If you’ve walked by FEAST this season, you’ve probably seen it—our storefront transformed into a life-sized gingerbread house, complete with icing trim, candy accents, and a front arbor that’s downright dreamy.

But what you might not know is that this whole setup started with a workaround.

Because we’re located in a historic building, we’re limited on what we can do for signage. So we’ve learned to get creative. Our solution? Build an arbor we can swap out seasonally to stop people in their tracks and pull them into the magic. The goal is simple: make it feel like something worth stepping into.

This year, we wanted a sweet holiday moment. And gingerbread? It just felt right.

The Inspiration

We first spotted a gingerbread backdrop in a showroom while at Dallas Market Center. It was adorable, oversized, and totally impractical for most real-life spaces. But the idea stuck.

We didn’t want to copy it—we wanted to reimagine it. And not just for a photo op. We wanted to create something that blended the magic of Christmas with the warm hospitality we believe in at FEAST.

So we designed a full gingerbread façade to wrap around our arbor. Whimsical in style, Texas-sized in scale, and made for moments that gather people around.

How We Built It

1. The Structure
At the heart of it, the whole display is built around a simple but solid frame we use year-round. It starts with two planter boxes, each filled with gravel to keep everything weighted down. Into each planter box, we placed a vertical 4x4 post, then connected them across the top with a horizontal 4x4 beam.

That’s our base arbor. It’s nothing fancy—just a clean, reusable frame we’ve used in every season to attach different displays. Think of it like a blank canvas: one season it’s terracotta pumpkins, the next it’s a giant gingerbread house.

But for this holiday version, we didn’t want to just decorate the arbor. We wanted to completely transform it. So instead of attaching decor directly to the 4x4s, we built a full structure around it to make it feel like a whimsical storefront of its own.

2. The Gingerbread Panels
Because this setup lives outside, we had to make it more durable than your average indoor DIY. The main structure of the walls is built from ⅛-inch fiberboard panels backed by a sturdy frame made of 1x4s and 1x3s.

We started by ripping a 4x8 sheet of fiberboard in half to create two panels, each about 2 feet wide by 8 feet tall. These became the main "walls" of the gingerbread house.

To make them sturdy, we built a skeleton on the back using 1x4s, then glued and stapled the fiberboard to that. If you're recreating this indoors, you can skip that step entirely—the panels are lightweight enough to hang on a wall with a couple of hooks.

We painted the fiberboard a gingerbread-brown color (Behr Butter Caramel), but honestly? You could skip this too. The board already comes brown, and if you're not putting it outside, there’s really no need to paint it unless you want to. It’ll save you time and money. We went through about a gallon and a half of paint just for weather protection.

On the front, we added painted 1x3s around the edge as a frame. Then came the icing—literally.

To mimic piped frosting, we used ⅝-inch white foam rope (backer rod), which we ordered online. We sketched out our designs with a pencil, cut the rope with scissors, and hot glued it to the painted panels.

For that frosted finish, we sprayed 3M 77 adhesive over small sections and sprinkled a mix of faux snow and iridescent glitter over the top. It’s an easy touch that makes a big impact.

3. The Roofline
The roof panel is about 36 inches tall by 11 feet wide. Same build method as the wall panels: a wooden skeleton underneath, fiberboard glued and stapled on top.

We traced scallops along the bottom edge using a five-gallon bucket as a guide, then cut them out to mimic icing drips. Foam rope icing was glued along the scallops, and the same snow-and-glitter technique brought the whole thing to life.

We attached the roof to the main panels with a few hooks and screws and added some hidden supports to keep wind from getting under it.

4. Install Day & Final Touches
We’ll share photos below showing the inner framework, but if you’re doing this at home, you can probably skip this whole section. Our build had to stand up to Texas wind and weather and connect to a permanent arbor—yours doesn’t. Your install might be as easy as a couple of wall anchors and a little creative rigging.

Still, if you want help figuring it out, shoot us a message with some photos. We’re always happy to brainstorm with you.

Now back to install day. The panels were joined at the corners with metal brackets (painted white to blend in). The roof was hooked on, reinforced with a few support boards, and we zhuzhed until it was just right.

Let’s talk zhuzh. Lindsey’s favorite word. It means taking things up a notch—making it feel right, layered, intentional.

We added:

• Red, green, and pink plastic straw “sprinkles” cut into 3" pieces and hot glued to the roof

• Foam candy ornaments (peppermints, gumdrops, candy canes)

• Frosted garlands around the windows

• Thick, wired ribbon in festive patterns (structure matters here—cheap ribbon won’t hold a shape)

• Our go-to snake lights for sparkle and glow

We don’t do pre-lit trees anymore. These snake lights go on every display we build because they’re easy to layer, long-lasting, and when one burns out, you just swap the strand.

After that, we stood back, dusted off the glitter, and watched the gingerbread come to life.

Why We Do What We Do

At the end of the day, everything we create at FEAST—from our seasonal displays to our handpicked gift items—is about one thing: helping you create moments worth gathering for.

Because when you really think about it, the best parts of life always seem to happen around a table. Whether it's piled high with food, wrapped in laughter, surrounded by family, or filled with friends you’ve chosen as family—that's where the magic lives. And we want to help you bring more of that into your everyday.

We believe your home should feel like an invitation: warm, welcoming, and ready for whatever celebration comes your way. That’s why we carry everything from cozy home accents to conversation-starting table settings, from outfits that make you feel confident to candles that make your space smell like you’ve been baking all day.

We’re here for the details—the finishing touches that make people feel seen. Not because it has to be perfect, but because it feels personal. And when someone walks in your door and thinks, "Wow, they really care"... that’s what it’s all about.

So whether it’s a gingerbread entrance or your kitchen table on a Tuesday night, we hope what we do at FEAST helps you create the kind of life that feels full, connected, and entirely your own.

And if you're ever looking for a place to get inspired in person, we’d love to welcome you to Glen Rose, Texas—just an hour outside of Fort Worth. Known as the Dinosaur Capital of Texas, Glen Rose is packed with prehistoric fun for the kids (hello, Dinosaur Valley State Park and Fossil Rim Wildlife Center), but it’s also so much more. Picture a quaint Texas town filled with boutique shops, friendly faces, riverfront adventures, and small-town charm that makes you feel instantly at home. It’s a perfect day trip or weekend getaway for families, couples, or anyone looking to slow down and soak up something special. Come say hi—we’ll be here, ready to help you make your life feel like a feast.

Let’s Feast, y’all!