Deck the halls differently
Don’t settle for ho-ho-hum Christmas decorations this year. Try these fresh alternative themes instead, writes Katie Newton. Inspired by nature
From wreaths to trees and table settings there are lots of ways to draw from the beauty of the natural world when decorating this Christmas.
Meg McMillan from Tea Pea Home likes to forage outdoors for her Christmas decor. ‘‘The New Zealand bush is like being in a styling candy store when it comes to setting a Christmas table,’’ she says, ‘‘it’s full of interesting branches and foliage.’’
She says any successful foraging journey should be approached with an open mind. ‘‘You don’t know what treasures will be waiting.’’
McMillan’s Wellington home is near a stand of pine trees, so pine needles and cones often feature at her place. ‘‘I love finding whole branches with needles and pine cones still intact,’’ she says. ‘‘Lay it along the centre of your table and nestle in soy candles (in glass) or taper candles in a wooden wreath candle holder, and add a sprig to the top of linen napkins or a little decoration like a wooden star. The greenery and texture will be warm and inviting.’’
When going for a natural theme McMillan likes to wrap gifts in white with a red ribbon and a pine sprig. ‘‘If you’ve chosen brown paper, think about finishing off with pine cones or twigs. Spray pine cones lightly in white or stencil leaves with a festive pattern or the name who’s receiving your present.’’
Or, she recommends forgoing wrapping paper altogether. ‘‘Linen makes a lovely wrap and looks great tied in a centred knot.’’
And when it comes to the tree, McMillan likes woodland animals and handmade wooden decorations, garlands and bunting. ‘‘At Tea Pea, we’ve always included deer, squirrels, bears and hedgehogs in our Christmas collections,’’ she says. ‘‘They’re cute and magical, just as this time of year should be.’’
Pretty in pink
Design blogger and The Pink Room podcaster Michelle Matangi describes herself as ‘‘totally Christmas-crazy’’.
She relishes the opportunity to go all out with decorating her New Plymouth home with snow globes, wreaths and fairy lights. Pink is her colour theme of choice.
She plans to have three Christmas trees this year, two artificial and one real.
The first in Matangi’s trio is an artificial champagne-coloured tree, which she has transformed into a candy-coloured confection of pink, red and white. She’s added pale pink hydrangeas, delicate feathered poufs, pink fairy lights and red tin hearts. Bright pink iced donuts sourced from the $2 shop add a playful vibe, and all of it is shrouded in white tulle.
‘‘It is really fun tree,’’ she says. ‘‘It’s definitely not a play-it-safe tree. It is very pink in real life.’’
Her other, ‘‘grown-up’’ tree features tones of blush, nude and rose gold. Crystal droplets mix in with pale pink baubles and white fake flowers, and it’s finished in nude tulle. ‘‘It also has some very special ornaments that I’ve been collecting, one each year for the past 18 years,’’ she says. ‘‘I write the dates on the back so I know which year they’re from. It’s a sophisticated, special tree.’’
Matangi advises people to put aside the stresses of Christmas and have fun with their decor. ‘‘I love the magic of this time of year. I’m not into the commercial side and all the pressure, but I love getting together with the important people in your life, eating and celebrating. We don’t buy a lot of gifts, we just enjoy being together.’’
Mad for metallics
Christmas can be a time to bring shine and sparkle into our homes. Mixed metallics such as copper, silver and gold are a pretty combination, or a single metallic used as an accent colour makes a table or tree look special.
Kikki.K founder Kristina Karlsson has a modern take on metallics: ‘‘Black, white, silver and gold is a beautiful alternative to the traditional Christmas red, white and green.’’ At Kikki.K that translates to miniature black and gold Christmas trees, black, white and gold spotted candles and gold star garlands and glitter-filled glass baubles for decorating the tree. ‘‘Metallic Christmas decorations make gorgeous placesettings that double as take-home mementos, too,’’ she says. ‘‘And guests can add them to their own tree for the years ahead.’’
Gift wrapping is a passion of the Swedish stationery queen who likes to mix block colours and metallics. ‘‘In Sweden, we have a nice wrapping tradition of adding a final touch with a rhyme written on a gift tag or card and attached to the gift to give the recipient a little hint of what’s inside.’’