Self-proclaimed homebody Anna-lysa Nicholls, the sleek, sophisticated, and well-beloved interior designer, says she will be home for the holidays this year. Actually, she is always home for the holidays. Spending time with her and her family in their well-curated space gives us a crystal-clear idea of why.
On Boxing Day, she will host her annual “Friendsmas” shindig, an intimate gathering of her closest friends to play games, eat and laugh raucously.
Anna (as her friends call her) loves the holiday season’s sights, sounds, smells and tastes. As a creative, it is stimulation for the senses.
However, her creative passion takes a back seat to her main “reason for the season”. For her, it is more about family and friends than it is about the commercial side of Christmas. “I just love the excitement it brings! There is a different feeling with Christmas, much like there is a different feeling with Crop Over. Once you start to hear the Christmas music, the spirit starts to take over. I love to see the pretty lights and the pretty decorations, and I think that it’s more family-oriented, so you get to see and spend time with your family, and that’s what I love most about the season.”
As an interior designer, you would think that this would be her busiest time, but Anna says, “No, please! Don’t call me to decorate any Christmas trees,” with an effervescent laugh.
“I don’t like doing Christmas trees for people. It’s a little bit taxing. A lot of detail goes into it, and because we’re also doing installations for homes, it creates schedule conflicts. If we have a client who wants their tree done while doing their house, that’s fine. There is one person whose tree I do every year without fail, but they’re a family friend.
The importance of family pops up again. Family is a theme that seems ever-present in Anna’s life. Much of her office space is peppered with mementoes from her family. On a nearby bookshelf rests “The Magnolia Story”, a book gifted to her by her mother.
She fondly tells us that her mother likes the house decorated for Christmas. This year, Anna is doing something different. She is adding some Christmas spice to her design mix. Her regular theme of blue and silver will be complemented by green. “I’m changing up the colours because our house is mostly grey and blue. So I’m going to add a pop of colour in there with green. This is the first time I’m doing green on the tree; it’s usually silver and blue.”
Why green, we asked her. In her quick wit, she exclaims, “Money!”, followed by a bubbly giggle. (For this interview, we must note that she is wearing a green jumper paired with a green sun hat. Money is on her mind.)
“I love green. Some people believe that when you do a space in green, it brings a sense of wealth. All of the colours have meaning. I love blue and green together. That’s why I am doing green.”
She has not spilt the beans to her mother yet on her decorative plans for this year. She has been doing the Christmas decorations for the family ever since she was 16 years old. “My mother was a manager at Harrisons and just did not have the time to do it.”
Ever intrepid, Anna took up the challenge. Her mother would return home to find the curtains changed, the Christmas decorations up – she didn’t have to do anything.
Back then, Anna would start with a theme, and if she needed any decorations, she would ask her mother to buy them.
Fast forward almost ten years later to 2020, and she is sprucing up full-time for clients as the Principal Designer of Annalysed Interiors, her very own interior design firm.
For Annalysed Interiors, business is great despite the pandemic, Anna says. “Covid impacted business positively. I got more clients since people spend more time at home, looking at their surroundings and saying, “I need more from my space”. Everybody needs office space at home, and of course, you need your space to be functional. That’s where we come in.”
Speaking of Covid, Anna has some advice on having a fabulous Christmas this year, with less strain on our pockets. “I think the first thing that people have to know is that your house is supposed to be a curation of things that you have collected over the years. It is supposed to tell a story about your life. So you don’t need to go and buy new things, contrary to popular belief. You should only buy something new if you definitely need it.
“Secondly, always start with what you have. Take inventory of your home, see what you have, and create a list of what you need. Not what you want.
Although Anna-lysa enjoys home life with Mom and Dad, she plans to spread her wings and leave the nest. Her dream home is already all planned out. What is it going to look like? Black and white – her favourite colours (and elegant, of course!).
“I’m going to have two huge wooden doors!” she gushed. “Probably stained dark brown, like almost black, opening into a HUGE foyer, which is going to have black floor tiles. Maybe a mirror and some artwork and a console table, which will serve as a drop zone.” She has put some thought into this!
“I just want my house to be functional. It doesn’t need to be big. It just needs to be functional.” Where will most of her budget be going? “Probably in the furniture,” she retorts before bursting into a fit of laughter.
And, how much say will her husband have in this, their dream home? “My husband is going to have a good set of say. I won’t do that; I can’t do that. It’s just that he has to conform a little bit.”
She chuckles loudly with this last bit, but we gather that this future beau will end up having to conform — a lot. “Except on the man cave,” she quips, where she has promised to gift him creative freedom.
While Anna-lysa has the house planned out, she has no plans for her wedding. “I’m not one of those girls who sat down and planned what my wedding dress will be. I only picked my ring.” What does it look like? “It’s a black ring!” she beams, and that is far as she has gotten. As for the big day, “If I could go into court and get married, that’s fine with me, because it’s not about the wedding for me. I just need a couple of my close friends there and my family. And that’s it.”
This perspective encapsulates Anna’s essence in its entirety. A humble family girl with big dreams. Who understands the power of a strong circle built on a foundation of love and support. She left us with this parting bit of home design wisdom.
“Your home design and décor should represent you. It is a place you go when you want to relax. It is your sanctuary to get away from the world. It should bring you peace.”
Well said Anna-lysa, well said. Peace to all for the season from us here at Shopping Sense.
