THESWEET DREAMS OF CHRISTMAS
In my dreams, Christmas arrives as gently as the first snow, enveloping everything in quiet beauty and setting the tone for new beginnings and peaceful reflection. Like a pristine snow-covered landscape, the opportunities are endless: spending time with friends and family, reconnecting with cherished holiday traditions, and fully embracing the magic of the season. These special customs create beauty and joy, evoke nostalgia and memories of Christmases past, and inspire hope for new possibilities.
In reality, Christmas preparations often feel more like a challenging production than an idyllic dream. Amidst the ongoing demands of work and everyday life, Christmas can seem like an arduous task with an endless to-do list and sky-high expectations. Societal pressures and social media portray everyone else as fully entrenched in Christmas mode, even as we're still celebrating fall. The Christmas season seems to arrive earlier each year, even before the leaves turn, subtly hinting that it's time to embrace the holiday whirlwind. In this new reality, finding time to orchestrate an exquisite – or even simple – Christmas display seems impossible.
For many of us, designing Christmas is a grueling marathon fraught with challenge. Hunting and gathering supplies and decor, even excavating decorations from attics and sheds, can cause stress and dread rather than joy. Visiting stores during peak season can feel like going into battle, with intense competition for often sold-out decorations. Even the centerpiece of holiday decor – the Christmas tree – presents special challenges. Whether fresh or faux, wrestling a tree into a stand and balancing it perfectly with an attic full of decorations is no small feat. Discovering missing lights or hooks and blown fuses just as the final touches are applied are all-too-common mishaps that test our patience. And then there are the legendary disasters – the crashing tree and the shattered ornaments that form indelible cinematic moments fueling our annual holiday anxiety.
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ADD THE FINISHING TOUCHES
The final step is to add those special elements that bring the entire scheme to life. I like to tuck sprigs of holly or rosemary behind portraits or mirrors and place a vase of fresh flowers or evergreens on a table or mantel. I also group poinsettias or amaryllis in decorative brass pots for a burst of long-lasting seasonal color and holiday cheer. The heady scent of paperwhite narcissus is one of my favorites; it's fun to place them throughout the house, planting the bulbs in the fall to guarantee blooms by Christmas. The scent of fresh pine is also a perfect finishing touch and is a lovely complement to any Christmas decor scheme. In general, the iconic scents of Christmas -- evergreen, cinnamon, apple, clove, roasted chestnuts, orange etc.-- are embedded in our earliest memories and connect us to our past. Try using scented candles in these seasonal fragrances to add another layer of sensory delight to your decor scheme.
ENJOY AND CELEBRATE
Christmas decor is more than just a festive flourish; it's the very essence of the season, a tangible expression of cherished holiday traditions and heartfelt memories and emotions. When you decorate your home with twinkling lights, fragrant evergreens and treasured ornaments, you create a warm and welcoming sanctuary that embodies the spirit of the holidays. It's also a reminder to express gratitude for life's blessing and to view the world with a sense of hopefulness and possibility. So, my advice is to embrace the beauty and inspiration of Christmas decorating, not just as a creative endeavor, but as a profound way to connect with others, to spread joy, and to experience the wonder of the season.
During the holidays, I like to be ready for impromptu celebrations with friends and family and take a cue from the tenets of southern hospitality. My southern friends recommend having obligatory champagne – served in heirloom flutes – and cheese straws on hand to set a festive and welcoming tone. These casual, unscripted visits – full of gracious warmth and hospitality – create so much potential for fun and joy. Tip
CHARMING TOPIARIES
Topiaries add classic style and timeless charm, bringing a formal garden aesthetic and architectural form to holiday decor. They can be large and dramatic or small accents, created from various materials and shapes. Essentially, they are shaped plants or decorative greenery, fruit and ornaments that are crafted into geometric and animal forms. Because they are versatile, complementing both traditional and modern decor, they're one of my favorite elements for creating stylish Christmas vignettes. My strategy is to create a combination of long-lasting and fresh topiaries that are interchangeable and work well together. For outside spaces, I use live evergreens like boxwood or juniper in interesting shapes, planted in classical urns or decorative planters. Spheres, pyramids, and tiered topiaries all have a great presence and convey classic elegance.
