FOR MANY OF US, DECORATING FOR CHRISTMAS INVOLVES ONLY A FEW SIMPLE AND TIME-WORN TRADITIONS, STARTING WITH HAULING IN FLIMSY CARDBOARD BOXES PACKED WITH FAMILIAR ORNAMENTS FROM THE GARAGE OR ATTIC.

Then it’s time to wrestle the tree into position (nope, a little more to the left), untangle strings of lights and then bemoan the inexplicable absence of extension cords.

Not so for Kim and David McPhail of Wexford Plantation, who devised a different plan of attack to celebrate their first official Christmas on Hilton Head. The recent transplants from Charlotte hired a well-known North Carolina designer to transform their luxurious 8,000-square-foot home into a holiday shrine with a theme befitting their new island digs. And there won’t be an infla - able Santa or plastic snowman in sight.

Creating your home sanctuary often begins one furniture piece at a time. Fften choosing and purchasing that first piece can cause unwanted and unnecessary stress for the new buyer.

Remember today’s design is all about personal expression and that means that not all furniture has to match, nor does it have to be bought at the same time. Old and new can work together beautifully, modern and traditional can blend together to create a magnificent look. Fine furniture and fun can work together in harmony to create the perfect room for your lifestyle.

PHOTOS BY CLAYTON GIRARD

RETIREES JIM AND JOYCE LEACH WANTED TO CREATE AND ENJOY A FRENCH-COUNTRY LIFESTYLE IN THE LOWCOUNTRY — SO THEY BUILT IT ON HAWTHORNE ROAD AT COLLETON RIVER PLANTATION IN BLUFFTON.

Technically, Cameron & Cameron Custom Homes of Bluffton did the building, but the three-yearold company brought to life the vision that the Pennsylvania couple had in their creative minds after buying the 0.8-acre “pie-shaped” lot 12 years ago. Dreams do come true when a client and a builder of dreams join forces.

“Nathan (founder and owner of Cameron & Cameron) did a great job,” said Joyce, whose husband recently retired as an executive with Colgate- Palmolive Co. “It exceeded our expectations, and we are really happy with everything … It’s exactly what we wanted.”

THE HOUSE HAS VIEWS, GLORIOUS VIEWS FROM ITS PERCH ON DAUFUSKIE ISLAND: THE ATLANTIC OCEAN TO THE EAST FROM THE FRONT, HAIG POINT GOLF COURSE TO THE WEST FROM THE BACK, WINDMILL HARBOUR AND HARBOUR TOWN TO THE NORTH/ NORTHEAST, AND LOTS OF LIVE OAK TREES TO THE SOUTH.

And it also has more than 75 windows on three stories through which to gaze from any panoramic angle, along with 4,643 square feet of wraparound decks on two levels for prime outdoor vantage points. The contemporary-style home also sits 12 feet high on pilings specifically intended to provide spectacular visual treats.

“It’s got some spectacular views,” said builder Ken Crast, owner of Crast Custom Homes LLC on Hilton Head Island. “It’s a really neat house.”

H2 BUILDERS

H2 Builders is a family owned and operated company that has been building award winning homes in Hilton Head and Bluffton for 20 years. Todd Hawk, President / Owner is a second generation homebuilder that has had a passion for building since he was a teenager working on his father’s jobsites.

What builders build for themselves

PHOTOGRAPHY BY ROB KAUFMAN

Chris and Katie Dalzell, owners of Shoreline Construction and Development, recently built a custom home on Farnsleigh Avenue in Hampton Hall. In addition to creating a home for their family (8-year-old Emma, 5-year-old Campbell and Buster the Golden Retriever), the Dalzells also use the house to tour future clients.

“We want them to be able to see our end product,” said Katie Dalzell, who runs the in-house interior design department of Shoreline.

Dated Palmetto Dunes home now an example for energy efficiency.

Forget for a moment that their abode is a multimillion dollar summer rental separated from the ocean by nothing more than rolling dunes and an elevated swimming pool. The Becker Family from Pennsylvania nonetheless confronted the same questions facing other Hilton Head property owners uncertain about the future of domiciles starting to show their age.

Was it time to consider alternative digs as a recession-battered housing market began to stabilize? Or how about some essential improvements geared at making the place more comfortable and cost-efficient for the long-term future?

AS THE WEATHER HEATS UP, PEOPLE ARE SPENDING MORE AND MORE TIME OUTDOORS. HERE ARE A FEW SUGGESTIONS TO MAKE THE MOST OF YOUR HOME’S EXISTING OUTDOOR AREAS.

Get Jammin’

Enjoy tunes outdoors by having an outdoor sound system installed. If you currently have an indoor sound system, the outdoor system can be added fairly asily. But again, the budget options for outdoor speakers cross a broad cost spectrum. If you don’t have the financial ability to have permanent speakers installed, consider using an mp3 player attached to a portable speaker. This option actually might be preferable if you would like to be able to move the music to different area’s of your patio or yard for different outdoor events. You can even take a portable outdoor speaker to the beach with you!

As you approach River Camp, the Spring Island home of Jim and Betsy Chaffin, the world recedes away from you in layers.

It begins on the main road onto Spring Island, a thin ribbon of pavement winding beside old pheasant fields and under the branches of Live Oaks. The next layer falls when the pavement runs out, and you find yourself on a hard-packed dirt lane, scarcely larger than a car and seemingly transplanted from some far-off rural plantation. And you keep going. Through forests that grow ever denser, you keep going.