To read Part I of Classic Interior Christmas Decor, click here.

To read Part II of Classic Interior Christmas Decor, click here.

Classic Interior Christmas Decor, Part III

Now its time for the piece de resistance....the Christmas Tree! And, seeing as how its Thanksgiving Day, (Happy Thanksgiving, eveyone!),  its time to haul everything out and get ready to decorate! (The day after Thanksgiving is really the earliest you should start decorating!) I remember working as a design associate at my first interior design job. The tail-end of our client's full-service project overlapped with the holidays and I found myself, and the designer I then worked for, creating a winter wonderland for our client's estate that overlooked the Pacific Ocean. I remember being up on a ladder, with Carol of the Bells and Greensleeves being pumped through the sound system, our client baking cookies for us, her little ones smiling with joy as boxes and boxes of decor was brought in, their cherished ornaments pulled out and placed on their tall tree....I thought to myself, "I can't believe I'm getting paid to do this!". It was a fun few days (yes, DAYS) of Christmas installation, and it was so thrilling to see how happy and cozy we made their home for their holiday celebrations. I learned so much about Christmas decorating during those few days (its not rocket science, but wow- there are tons of tips and tricks to it! Hopefully I have given you some useful ones in this post series!). Although I have my own firm now, and I have less and less time to devote to Christmas decorating requests from clients, that particular memory is one of my favorites from working for that firm.

If you read Part I, you know I am a fan of real trees. So get a real one! But, if you insist on getting a fake tree (or must, for whatever reason), consider realistic fakes such as "TruTip" styles from Christmas Lights, Etc. or "True Needle" styles from Balsam Hill. When you invest in a fake tree (and I say invest because a truly good fake will cost you upwards of $500) be sure to buy a really good one. No sense in giving up all the benefits of a real tree (the smell!) if a fake one doesn't match up in the looks department.

I recommend two trees, if you have the room. One tree as the "Fancy Tree" that abides by your color palette and sits in an out-facing window of the house, and another tree that showcases eclectic ornaments for the children and/or from your childhood. This "Memory Tree" can be placed in a more casual and lived-in area of the house- the study, family room, morning room, upstairs landing or loft. I also like  hanging small/miniature frames by ribbon and placing family photos (vintage and current) and notes to one another in the frames to be placed on the Memory Tree. Its a lovely tradition that honors family, memories and heritage- for me, those are the best aspects of any holiday. The fancy tree should be placed in front of a window that shows to the outside of the house- the foyer, formal living room, or the dining room (depending on the layout and siting of your house). The look of  a glowing Christmas tree from the outside is so warm and welcoming. Typically these areas are removed from main living areas, that's why its nice to have multiple trees.

Lighting a Christmas Tree

When you light a Christmas Tree, there are a few things to keep in mind (other than fire hazards, please take your own sensible precautions on that!).

You need about 100 bulbs per one foot of tree (less if using LED, read on to find out why). If you have a 7' Christmas Tree, plan on 700 lights. Visually mark each foot on the tree and space your light placement accordingly, working from bottom to top (do this first, before anything else). As you place the lights, don't just place them in a simple ring on the outside....work in a zig-zag pattern, going to the trunk, out to the branches, and back to the trunk again to ensure you get ample coverage. The inner lights provide light balance and allow your tree to glow.

With all the LED lights out on the market, there is one thing you need to keep in mind (that no one seems to be pointing out)....LED lights are a lot brighter than the incandescent light strings. They also produce a different quality of light- they're very clear, crisp and strong compared to the warm glow of incandescent lights. Its easy to achieve light overkill when working with LED's, so keep that in mind. If you pay attention to the amount of light emitted from LED's, you will inevitably have larger gaps without lights- its just how it has to be until LED's are designed to perfection for Christmas tree lighting.  This is important because you don't want too much light from the tree- it will overpower the ornaments and almost act as an ambient light source, rather than a sparkly accent light source. So, beware of LED's. I'm not against them....but I'm not impressed by them, either. Love them for the exterior....but on the interior, they can be too powerful. Try using half the amount of lights recommended and add/subtract as you see fit.

Also, do yourself a favor and put your lights on a timer. Most people do this- but Im still surprised when someone has to go "plug in" their tree. Just have them go on and off by themselves....your back will thank you for it!

Decorating a Christmas Tree

Whatever palette you go with (see Part II for info on how to formulate a Christmas color palette), stock up on gobs and gobs (see guideline below) of solid glass ball ornaments. Get them in a few different sizes that are appropriate for the scale of your tree (no huge balls on small trees!). When you start decorating, start with these first. Group your small, med and large sizes. Divide your medium sized glass balls and place half in your large pile, and the other half in your small pile. Fill gaps and the interior of the tree with your large pile, placing more of them on the bottom half to two-thirds of the tree (depending on height). Then place your small pile outward on the branches and concentrate more of them on the top half to one-third of the tree. If you balance your ornament placement according to the height of the tree, you will achieve proper proportion and you may cause your tree to appear taller (in the same way the Greeks did by making the base of a column thicker at the bottom, and slightly tapering towards the top).

