver ornaments nest on most surfaces, including trimming thresholds around every door.

David admits the house can’t hold much more. “I still go to flea markets like White Cloud and Greenwood for antiquing, but I’m not as eager as I used to be,” he claims. As it is already, the home is a cozy tribute to primitive chic.

“The furnishings are full of history. It started with my grandmother’s pie safe that is currently in the red room and has progressed to classic milk-painted pieces coated in mustard yellow, barn red, clear blue and various shades of green,” David explains.

Old tin signs and a stained glass window that once graced his grandmother’s Philadelphia home accent the kitchen, along with his signature bouquets of baubles.

The ceiling in the kitchen, strewn with branches and lights, was a creative touch he made just by utilizing fallen tree limbs. “It will all come down, and I’ll start over with a new crop next year,” he sighs. But by the end of the long holiday season (which accordingly starts the first of October), he’s ready to box up the goods. “It’s done as of January 2. Everything gets labeled by color, neatly wrapped and put away until next year when the commotion starts all over again.”   

While his festive handiwork is on display, friends behold the joy expressed in David’s unique creations. In the off-season, the dogs and cats can’t wait for next year’s holiday mischief to commence.