A BERRY MERRY HOLIDAY
Go beyond the usual red and green to create festive decor that pops
Amid a seasonal sea of red and green or silver and blue, there’s a sweet, alternative palette in holiday decor. Think of fresh fruits and delectable candies, and you’re on the right track — it’s an enticing, enchanting array of sugar plum hues that home decorators can have fun with. “Pair candy-apple red, plummy pink and berry-bright florals with winter greens for a centrepiece,” suggests Melissa Benham of the Chicago interior design firm Studio Gild. “Ornaments in these hues provide an unexpected colour pop Adding in plum and berry-hued fabrics, candles, accessories and ornaments is a great way to create a cohesive colour scheme. on the Christmas tree, or a fun twist on the classic menorah when used for Hanukkah candles.” Los Angeles-based designer and author Orlando Soria says colour is key to making your holiday celebration shine bright. Even if you’ve got a rather motley collection of decorations, “adding in plum and berry-hued fabrics, candles, accessories and ornaments is a great way to create a cohesive colour scheme,” he says. Target has Opalhouse’s soft, cosy, throw pillows, with either a plaid pattern or Oh, What Fun typography, in fresh and festive hues. The Merrily collection at Pier 1 includes hand-blown stemless wine glasses painted with kicky modern trees in pink, peach and berry. A candy-blue throw pillow is embroidered with the phrase Merry & Bright and decorated with tassels. For the tree, there’s a garland of felted gumballs. Sets of wool-wrapped or bottle brush trees in gently hued macaron colours would look pretty on a table with other soft textures and co-ordinating taper candles; find them all at World Market. Also in sugary pastels is an array of cute little deer at HomeGoods, complete with fluffy, marabou-feather collars. At Wayfair, you’ll find tinsel trees in a range of sizes in fruity shades like grape, plum, raspberry and orange. At Horchow (Horchow.com), find trios of similarly hued bottlebrush-style trees for display. And Walmart has 40-inch-tall plastic lollipop ornaments in cotton candy, key lime and blueberry; they might be fun on a fence or railing. Dress up the tree, mantel, staircase or holiday table with Anthropologie’s colourful, felted-wool berry garland. Deck out the Christmas tree with glass ribbon candy or rock candy ornaments in yummy hues, and top it off with a Ferris wheel tree topper festooned with brightly hued tassels. Also here, a boxed set of delicate glass macarons; the ornaments would make a lovely gift for a sweets lover or Francophile. Christopher Radko’s glass Candy Castle ornament at Horchow depicts detailed candy canes, peppermints and ice cream in hand-painted Polish glass. A tasty-looking, 9-foot gumdrop garland can be had from House of Holiday. And finally, sweeten the front yard holiday display with Hammacher Schlemmer’s Thousand Points of Light indoor/outdoor tree (hammacher.com). Its fibre-optic lights in bright candy colours swirl and play continuously or on a timer. Now that’s visions of sugar plums truly dancing.