Margy Richter’s Main Street Marvel Is Teeming with Christmas Cheer

Text by Holly Seng

There’s no shortage of Christmas cheer when it comes to Margy and Eldon Richter’s home, built in 1890 and located in a small town just outside of Salt Lake City, Utah. “Christmas is my favorite holiday, so I just deck out the whole house,” says Margy. “The home has so much character anyhow that you can just have fun with it.”

The fun begins before guests even step inside the home, with an enchanting front porch display featuring white Christmas trees the couple crafted from recycled doors. Conveniently, the doorknob even functions as a place to hang a greenery-filled bucket accessorized with a festive plaid bow.

Inside, Margy’s creativity shines through the new motifs she thinks up for her tree decorations each year. With anywhere from four to nine trees on display, she notes one is sure to take on a natural theme. Rustic woods and wintry whites bring subtle woodland vibes to the living room, where dashes of green—Margy’s favorite color—accent the neutral furnishings.

The couple repurposed a vintage dresser, a lucky thrift store find, into a coffee table. After cutting off four inches from the legs, Margy painted it a gentle green hue so it would stand out against the white-and-beige backdrop. “It’s kind of nice that it has storage, too—especially being in an old, small house,” she says.

The soothing scheme continues into the dining room, where subtly scalloped dishware inspires a simple yet sophisticated setting. Beyond the candlelit table, Margy and Eldon used premade cabinets to build a window seat flanked by shelves made to look like built-in features. The expansive window seat serves as the perfect spot for Margy to sit with her two dogs. “It’s my favorite place to hang out because I can see what’s going on outside,” she says.

In the primary bedroom, a trio of wreaths imparts a festive flair to the accent wall covered with wallpaper that takes on the appearance of whitewashed brick. To give the bed a more vintage appeal, Margy added a footboard and extended the headboard by 8 inches, painting the completed frame a soft gray. At the foot of the bed, a cedar chest, passed down from Margy’s grandmother, anchors a snowy village vignette.

Departing from the rest of the home’s neutral palette, the guest room showcases Margy’s more whimsical approach to design. For the bedding, she brings a playful spin to the classic red-and-green combo by mixing a variety of plaid prints. “I think because one [pattern] is light and the other has a dark background, they work together,” she says.

The accent wall for this room centers around an electric heater, which blends in with the black mantel and wall. To give this feature additional character, the couple incorporated box molding and built a faux fireplace using material that had previously served as headboards for the twin beds. A swag of greenery, knit stockings, and red lanterns infuse the scene with country charm. Instead of relying primarily on ornaments, Margy decorates the flocked tree with signs that convey the season’s merriment and the oversize wooden snowflakes found throughout her home.

Thanks to Margy’s ability to bring new life to old pieces and imagine innovative designs, no two Christmases at the Richter house are ever the same. “I try to change my decorations every single year,” says Margy. “I might use the same things, but I change where I put them and how I use them.”

To see more of Margy’s style, visit her on Instagram at @theoldhouseonmain.