Behind the Scenes of Celebrity Holiday Homes

I hope everyone had a chance to catch the final airing of my holiday special! If not, you can still watch it online here. Kathie, Brian with HGTV, and the whole crew at Al Roker were great collaborators, so thank you to all of them for including me in the project! Working in props at Food Network, then doing the Halloween special in October, I've found that knowing what goes on behind the scenes is almost always just as entertaining as what's on screen. So before there was this...

or this...

...there was this. 

And lo: "We Three Trees of La Quinta," the hotel my crew and I stayed at in Stamford, CT during production.  

On a normal day, a "suite" at the La Quinta might look something like this... 

Ours, however, looked more like Craft Central with rented chairs and tables so my team could turn out Christmas...in September. 

It took a village to pull off this production: As our intern Meagan turned shirts into ornaments, friends Amy and Michael tied bows for the tops. There's Mom wrapping gifts with white paper and ribbon, while Jaithan prepped wreaths with pine cones and baubles. The stockings I made with green felt and glue with monograms for the GIffords in gold. Who knew the La Quinta could feel so festive?

So from one grand estate...

to the other we went.

Here's the view from above...    

and a sliver below.

Once there, prep was the name of the game! With only two days of shooting, it was the only way a production like this could have run as smoothly as it did. To begin, here's Mom and I prepping the feather tree with handmade ornaments. Bigger ones to the bottom; smaller at the top. A mix of watery blue plaids and coordinating solids to enhance Kathie's house without breaking the bank.    

Meanwhile, here's Jaithan and Meagan on candy patrol, prepping a sweet buffet in pressed glass compotes I brought from home.   

Places! And we're rolling...wreaths on windows, garland up.

Flash forward to the end, and volià!

Next came the trees. 

Two in all, like dueling firs. So while I tended to this room...  

Jaithan and Meagan took care of the stairs.

Here's the foyer all finished with a tabletop tree and a candy buffet.  

The star my mother made by hand. Such craftiness! I wonder where she gets it.    

Here's a close-up of the candy buffet, thanks to our friends at Hammond's. 

Soon it was time for the Big Reveal. Thankfully, Kathie loved it, especially the plaid shirt ornaments we made by hand. Here I am showing her how we did it.  

And here they are all done! 

Now back to the other room to set the table...

turning a mix of new and old, silver and gold...

into an eclectic and festive table for four. To Creative Candles and Juliska—thank you! 

But before pre-dinner drinks, a gift for Kathie from my home to hers. It's a porcelain plate and spreaders to add to her collection. WIth the room all ready and the guests about to arrive... 

I grab a quick nap... 

before the mayhem begins. Here's Kathie and I welcoming guests with Hodah and Frank sampling sweets. 

Soon it was time for the food and drink, courtesy of Watson's and my dear friend, the unsung caterer, Sue Scully. Her cocktail was a hit and her food divine!

With laughs all around...

and pictures for days...

the show may be over, but the memories live on!

Comments

[Columnist]

Dear Eddie

What one thing makes Chistmas so important for you? Is it ONE thing, or many things? If the latter, what are they?

ATB,

Moi

[thomas]

You really did an excellent job. LOVED the plaid shirt idea... You added something different, unique and modern to HGTV that day. I think I see a show coming your way.

[Janet Grant]

Really enjoyed seeing this. I love the shirt ornaments; so glad the show included a little "how to". You are so very talented! You really deserve your own show! Happy New Year to you both!

[Shandell's]

Love the in depth look into your Celebrity Homes Special. The work you did with the amazing team you have shows.
Divine.

XOXOXOXO

[Kimberly]

I love what you and your team did at the Gifford's home. It looks like their decor is from an 80's Eddie Bauer book and what you did to spruce it up in the colors and design is spectacular. Love your Mother's Star. Once again, well done.

[Jennie larsen]

How awesome!!!! really, can I have your job?, tired and beat and all! Love the fabric covered balls! I just re-did my litte girls room. With a "non- celebrity" budget. Its up on my blog if you care to take a peak. Happy night and rest!

