» Deck the halls: A house tour is one of the best ways to get an inside look at great interior design. Even better is a holiday tour—a yearly opportunity to pick up tips on everything from furniture choices and space layout to trimming the tree and decking the halls. The Chestnut Hill Community Association’s 2008 Holiday House Tour gives hundreds the chance to eyeball five of the historic area’s most spectacular residences decorated by some of the most reputable local designers, florists and garden clubs. From 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Dec. 6, five homes—all within walking distance of one another—will be open for your perusal. Those selected for the event include a brick colonial revival mansion, a 1920s French/Norman stone cottage designed by architect Samuel Marshall, an English country Cotswold manor house with carved stonework, brick chimneys and a gabled slate roof, and a Georgian revival mansion that’s part of one of Philadelphia’s grandest, most historically significant estates.
Tickets available at chestnuthill.org or the day of the tour at Christ Ascension Church, 8300 Germantown Ave., Chestnut Hill. For more information, call (215) 248-8810.