Recently, I planted a pair of whimsical pom-pom junipers outside for a playful look. The topiaries can be underplanted with trailing vines such as ivy and further embellished with decorative accents. The entry hall is another place where I use topiaries to provide structure and interest. Here, I mix both fresh and faux elements, highlighting the best of both approaches. The faux elements (e.g., the gilded pods and berry cones, beaded fruit, etc.) provide the backbone of the design and last throughout the season, while the fresh
fruit and flower displays can be refreshed as needed. Some of the designs feature natural materials like pinecones blended with small ornaments and ribbons that are also long-lasting and can be used year after year.
To make a fresh fruit topiary, like the one featured below, first think about the size and shape you want to create –whether a sphere, a ball on a stem, or a cone design. After selecting a vessel that complements the overall design aesthetic, prepare the vase with floral foam. For a round topiary design, insert a piece of floral form into the vessel, filling it to the top. Next, place a wooden branch about 2 inches in diameter in the center of the foam, pushing it to the bottom. Add a floral foam (or moss) sphere (6 - 8 inches for a small to medium size topiary or 10 - 12 inches for a larger design), positioning it on the top of the branch and securing with glue, if needed. Cover the ball with moss, using floral u-pins to secure it. Now you're ready to add the fruit. I typically use long-lasting winter fruits for these designs: limes, lemons, oranges, apples, crabapples, etc. Using a 4 - 6-inch floral wood pick, insert one tip into the fruit and the other into the sphere. Working in rows, continue to add fruit to cover the entire surface. After adding all of the fruit, check for any gaps and adjust the placements of the fruit as needed. Cover the base with sheet moss.
Tips
Use sprigs of berried ivy, hypericum berries or other fruit to add texture and fill in any gaps in the design.
Some of my favorite topiaries are made from recycled, re-imagined and simple materials: newspapers rolled into cones and gilded, recycled aluminum cans cut into ribbon shapes (see below), oak leaves folded into rosettes, etc. Explore a wide range of materials and techniques for creating these delightful holiday designs.
AA WHIMSICAL TREE
charming Christmas tree, adorned with vintage and carousel-inspired ornaments, twinkling lights, and festive ribbons, is the perfect centerpiece for this Parisian carousel-themed display. Start with a full, lush evergreen tree (either fresh or faux); a white flocked tree is also a great option. Add warm, twinkling string lights in creamy white or soft pastels, mimicking the soft glow of carousel lights. Decorate the tree with a collection of vintage glass ball ornaments in faded colors to provide a backdrop for special carousel-themed decor – horses, swans, and other figures, along with Parisian motifs like the Eiffel Tower or fleur-de-lys – that can be placed near the front of the tree. Add vintage ribbons in similar hues, draping them in elegant swags around the tree. Use red and white striped (wired edge) ribbon as an accent, tucking the pieces in at different angles to create movement. For additional texture and sparkle, wire small ornaments to the ends of the branches to create a polished look. Find colored sisal in soft pastel shades like pale pink, light green and baby blue and add a few strands to the ends of the branches, working around the tree to create an ethereal effect. Top the tree with a special, eye-catching ornament, like a carousel horse or a Parisian motif, to complete the look.
Tip
Wire two 1 ft. long lengths of red and white striped ribbon together in the middle to create a simple swag design. Add these swags to the tree at jaunty angled positions for a carefree, whimsical touch.
A HUNT COUNTRY TABLEAU
To create an inspiring vignette in the hunt country style, combine fresh evergreens, seasonal flowers and berried branches with classic topiaries made with natural materials. Frame key spaces with a natural garland of evergreens, which can be used on the mantel, over a painting and on the entrance table, embellished with red, gold or plaid accents. Carry out the hunt country theme with floral touches placed throughout the room. Here, I've used a collection of small red rose and berry bouquets on the mantel, combined with larger urn displays. For a Hunt Country focal point tree, I like to assemble a collection of horse, hound, fox and deer ornaments as well as ribbons and ornaments in a red, green and gold palette. The colors, textures and motifs are designed to evoke the spirit of the countryside and hunt country traditions. In the entrance vignette below, the winter fruit and pinecone wreath, magnolia garland and topiary display all work together to set the tone for a cozy and timeless holiday celebration.
A PINK AND GOLD WREATH VERSAILLES
Apink and gold wreath will set a distinctive and festive holiday tone, especially when it's created out of unusual materials. A wreath made of pink and gold potatoes is a novel approach, especially when it's embellished with fresh flowers, winter greens and gilded accents. Another option is to fashion a graphic wreath design from pink and gold ribbons, trimmed with a tailored border of boxwood or ivy. For a long-lasting holiday display, mix dried or faux flowers with ornaments and gilded branches in the pink and gold palette.