[Gina @ The Shabby Chic Cottage]

What a fun peek behind the scene! Looks like it was a lot of hard work, but you pulled it off beautifully!

[Quinn]

You did wonders there! My favorite were the shirt balls. My opinion of Kathie Lee sure plummeted though. She seemed to be in a snit about something - it would have been nice to see a shred of enthusiasm.

[Delores]

I really enjoyed seeing the behind the scenes prep for the show. I watched it two times and love how you transformed the house. I can't wait to try the shirt ornaments. --Delores

[Sarah]

Can't believe you were in my hood and I didn't even know it. The house looks fabulous. I've always liked having Kathie Lee in Riverside, but never knew what the inside of her house looked like. Kudos.

[Liz @ Shorely Chic]

Thank you for letting us in behind-the-scenes! My mom and I were watching this in my little home around the corner in Darien, CT and were dying over this episode, you do SUCH great work!

I'd love to see you in CT again sometime soon!
Liz

[Karena]

Great job, I will watch the video, What a superb design team!

[Vicki Archer]

Fantastic decorations...So much hard work by all your team but so worth it. I love your mother's star....xv

[liz aiello]

What a fun post Eddie! Thanks for sharing. I just LOVE that your MOTHER is one of your elves. What a great mom!!

[meaghan]

the show was so great eddie!! LOVE this behind the scenes look ;-) her home is ginourmous!!!

[thezhush]

Another wonderful post. Those flannel shirt ornaments were not only perfect for Kathie Lee's Greenwich home, but would look equally great all year round displayed in a large bowl on a coffee table or book case. Should you decide to add them to your shop, I would scoop them for sure!

[RenovationTherapy]

Yay Mrs. Ross!

[Melissa]

Wow. That's pretty amazing-- and exhausting! Every little detail was just perfect-- natch!

[Nancy Ellison]

Thank you so much for sharing with us! Love the pictures and you!
nancy

[kathysue]

Eddie and Jaithan, this was such a fun look behind the scenes. I am exhausted just looking at it. I can not imagine how tirelessly you worked. The results were amazing and I am sure KLG loved it all. Great Job, Now HGTV we want an Eddie Ross weekly show. Kathysue

[Ruth Bodycott]

Hi Eddie, I was surfing some art blogs,visiting some links listed on each and happened on your link thru Michael Hampton's from Wash.,DC. Being an obsessive fan of HGTV, I was immediately intrigued to see just what your description of behind the scenes of celebrity holiday homes might offer. Have to say it intrigued me all the way thru. The photos perfectly explained what you described. Great accompaniment. I call what was nice, a little too busy & a little fussy, a transformation to chic and cleverly heartwarming. Kathy Lee will keep most of what you did, I'm sure (minus the Christmas trees, etc.) as a redo of this space. Kudos to you and your team for a lovely turn of the decor.

[sheista]

Thanks for sharing. I enjoyed that as much as the segment!

[KG]

I didn't think it all would happen effortlessly but that looked exhausting!!! what a lot of time,effort and creativity goes into a project like this. Thanks for showing us the 'nitty gritty'. Love the shirt project too - all that crafting and talent obviously runs in the family!

[Kasey at Thrifty Little Blog]

I love a good look behind the scenes! I can't imagine how crazy that La Quinta must have been... but everything looked amazing!

[Jay]

Eddie, Did HGTV give you a budget to work with?

[ABCOroville]

Thanks for the peak at the real work. It all seems seamless on TV.
Preparation is the key. You have a great team. Happy New Year.

[Jennifer @ Fiddle Dee Dee]

Thank you for sharing behind the scenes. I know you spent a lot of time coming up with your plan as well as putting it into action. And good help is always a plus. It seems you have a perfect team. It all turned out so lovely and made for a gret special on HGTV! Now you just need a weekly show! =) I hope you guys enjoyed a wonderful Christmas holiday.

Looking forward to Atlanta next week!
Jen