Ever since The Inn on Biltmore Estate opened in 2001, its Christmas at Biltmore decorations have included a miniature version of the hotel made from gingerbread. This year, however, Pastry Chef Cheryl Brookhouzen changed things up with her Walled Garden-inspired gingerbread Conservatory!

According to her co-workers, Chef Brookhouzen’s vision and attention to detail make this gingerbread display truly over-the-top spectacular. Special features include rotating Christmas trees in the front and back, a lighted roof and windows, charming animals, and a host of other miniature touches.

“We’ve been doing a gingerbread model of The Inn for nearly 15 years, so I thought it was time to try something new,” said Chef Brookhouzen of her design. “I hope that having something so different will delight our guests and make them interested in seeing what we create next year.”

Gingerbread Conservatory Fun Facts

1. The Conservatory was constructed with the help of 11 members of The Inn’s team, from pastry professionals to engineering, banquet, and purchasing services
2. Chef Brookhouzen baked the gingerbread in large slabs before cutting it into the right shapes
3. The display required 175 pounds of gingerbread dough, 160 pounds of powdered sugar, and more than 15 kinds of candy and snacks such as Kit-Kats, M&Ms, Sixlets, Sour Tape, Hershey’s chocolate bars, pretzels, old-fashioned candy sticks, mint candies, chocolate bears, chocolate caramel balls, chocolate leaves, lollipop trees, and more*
4. The windows and roof are made of poured isomalt sugar
5. The Conservatory shines with 800 white lights

*An additional 4 pounds of candy was consumed by the builders of the Conservatory!

From miles of garlands and hundreds of wreaths to thousands of lights and decorations on more than 50 trees inside America’s Largest Home^®, our annual Christmas at Biltmore celebration is guaranteed to put you in a festive holiday mood!

But where does it all come from each year? How and when does it start? We asked members of Biltmore’s Floral team to give us a behind-the-scenes look at creating such a spectacular holiday happening.

A design storyboard featuring sample ornaments, ribbon, and photos for inspiration

A year of planning

“All the Christmas decorations you see this year began to take shape more than 12 months ago,” said Lizzie Borchers, Floral Displays Manager. “Our team spends several early December mornings walking through Biltmore House before guests arrived. We evaluate what’s great and what we might do again in another room,” Lizzie said. “We already know the following year’s theme, and our designers are eager to choose the rooms they want. Sometimes it’s like a bidding war—they have to sell me on their ideas.”

The selection process

Rooms are decorated according to an annual theme that changes each year, and the Floral team also takes cues from style elements of the room such as the predominant colors, art and furnishings, or the way in which the room was used.

The Library, for example, might feature books among its decorations while the Main Kitchen could include wreaths of dried bay leaves or other culinary ingredients.

Creating the designs, selecting the decorations, and deciding whether fresh plants or other ancillary materials should be included takes months of careful planning and review by the lead designer for each room, with input and assistance from the entire team.
Design sheets and ornaments for inspiration

As they decide on specific rooms for which they’d like to take responsibility during the December walk-through, team members choose some ornaments as they go; others are chosen from Biltmore’s warehouse a few months later.

Some ornaments are new, purchased at the Atlanta Gift Mart each March. Each designer then develops a kind of storyboard featuring a sample basket of ornaments and detailed design sheets to show Lizzie the look and feel of their plans. The designs are tweaked and approved as early as possible so the team can begin locating or creating any additional pieces needed to complete the scene.

Meanwhile, the Christmas trees are stored upright in Floral’s warehouse (sometimes called the tree farm) in spots reserved specifically for them. By early summer, team members have gone over all the tree lights to make sure they are in good condition and they’ve placed orders for plants such as fresh poinsettias to arrive at the proper time. For the next few months, the remaining decorations needed for each area are created.

Grand Staircase Christmas tree in Biltmore House

Putting it all together

During the entire month of October, our Floral Displays team is busy decking the halls and rooms of Biltmore House. Guests enjoy watching Christmas at Biltmore come to life and tell us it often inspires ideas for their own homes.

Featured image: a vintage children’s book inspires Christmas decorations at Biltmore

Decorating America’s largest home for the holiday season is certainly no small task. Christmas at Biltmore is one of the Southeast’s most storied Yuletide destinations and we know that expectations are set pretty high.

Yet the beauty of Biltmore adorned for the season never disappoints, a remarkable testament to the expertise of our Floral staff. Each January, before the holiday decorations are taken down, our designers and reserve team start planning for next Christmas.

Designs and arrangements vary from year to year, meaning every wreath, ornament, and bow is selected or created precisely for its intended location that holiday season.

The amount of imagination and preparation required is staggering, not to mention the sheer volume of décor. So besides a talented crew and a full year, what exactly does it take to create Christmas at Biltmore?

Christmas Trees

• The 2016 celebration boasts 62 decorated Christmas trees inside Biltmore House. 
• The largest tree in Biltmore House is the Vanderbilt traditional 35-foot-tall Fraser fir in the Banquet Hall. It takes about 50 Biltmore staff members to carry the tree through the house and raise it safely and securely into place.
• An illuminated 55-foot-tall Norway spruce stands on the Front Lawn of Biltmore House, along with 20 other lit evergreens.
• A total of 44 additional decorated Christmas trees can be found at other locations across the estate, including Antler Hill Village & Winery, The Inn on Biltmore Estate, Village Hotel on Biltmore Estate, and our restaurants.
• The Conservatory is decorated with “trees” made of potted plants and other natural materials. Over 30 live trees and shrubs are used to decorate other estate buildings.

Lights and Candles

• About 30,000 lights and 150 candles are used in Biltmore House. More than 135,000 LED and mini lights twinkle across the estate. 
• The Front Lawn tree is illuminated by 55,000 lights. An additional 20,000 are used on the surrounding trees and shrubs. 
• ​Lit at dusk, 300 luminaries line the driveway and Esplanade in front of Biltmore House.

Ornaments

The Banquet Hall tree is trimmed with 500 ornaments, 500 LED Edison style light bulbs, and 500 wrapped gift boxes. There are 13,000 ornaments decorating the other trees inside Biltmore House and another 13,000 used in other areas of the estate.

Poinsettias and Other Blooming Plants

There are over 1,000 traditional poinsettias on display as well as over 1,000 other bloom plants including amaryllis, Christmas cactus, orchids, peace lilies, cyclamen, begonias, and kalanchoe.

Wreaths

Our wreaths are made of fresh white pine and Fraser fir, ornamented with golden arborvitae, holly, or other natural materials like twigs and cones. Artificial bases are decorated with ornaments, berries, faux flowers, and ribbon. There are 360 fresh wreaths and sprays along with 130 faux pieces throughout the estate during the season.

Kissing Balls

There are 100 orbs made of fresh white pine and Fraser fir or dried and faux materials decorating the estate.

Garlands

A total of 7,527 feet of fresh white pine and Fraser fir garlanding adorns the estate, all of which is replaced weekly for freshness and fragrance. An additional 1,200 feet for faux garlanding is used in Biltmore House with another 1,500 feet used across the estate.

Ribbons and Bows

There are 500 bows used in Biltmore House and about 1,000 used in other areas of the estate. Base materials vary from narrow cording to 8-inch-wide ribbon, decorated with velvets, metallics, satins, burlap, printed cottons, and more.