While you may already recognize Alison Kenworthy as the brains behind the hit Homeworthy media brand, she is also one of our fantastic Holiday Tastemakers this year! Alison is a three-time Emmy Award winning television producer who launched Homeworthy in 2020 after working at ABC’s Good Morning America. Homeworthy, a media brand that showcases how homes shape people’s lives, quickly gained national recognition with over 100 million views and 650,000 online subscribers. Alison coordinates production teams in over 25 cities across the United States and abroad.
The Dogwood Hill team has a weakness for great interiors, so the Homeworthy home tours just so happen to be one of our favorite ways to virtually stroll through homes when we need a bit of creative boost.
Alison was paired with Dogwood Hill artist Shanna Masters who created the beautiful artwork found in Alison’s Holiday Homeworthy Tastemaker Collection. The fireside scenic artwork (shown below) from the collection originated from Alison’s request to include a scene as if it were captured at a fabulous Christmas party. Alison also sent Shanna several images from children’s Christmas books, including Eloise at Christmastime, that inspired some of the bright artwork found in the collection.
Continue scrolling for a preview of Alison’s holiday tastemaker collection sprinkled with Shanna’s whimsical artwork. We also have included our Q&A with Alison. And if, by chance, this is the first time you have heard of Homeworthy, be sure to check out Alison’s Instagram page and TikTok to peruse the hundreds of beautiful home tours she has produced.
You can shop the entire Homeworthy Collection on our website here.
Q&A with Alison:
Which card(s) from your Tastemaker Suite will you be sending out to friends and family this holiday?
Ah! It’s almost too hard to choose because I love everything that Shanna and the Dogwood Hill team created, but the cozy living room scene with the dramatic high ceilings, grand chandelier, gorgeous striped window treatments, roaring fire and beautiful Christmas tree is probably my favorite.
What was the inspiration behind your holiday suite?
I’ve always been drawn to whimsical illustrations and bold and unexpected colors, so for this suite, I loved the idea of pink and red together at Christmastime. I grew up decorating a Christmas tree with lots of wonderful vintage baubles from the WWII era and was inspired by their shapes, colors and patina. I have a horrible sweet tooth so I also liked the idea of including candy canes and other hard candies with pretty wrapping paper.
What was the process like designing your holiday suite with the Dogwood Hill team? What was your favorite part about the process?
Poor Shanna and the Dogwood Hill team received a long list of chicken scratch notes from me along with a massive folder of inspirational images that I sourced from childrens’ books as well as the depths of the internet. They then turned my chaos into a beautiful stationery suite that I couldn’t be more proud of. Watching something come to life from a kernel of an idea was incredibly fulfilling.
What do you love most about the holiday season?
The feelings of excitement and anticipation.
What is your favorite tradition?
I love decorating the tree as a family and having a casual dinner at home with classic Christmas tunes playing like Bing Crosby or Nat King Cole. I live in New York City with my family and also love walking down to Bergdorf Goodman to see the window display and then having dinner at Monkey Bar or someplace else festive.
If you had to pick one holiday movie to use as inspiration to decorate your own house, what would it be?
White Christmas
What is your favorite holiday song?
It’s a song called Christmas Medley by Mel Torme. My parents would always turn on this song Christmas morning which signaled to us three kids that we could race down the stairs to see what Santa Claus brought us.
What is your go-to holiday hostess gift?
A baked good with a frasier fir scented candle or a pretty embroidered tea towel.
What kind of holiday shopper are you – Black Friday, Christmas Eve or year long stasher?
As last minute as you can get.
Are you team real tree or faux tree?
REAL–always and forever!
Are you team white lights or colored whites?
I like both but have a slight preference for white lights. Maybe someday I’ll have space for two trees–one with white lights and one with colored lights, but not as long as I live in New York City!
Card Photography: Mary Margaret Smith