“My friends say I have the Christmas house,” says Jane Everitt-Walker. “I love white and cream mixed in with shots of red and some grass-green accents.” And that's her year-round decor. For the holidays, Everitt-Walker simply plays up the red and green, and presto-picture-perfect Christmas.
But Christmas isn't only about appearances. What really makes this Port Stanley, Ontario, house a holiday hit is that the family who lives here has heart. In addition to Jane, her husband Mark Walker, their son Justin (23, and now in his own home) and 12-year-old daughter Robin, the Everitt-Walker clan also includes two rabbits, two dogs and two horses. Of these, one dog and one horse were rescued by the family from situations of neglect. Says Jane: “My husband asks, Jane, what is this? Noah's Ark?”
That Jane's nature is to nurture is obvious, even in her decorating. “The biggest compliment is when guests say, ‘I feel so comfortable in your house,'” says Jane. Though she somewhat jokingly refers to herself as “a former social worker with a flair for decorating,” it's true that her current work, as a designer and co-owner of the Port Stanley decor shop Joshua & Company, marries her past and present careers. To Jane, decorating a home is about creating a haven, a place that supports and enhances the real living that goes on there.
Her 1867 Georgian farmhouse illustrates the philosophy beautifully, especially during the holidays, when its warm character is particularly tangible. “We have a very relaxed house,” says Jane, which makes it a perfect setting for casual country Christmas gatherings. For the Everitt-Walkers, that includes everything from numerous intimate family meals, like a simple, hearty Christmas Eve dinner and a leisurely Christmas Day brunch, to bigger events, like a Boxing Day dinner for 20 extended family members.
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