Sweeten the holidays with sugarplum hues
Seasonal looks move beyond red, green and silver
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 sugarplum hues that home decorators can have fun with.
“Pair candy-apple red, plummy pink and berrybright florals with winter greens for a centerpiece,” suggests Melissa Benham of the Chicago interior design firm Studio Gild. “Ornaments in these hues provide an unexpected color pop 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 color is key to making your holiday celebration shine bright.
Even if you have 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 color scheme,” he says.
Target has Opalhouse’s soft cozy 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. Anthropologie offers a colorful boxed set of realistic glass macaron ornaments.
Sets of wool-wrapped or bottle brush trees in gently hued macaron colors would look pretty on a table with other soft textures and coordinating 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, find trios of similarly hued bottle-brush-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 garden fence or front-porch railing.
Dress up the tree, mantel, staircase or holiday table with Anthropologie’s colorful, 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.
You’ll find more faux sweet treats for the tree or holiday display at Barney’s New York, where Kurt Adler’s peppermint-candy garland, sprinkle-topped ice cream cones and wrapped-candy ornaments bring all the sweet dreams A felted wool berry garland can go on the tree, mantel, a staircase railing or the table.
of the sugarplum season home in style.
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. Available in several sizes, its fiber-optic lights in bright candy colors can be set to swirl and play continuously
or set on a timed display. Now that’s visions of sugarplums truly dancing. The Opalhouse throw pillow features festive berry and candy hues for the holidays.