Christmas comes in small ways
As the holidays approach, calendars can get stuffed fuller than a Christmas turkey or those who eat them.
Open houses, cocktail parties, dinners — pretty soon there’s little time left to host your own event for friends or family.
A brunch held great appeal to Wade Kelly and Phil Paschke, who recently had eight friends over to enjoy a late Sunday morning of crepes and other treats, surrounded by the fabulous decorating touches of their friend, floral and home designer Cory Christopher, all captured in photos by Demetri Giannitsios.
“At this time of the year, it coincides beautifully as a nice time to get together with friends,” says Kelly.
Their high-ceilinged, open-concept apartment, in a converted commercial building just north of downtown, pro- vided a great canvas for Christopher to work his magic upon, with decor that’s beautiful, yet simple enough to inspire the layperson.
He opted for low-key decor that says fresh and festive, but not over-the-top Christmas, with a palette of subtle greens and blues.
“I wanted to show people that you don’t need a lot of Christmas,” he says. “I just added a few touches to sort of spruce it up and give it that fresh, holiday feel.”
Mostly, he wanted it to be a casual, fun experience for the guests. He started by laying cedar boughs and Christmas balls in the front entryway, giving guests an inviting, great-smelling spot to place their shoes and boots.
In the living room, Christopher kept the holiday decor to a minimum, adding a simple log to the coffee table adorned with some greenery and a few Christmas balls.