Cheekwood’s Whimsical Holiday Delight
By Dominique Paul
For 2024, Cheekwood Estate and Gardens have teamed up with former White House Floral Designer, Laura Dowling, for their annual Christmas installation. With a theme of “Gifts of the Garden,” the entire display is a luscious, French-inspired fever dream that feels magical and transcendent.
Upon entering the grand foyer of the mansion, I was greeted with a colorful Italianate-inspired tree and matching garlands. The gold and plum hues complimented the foyer’s tapestry, giving the whole space a cohesive always-been-there vibe. It was a warm fall day, but I instantly felt as though I’d stepped into another world. I was then introduced to the designer herself who graced my team with a personal tour of the installation she had just moments ago put the finishing touches on.
“We’ve been working non-stop for the last two weeks,” Laura tells me, seeming both relieved and inspired all at once. As we ascend the staircase to the second floor, Laura points out a cherub at the top of the tree. “See the gold berries?” she asks, “those are supposed to be bubbles that he’s blowing from his trumpet.” The cherubs serve as a sort of whimsical foretelling, setting the stage for the rest of the house: Prepare to be delighted, they seem to say. As a patron of the arts, it’s the moment you know you are in the good and thoughtful hands of someone who truly loves what they do.
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However, Laura Dowling didn’t always lean in to her artistic instincts. Her mother and sister were both artists, but Laura took a more structured path. Originally from Washington, Laura received a Bachelor’s Degree in political science and a Master’s in public administration from University of Washington in Seattle. She was working as a Strategic Communications Manager in Washington, D.C. when a trip to Paris changed her life.
“I was so taken with the French style of floral arrangements. I just remember thinking that’s what I should be doing,” Laura said. But Laura didn’t quit her day job just yet. Over the course of the next decade, she returned to France again and again to study floral design. You can see the French influence throughout her work. She is known for her contemporary and romantic style of flower arranging, featuring free interplay between flowers, floral boughs and branches, berried twigs and leafy vines. “I’m very inspired by gardens and the free form of nature,” she says.
Being the only florist in the D.C. area with this style helped Laura build her business in the early days. She worked out of her kitchen and word spread quickly. Then, in 2008, after the resignation of the previous chief floral designer, the White House commenced a nationwide competition to find their next florist. Laura’s husband encouraged her to enter the search. “It was many interviews over several months, including with then First Lady, Michelle Obama. I talked about how we can tell stories through flowers. I think my strategic planning and communications background really helped me in this process.”
In the fall of 2009, Laura found herself among the final three finalists and tasked with creating the floral arrangements and décor for a White House state dinner for India. “We had apple green silk table cloths, fuchsia flowers and orchids with gold accents. It’s still one of my favorite arrangements.” Apparently, the Obamas agreed, and Laura was hired.
From 2009 to 2015, Laura served as Chief Floral Designer at the White House where she managed the floral design for thousands of official events, including state dinners, parties, receptions and large-scale installations, such as the Fourth of July, Halloween and the iconic White House Christmases. Since leaving her post at Pennsylvania Avenue, Laura has authored five books, including the brand-new Designing Christmas, and travels across the world giving lectures, teaching workshops and creating installations such as the one at Cheekwood this Christmas.
“We spent a year planning for this,” said Laura. “I came to Cheekwood last December and just walked the halls. I really drew my inspiration from the colors in the rooms and the wonderful light that fills the spaces.” Each room in the mansion is decorated with lush and lively holiday trees, boughs and arrangements that truly tickle one’s fancy. The library has a Huntsmen theme of rich burgundies and greens, with trees topped with reindeer heads made from pistachio shells. The loggia feels like a French promenade with its three citrus-themed trees, one made from real ferns and green poinsettias. But, if I had to pick a showstopper, I would say the dining room made me positively swoon.
“The dining room is probably my favorite,” says Laura. “It’s just very me.” The black and white checkered floor and pink walls of the dining room come to life with an exuberant display of pink and blue flowers and ornaments on the trees, boughs and arrangements. The room feels youthful and vibrant. “You can almost imagine Marie Antoinette eating here,” she says, adding that she specially ordered the whimsical butterfly-clad Versace china for the dining table to compliment the holiday décor.
There are several rooms to behold in the mansion, and I don’t want to spoil all of them for you. Suffice to say that touring the “Gifts of the Garden” display this season is on our list of holiday must-do’s. On Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays from December 3rd through January 3rd, you can enjoy a docent-led tour of the mansion followed by a special holiday-inspired afternoon tea service at Café 29. And, during the first week of December, Laura will be on-site giving lectures, workshops, and signing copies of her new book.
When I asked Laura if she had any advice for hopeful creatives, she said, “Find the thing that really speaks to you and do it. You don’t have to upend your life to make it happen. You can build it on the side until you’re ready to jump all the way in.”
Wise words from a woman whose second act has taken her all the way to the White House and beyond.