Tips
To create a simple, unique and long-lasting potato wreath, string 7 baby potatoes together on a piece of sturdy floral wire and wrap it around a curly willow wreath base, tying the wire together in the back. Continue to wire these potato garlands to the wreath, working in neat rows until the entire front surface is covered. As an option, spray the wreath with 24 karat gold spray paint and add a large pink bow as a finishing touch.
For an opulent pink holiday wreath, combine fresh flowers with ornaments, ribbons and delicate vines to create an eye-catching effect. Here, I used dried hydrangea as the base layer, wiring a collection of pink ornaments to the frame. Ruched ribbons tucked in and around the ornaments add a depth of color, while the fresh flowers and greenery give the wreath an overall natural appearance.
L'ORANGERIE
THE FRONT PARLOR -L'ORANGERIE
During a recent visit to the Palace of Versailles, I was inspired by the L'Orangerie, where the heady scent of oranges, lemons, and limes perfumes the air in winter and vibrant colors have inspired visitors for centuries. My goal was to transform the yellow ocher parlor into a lush garden of citrus topiaries, fruit wreaths, and flowers, all anchored by a magnificent orange Christmas tree. The large tree, the main focal point in the room, featured a collection of orange, gold, and copper ornaments, accented with silk ribbons in complementary hues. To create a cohesive look, I crafted a selection of citrus topiaries in various shapes to display on the mantel and side tables. As finishing touches, I added a "Jardin des Orangers" candle and a bowl of ripe tangerines, carefully placed to evoke the freshness of a fragrant citrus grove in bloom.
Tips
CHOOSE CITRUS COLORS
Select a few colors that complement the citrus hues of orange, yellow, tangerine and green, including metallics like gold, copper and bronze as well as silver, mercury glass and verdigris. In addition, choose seasonal greenery such as magnolia, holly, ivy and cedar to anchor the elements and to convey a holiday feeling. Use these colors consistently across your decor for a cohesive look.
CONSIDER THE OVERALL AESTHETIC
Decide whether you prefer a classic and traditional presentation with layers of seasonal textures and greens or a sleeker and more modern look focused on color blocking. This will help guide your choices in terms of the types of decorations you select and how you arrange them, including whether to emphasize natural accents – e.g., berried vines and gilded pinecones for a rustic style or simple patterns of fruits fabricated into bold, geometric-shaped designs for a trendier interpretation of the citrus theme.
COORDINATE THE TOPIARIES
Create topiaries in various shapes and sizes to place strategically around the room: on the mantel, side tables, flanking the fireplace, on a coffee table, etc. These can be made from a mix of fresh and faux elements in order to extend the life of the overall display. Place fresh designs in the most prominent, eye-catching positions, mixing in the faux and mixed fruit pieces in other locations around the room to add ambiance and create an abundant background display. While citrus fruit is fairly long-lasting, it's easy to replace individual fresh elements as needed throughout the season.
ENCHANTED GARDEN
The entryway is a perfect opportunity to create a magical Christmas display in the enchanted garden style. Create a tableau featuring flowers, topiaries and garlands with birds and butterflies in shades of turquoise, fuchsia, purple, coral and lime green. Decorate a collection of topiaries in various shapes and colors with glittering birds and butterflies. Add a striking garland of gilded and glittery leaves; this element can stand alone or be woven with flowers, ribbons and a few floating gilded birds to sweep across the entire length of the sideboard. The garland helps to frame the entire display. Attach a few glittering butterflies so that they flit about the tableau and consider adding gilded birds to perch amidst the topiaries and blooms. Gold accents, including a few well-placed ornaments and a sprinkling of glitter add a touch of holiday luxury, elevating the display from charming to enchanting. The overall effect is one of a lush, vibrant garden, transported indoors and infused with the magic of the holidays.
Tip
I AN ENCHANTED GARDEN ENTRANCE
To capture the fanciful and whimsical feeling of the "Enchanted Garden" theme, use elements and techniques that convey lightness and movement such as trailing ribbons, butterflies and colorful flowers. Create a focal point piece (e.g., the butterfly tree pictured here) and style it with additional topiaries and floral elements. Finish the display with holiday touches -- here, I've used a vintage brass putti flanked by small, gilded urns.
