GETTING CRAFTY FOR THE HOLIDAYS
The classic reds and greens that dominate home decor at this time of the year are never going away, said interior designer Trish Knight, of Trish Knight Design, but she added we’re also seeing some “unexpected” colours this Christmas.
“We’ve got the deeply saturated jewel tones and I think that’s really driven from fashion,” Knight said. “A lot of velvets came out this fall, turquoises and dark purples, some really fun colours, so we’re definitely seeing that for Christmas.”
She noted that we’re also seeing a lot of pink, not bright pinks, but blush tones, dusty rose and even deep burgundies that pair well with the metallics that are usually seen a lot at this time of year.
“We’ve got a lot of mixed metals,” says Knight. “We’ve got a lot of silvers paired with golds, paired with rose golds, coppers, it’s kind of almost anything goes in the metals, and those soft pink hues work well with all the metallics.
“We’re seeing a lot of that together, it’s a really sophisticated pink. It’s not too grown up, and it’s not too young. It’s very calming and peaceful, and sophisticated is probably the best word for it.”
Nostalgia in home decor and furnishings is also something that’s seen a lot of around Christmas time, Knight says, and this year, it seems to be more popular than ever.
“With the world feeling kind of uncertain,” she says, “nostalgia seems to be even more appealing. We also live in a time when people are aware of how important things like recycling and the environment are, so we’re seeing a trend when people are taking ornaments they already have and embellishing them. Or they’re painting them or changing them and reusing ornaments and decor.”
Vintage ornaments aren’t hard to come by, Knight says.
Those who haven’t been lucky enough to inherit some from parents or grandparents can pick them up at antique stores or on sites like Etsy, and reproductions at stores like Canadian Tire.
“The reproductions are no longer typically glass, so that makes them a little more kid friendly and pet friendly too, for the real world where people don’t live in flawless homes that nobody touches,” Knight says.
If you have precious vintage ornaments, you can also display them in more modern ways, perhaps by bypassing the tree and instead decorating “a couple of beautiful bare branches in a glass jar,” she says.
“There’s a lot of people that don’t put up big trees,” Knight says, “especially when you live in one of our cities where everything is a little smaller. So that’s kind of a great way to display them.”
In terms of greenery for garlands and wreaths, we’re fortunate on the West Coast in being able to forage our own, she notes.
“You can mix in different types of fir and cedar, really layer it up, and either leave it as is or throw in a few eucalyptus leaves. You put it all together, and it looks really cool and smells great, and it’s great as a table centrepiece, rather than a carefully arranged and structured flower arrangement.”
At this time of year, it’s all about having fun and exploring your creative side, as opposed to shooting for perfection,” she says.
“I like throwing in oversized pine cones,” she says.
“I’ll flock a couple of the branches, and sometimes I’ll use a bit of spray glue and glitter, which sounds like kindergarten, but you just put it on a few branches to add a bit of sparkle, mix candles into it and it just has this nice glow.”
Another thing we’re seeing a lot of at this time of year, says Knight, are asymmetrical wreaths, another easy DIY craft.
“You take a wire frame,” she says, “and instead of having greenery running all the way around, you have greenery covering maybe 30 per cent on one side. They’re very modern and easy to hang, and can be done with real or artificial greenery and add ornaments and ribbons to them.”