Laura Dowling Designing Christmas: Practical Tips for Festive Decor

A master how-to class creating unique holiday decorations - for table settings, trees, wreaths and more - by the former Floral Director at the White House.

Laura Dowling is an expert floral designer artist who combines French-inspired designs with the wildness of nature to create romantic floral arrangements. In her book, she shares her process for creating a beautiful Christmas at home, drawing inspiration from Paris, her experience as White House floral designer, and nature. She provides practical tips on how to incorporate holiday decor in phases using 10 favorite elements and showcasing 10 different design schemes, including a vintage Parisian theme and an Italian-style motif. Whether you want to add subtle touches or go all out for the holidays, Laura’s book offers inspiration tips and tricks, and step-by-step instructions for making your home festive and beautiful.

As the Chief Floral Designer for the White House from 2009 - 2015, Laura Dowling enhanced the historic White House rooms with garden-style flowers and was the creative director of the iconic Christmas that captivated visitors from across the country each year. From conceptualizing elaborate White House decor schemes that carried out the First Lady’s to currently envisioning inspiring vignettes for iconic venues and celebratory fetes across the country, Laura’s timeless designs exude an elegant exuberance that is both charming and approachable. In Designing Christmas, she describes her vision for creating and sharing beautiful, festive and memorable Christmas splendor at home. In addition to her writing and design platforms, Laura travels the country as a featured speaker, delivering entertaining talks and flower demonstrations as one of only a few Chief Florists in White House history.