Gretchen Rossi and Slade Smiley are living in a winter wonderland! The Real Housewives of Orange County alum took HollywoodLife on an EXCLUSIVE tour of her and her fiancé’s gorgeous home, where she showed off their spectacular Christmas decorations. Every inch of their house is decked out right now and ready for Santa to come visit their one-year-old daughter, Skylar Gray. Follow along in the video above!
The video starts with Gretchen answering the door to her home while wearing a festive, one-shouldered green gown, topped off with a glittering Chanel brooch. She takes HollywoodLife through the rooms of the Smiley-Rossi household, one by one — and each one is prettier than the next, filled with classic nutcrackers, sparkling reindeer, and Santas galore. Gretchen called her all-white dining room her favorite space to decorate in the house.
“I absolutely love decorating this space,” Gretchen says while presenting a table topped with white trees and fluffy faux snow. “I really wanted it to feel like an enchanted forest meets a white winter land, with all of the Christmas trees floating about the snow and the clouds.” In between room tours, Gretchen shared footage of herself and Slade getting into the holiday spirit with little Skylar.
The mom and daughter duo wore matching red dresses complete with mitten pockets as they ran around the house and baked holiday cookies together. You can see the absolute joy on Skylar’s face as she played with dad Slade (who steals a couple cookies himself). What a magical holiday they’ve created for their little girl. And speaking of Skylar magic… Gretchen gave HollywoodLife the very first showing of her daughter’s nursery!
And boy, was it worth the wait. Skylar’s living in Pinterest-worthy digs fit for a princess. “We have worked so hard on this space. We really wanted it to feel really whimsical and beautiful. I absolutely love this wallpaper but it was this dark, deep color,” Gretchen said, displaying an accent wall covered in giant flowers, complete with Skylar’s name in gold. “I wasn’t sure how it would all kind of come together, but I think it turned out amazing.
The rest of the room is white and pale pink, and includes Skylar’s comfy crib from Pottery Barn, a tiny coat rack, a reading nook, and a rocking chair for Gretchen. But the best part, aside from her adorable pink Christmas tree? Little butterflies (Skylar’s favorite) on the wall above her changing table. “We think it turned out just beautiful. Love it.”
And onto the big finale… Gretchen and Slade’s glorious tree! “I just love this tree, you guys. This is actually a faux tree and we decided to flock it,” Gretchen gushes. “We really wanted it to feel just really white and wintery and special. I love decorating it with the poinsettias. I add glam and sparkles. I love the big bulbs. I have special ornaments like this ornament from Skylar’s first Christmas [in 2019]. This is really special, and I wrap gifts down below and I add sparkle and ribbon to those gifts there,” she says, pointing next to the tree. “I love these sprigs out of the side of the tree. Just adds a real touch of sparkle and glam and glamour to the tree.”
