Spreading warmth and welcome for the Holidays

Table Setting

by PePPer rodriguez

The Holidays just haven’t been the same since the pandemic last year, and though some limitations for gatherings have been eased this year, some caution should still be exercised for the greater good. But that doesn’t mean celebrations can’t be warm and welcoming, if a little bit more intimate.

The team at Calgary’s Designers Edge takes a look at how we can still achieve a glam look over the Christmas season with a focus on bold colour and a cozier look.

“Just because the world has gone through some changes, does not mean the holidays are cancelled,” says Designers Edge President Danielle Paul.

“We are looking forward to a safe and happy holiday season! The combination of warm textures and bold colour in your holiday home decor can ensure that this Christmas is cozy and entertaining!”

Designers Edge (DE) has become a leading voice in interior décor in Calgary and counts among their clients several of the city’s top homebuilders. Their work can be seen in a wide range of single-family and multi-family showhomes and custom private homes. Danielle and the team at Designers Edge talked with Calgary New Home + Condo Guide to come up with expert tips on how to achieve a safe and glamourous Holiday celebration with family and a few friends.

Zoom Christmas parties may still be the order of the day, but it helps if you can have a stylishly festive background around you. And one can always raise Christmas spirits – literally – with their suggestion of Christmas-themed cocktails.

1. What is the most important tip for a safe but stylish holiday entertaining and how can you achieve this through décor?

DE Team: It is important to remember that staying safe while sharing intimate moments with family is a priority. One way to achieve this during the Christmas season is through how the table is set for dinner. We suggest serving small individual side dishes for each

DE Team

person that are filled with gravy, cranberry sauce and all your other sides. This can be done without compromising the décor and design of your table setting. The small dishes set around the place mat remains cohesive with the overall aesthetic. To add to this, we incorporated a wood cutting board as the centerpiece while layering some greenery to make the table look lively. In preparing food, you can lead by example while still creating a festive aesthetic.

Friends and family can still join in festivities while being in the comfort of their own home. Each person partaking prepares a list of ingredients of a Christmas themed cocktail or mocktail of their choice to share with everyone else. Through a group video call, each person takes their turn hosting a Master Class and demonstrates how to create their personalized concoction with everyone following along step by step. Go the extra mile by styling a bar cart for the occasion! We bring in the use of decanters, glassware, and greenery to style the cart while elevating an area of the home.

2. any new trends in holiday décor this year? What’s the colour trend?

DE Team: Neutrals never go out of season! This year we see brown and black being a foundation, and dark colours with metallics as the focus. A rich, dark green contrasts with gold in our Christmas décor this year! Some warmth, bold colour and sparkle –

Danielle

you get it all! With these being the focal trend in our décor, filtering in neutrals through wood materials would add extra warmth to the home. Christmas tends to bring out the crafty side in most people, so this year we see more and more soft materials prevail in décor. This includes yarn, velvets, pampas leather and felt to make into things such as wreaths, ornaments, and so on.

Bar Cart

Vignette

3. Which room would you concentrate entertaining in? dining room and great room would be obvious but how about foyers, flex rooms or half-baths?

DE Team: Christmas is an exciting time of year and there is no shame in going all out on decorating different areas of the home! We make the living room and dining room a priority in holiday decorating since most of the time will be spent in these areas. It should be decorated to be the most festive while entertaining guests. Fabrics are an easy way to make a room feel cozy and they can be used in many different applications. Christmas tree skirts are rising in popularity to hide the base and our take on making one is using a green crushed velvet fabric from Maxwell Fabrics. Crushed velvet suggests warmth, luxury and Maxwell Fabrics in Calgary has a variety of colours to pick from. Aside

Coffee Table

from a tree skirt, fabrics can be custom ordered to make drapery and throws!

Mantles, bookcases and more! Shelves are often throughout the home in some shape or form, so knowing how to style these areas will help make the home more festive for entertaining. Greenery is the number one staple during the season as it warms up the space with its calming effect. You can mix metallics with dark greenery and have them loosely sitting on a shelf or gathered in the form of a garland. The more the better! The biggest advantages to getting faux greenery, is that it’s local and can be picked up right here in Calgary from Silk Plant Warehouse, but also that it never dies! Plus, the variety in colours and availability of flocking or metallics is unlike what you can get from real greenery. We enjoy keeping it for the next year and filling in new colours or branches to suit a completely different look.

4. as long as we are limited in the number of guests we can invite over, are there any tips you have in creating a festive yet intimate entertaining for such small groups?

DE Team: For most of us, the living room is where we have the most memorable moments. Everyone gathers here to open gifts, share stories, and have hot beverage on the floor surrounding the coffee table. Creating a laid-back atmosphere will encourage people to come together and this can be done through styling the areas you want more attraction to. Is there a fireplace mantle? What about a coffee table? How does the Christmas tree interact with all these focal points?

We gravitate to unique, custom-made items that go along with the season. Whether it be for décor or for gifts, we go to LETHRBAR in Calgary for all our leather creations! We had some leather gift tags made from LETHRBAR to personalize gifts. They can also make décor, such as ornaments, coasters, or napkin rings, to add a touch of personality and warmth to the Christmas décor!

5. Tips where to get best holiday décor locally?

DE Team: We rely heavily on our suppliers in our home designs, and it doesn’t stop with Christmas décor! Here are a few supportive local businesses that assist us in creating our vision.

SILk PLANT WAREHOuSE – Greenery and silk plants are available all year round!

MAxWELL FABRICS – With a showroom in Calgary, it is made easy to see all the options of fabric to make into your custom piece.

LETHRBAR – Custom, handmade goods are favourable during this season because you know care has been put into the product and it is made unique!

These local businesses never let us down when we need something to fit our interior décor and you may be surprised what they can offer during the Christmas season!