PARISIAN CHIC
The color combination of red and fuchsia is a striking palette that exudes bold and dynamic energy, always making a strong impression. In winter, these vivid colors appear in the plumage of cardinals, the petals of roses and tulips, and the jewel-like fruit of pomegranates. They're also the hues of dawn and dusk, of vibrant fruited and berried branches and classic holiday poinsettias. In the realm of Impressionist art, these colors have inspired some iconic work, such as Edward Degas' ballerinas, their bright pink and red tutus shimmering in the Impressionist light and in Henri Matisse's Red Rooms, the interiors a riot of vibrant reds and fuchsias. In the modern era, Mark Rothko's abstract canvases are compelling with the depth and intensity of these colors. On the fashion runways of Milan and Paris, Dolce & Gabbana, Yves Saint Laurent, Versace, Schiaparelli and Oscar de la Renta have all featured eye-catching combinations of red and fuchsia in their collections. And in the world of interior design, these colors have the power to elevate any space, making it lively, chic, and unforgettable.
For years, I've been inspired by the bold energy of red and fuchsia. I love how these colors come together to create a look that's both festive and sophisticated, perfect for holiday celebrations. While red is a classic Christmas color, fuchsia adds a touch of Parisian chic as well as well as a hint of liveliness – making this color combination an unexpected and perfect choice for Christmas decor.
COLOR PALETTE
The jewel-toned hues of this color palette -- bright red and fuchsia with violet tones -- evoke feelings of luxury, glamour, and passion while creating drama and visual impact. The colors tap into the emotional connection we associate with "Parisian Chic," conjuring images of haute couture, romantic evenings, and the city's renowned elegance. During the holidays, I always add gold or silver touches (as well as fresh greenery) to this scheme to ensure that the decor has a Christmasy feel.
A WOODLANDS WREATH
Given my Northwest background, I am always inspired by the idea of a winter forest wreath in celebration of classic natural beauty. A woodlands wreath can be either simple or elaborate, incorporating themes and materials that from nature -- evergreen foliage, fallen leaves and winter berries. This approach allows the inherent beauty of the natural materials to take center stage, creating a look of casual elegance. For a whimsical design, consider crafting woodland creatures, such as foxes, deer or hedgehog medallions to add charm and character to the wreath. Here are a few ideas to inspire a woodlands wreath design:
WOODLAND PEARS:
Begin with a simple evergreen base made of pine or cedar. Next, wire fresh pears to the frame, covering the entire wreath. Working in the same muted palette, add small accent pieces such as small plums or pods using floral wood picks. Finish the wreath with springs of berries tucked in and around the fruit, focusing on the inner and outer perimeters. This design also can be made with faux pears for a longer-lasting display.
SIMPLE MAGNOLIA:
Create an elegant, nature-inspired wreath using sprigs of fresh magnolia, wired into bundles and applied to a curly willow frame. The forest green and velvety brown leaves are perfect for setting a refined woodlands theme. Working in even rows from side to side around the wreath, insert the bundles into the frame, creating an overlapping fish-scale pattern. Another idea is to gather leaves from the forest floor and fashion them into rosettes, which can then be attached to a wreath form. Gild these natural wreaths for a touch of subtle shimmer.
WINTER FRUITS AND BERRIES:
Combine apples, crabapples and berried branches for a festive woodlands look. Begin by wiring apples in rows around an evergreen wreath frame, securing the wires in the back. Next create garlands from 4 - 5 inch pieces of winter branches and position them around the fruit at various angles, allowing the berries to float above the surface. Snowberries, rosehips, hypericum berries or juniper berries all are ideal choices for this design.
Author Laura Dowling @lauradowlingtheflorist
Layout
Jan de Coster
Published by Stichting Kunstboek bv Legeweg 165 B-8020 Oostkamp info@stichtingkunstboek.com www.stichtingkunstboek.com
ISBN 978-90-5856-733-8
D/2024/6407/10 NUR 421
Printed in the EU
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced,stored in a database or retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form, or by any means, electronically, mechanically, by print, microfilm or otherwise without prior permission in writing from the Publisher.
© Laura Dowling & Stichting Kunstboek, 2024
Previously published
Laura Dowling BOUQUETS with how-to tutorials
ISBN 978-90-5856-624-4
Laura Dowling WREATHS with how-to tutorials
ISBN 978-90-5856-603-4
Laura Dowling A WHITE HOUSE CHRISTMAS Including floral design tutorials
ISBN 978-90-5856-575-4
Laura Dowling FLORAL DIPLOMACY at the White House
ISBN 978-90-5856-558-7
