The handmade stockings on Kathy Hogan Trocheck’s mantel gave her a gift that means everything to an author.
Trocheck, who writes under the pen name Mary Kay Andrews, faced writer’s block as the deadline approached for her 2016 novel, “The Weekenders.” Unable to put words on paper, she craved a creative outlet.
“I was supposed to be working on ‘The Weekenders,’ but I was blocked,” she said. “I got this crazy idea that I would make Christmas stockings out of blankets.”
Trocheck used old wool blankets and thrift store sweaters to piece together the stockings and ultimately restore her literary focus. Now, the stockings join vintage collectibles and estate sale treasures in her cottage, which is on the 24th annual Avondale Estates Christmas Tour of Homes on Dec. 11, from 3-8 p.m.
“The story of my holiday decorating is if Ralph Lauren was trapped in a 1950s Woolworth, this is what it would look like,” Trocheck said.
Snapshot
Residents: Tom and Kathy Hogan Trocheck. Kathy, who also writes under the name Mary Kay Andrews, is a New York Times best-selling author, and Tom is an industrial development consultant.
Location: Avondale Estates
Size: About 3,700 square feet, four bedrooms, three bathrooms
Year built/bought: 1926/2014
Architectural style: English cottage
Credit: Christopher Oquendo Photography
Credit: Christopher Oquendo Photography
Renovations: In August 2016, they completed a kitchen remodel and expansion with subway tile backsplash (from Walker Zanger), marble countertops (from Atlanta Kitchen), two sinks and an island with a wine refrigerator. Because they've renovated kitchens in other homes, they splurged this time on a Wolf range. The range hood is supported by antique corbels. They also turned a pass-through between the dining room and old kitchen into a butler's pantry by Pearl Custom Cabinets.
Design consultants: Interior designer Clay Snider, floral designer Kevin Hotelling, kitchen designer Robin Pittman, contractor Heriberto Lopez
Interior design style: Eclectic hoarder traditional, as she describes it. Readers may recognize her love of estate finds and antiques in Weezie Foley, a character in her books set in Savannah. "In those books, Weezie buys and sells and collects the things that I like. I don't know if Weezie influences me, or if I influence Weezie. One of the things that attracts me to vintage and antique things is they have stories, and even if I don't know the stories, I make them up," she said.
Favorite holiday decor elements: Vintage holiday decorations, including snowmen, Shiny Brite glass ornaments, bottlebrush trees, pixies and Santas.
Credit: Christopher Oquendo Photography
Credit: Christopher Oquendo Photography
Resources: Furniture and lighting from Stanton Home Furnishings, Scott Antique Market, RH and Ballard's Backroom, as well as estate and yard sales. Custom lighting by EllaHome and The Big Chandelier; fixtures from Circa Lighting. Fabric from Lewis & Sheron Textiles and Ralph Lauren.
Decor tip: She mixes garden greenery, like magnolias (some spraypainted), cedar, holly, nandina, ivy and dried hydrangeas, with items such as giant ponderosa pinecones and antlers for her centerpieces and garland.
About the Author