Let me tell you right now that you need far (far) more glass ball ornaments than you think. A good guideline is to take the height of your tree and add two zeros to it. I'm not kidding. It really takes that much. Once you have that figure, you can subtract about two-hundred and that is the quantity range you need. For instance, if you have a 7 foot tree, add two zeros to it to make 700. Subtract 200 to get 500. The final quantity range you need is 500-700 glass bulbs for a 7' tree.

When hanging, I prefer the green coated hooks. They just blend better and if you loose them, bend, or distort them, they are affordable to replace. Keep hooks and other attachment tools (green floral tape, twisty ties, etc. in one divided box so its always organized and at your fingertips).

For other decorative or themed ornaments, plan on about 10-15 per foot of tree. I refrain from placing bows at the tips of branches, because I feel they take up too much room and they are visually heavy (although I do like a big bow at the top of a tree!). Garland can stay or go, but if you use it- overbuy and drape your swags uniformly. If you under buy, your swags will be really shallow and they won't look good. There is no hard and fast rule for garland swag length, just use your best judgement. Before you put the lights up, you can do a mock-up with string. Pull the string out and measure it (this is especially important if you will be making your garland out of cranberries or popcorn, etc.- as you don't want to spend a lot of time making too much garland!).

Christmas Tree Sources on-line:

See Part I + Part II for decorative and fresh tree sources

Home Depot or Lowe's for nylon ties and other nifty attachment tools, extension cords, power strips, etc.

Balsam Hill and Christmas Lights, etc. for artificial trees (see links above)

To see Part I of Classic Interior Christmas Decor, click here.

Classic Interior Christmas Decor, Part II

How I do Christmas decor is very simple. Its about color and coordination (its NOT about being matchy-matchy). You start with a foundation of the season's bounty (click here for Part I), then build on that with a color palette. Any color palette! Yes, you read that correctly. Any color palette will work....as long as its built on seasonal greenery. A foundation of fresh greens can make the most un-traditional Christmas palette look "Christmassy"  and classic. Personally, I like the look and feel of traditional colors such as green and red or white and gold; however, a fresh take on traditional colors such as fuchsia and lime green (a twist on red and green) or orange and cream (to change up white and gold) can be a really fun alternative.

Developing a Christmas color palette is simple. Choose two dominant colors, one accent and one "sparkle" color that you use even more sparingly than the accent color.

Examples of this color formula:

Navy + Light Blue as dominant colors, Gold or sliver as the accent, frosted white as the sparkle

Red + Green as dominant colors, Lime green as the accent, clear glass as the sparkle

Red + Rustic Brown as dominant colors, Orange or a shade of muted green as an accent, cream as the sparkle

Fuchsia and Lime green as dominant colors, light pink as an accent, opalescent white/clear as the sparkle

Pearl/Cream and White as dominant colors, gold as an accent, clear glass as a sparkle (this palette REALLY glows!)

Once you have your color palette....go to town buying up ornaments, tree skirts, ribbon for garland, stockings, etc. Don't worry about being "matchy matchy",  just coordinate everything. Once its spread out in the house, it won't matter that two shades of red aren't perfect together- your eye glosses over things like that when you see something as a whole. Don't stress- just have fun with it!

Once you choose a palette, stick to it for a set amount of time- say, five years or more (or, forever!). (I'm not sure if you've ever noticed this, but retailers do this. They choose a scheme and palette and they stick with it, changing it once every 5 years or so. ) Just like home decor, holiday decor is better when cultivated throughout the years. If you have a set palette, you can build on it every year and it will only get better. A really smart thing to do when you want to change things up, is to plan a palette change in advance. After Christmas you can buy up everything you need for next year's change at deep discounts.  You can change up your palette with minimal investment if you plan accordingly- it just takes some forethought.

The main thing to remember is you are planning a palette and overall scheme- NOT a theme. That is the most important thing to remember when creating a classic and elegant Christmas decor plan. Rather than using actual "Santa's Workshop" decorations....use the bright and playful colors associated with Santa's Workshop. Rather than using actual nautical Christmas decor- use a palette of blues, whites and gold to recall the colors of the ocean, (a theme tree is, however, totally acceptable because they are SO fun to do, people enjoy them and they are contained....just don't overdo it on the literal-theme type of decor in other places in the house. You know what Im talking about....figurines of Santa in swim trunks, life preserves that read "Merry Christmas", etc ). Remember this mantra: "Color, greens and overall scheme, not theme".

Gift Wrap

I know gift wrap is not integral to decorating, per se....but people often comment positively on my gift wrap. These are the guidelines I stick to:

Each year I choose a wrapping color and pattern palette  (are you surprised!). I get coordinating paper - one print and one solid, (brown or white blank shipping/crafting paper can be used as a solid coordinate to your colorful wrap for a very affordable option). Real ribbon (typically a 1" or 2" grosgrain and a spool of wire ribbon), really thin ribbon to attach gift tags, tulle in either white or off-white, and lots of gift boxes in various sizes. I don't use bags very often. I try to only use boxes, but I admit to putting some things in bags when need be. I stay away from curling ribbon and plastic stick-on bows. I also stay away from "commercial" looking paper with cartoony or licensed characters on them....that paper should only be used by Santa!

Where you would typically use curling ribbon, use real ribbon tied in a simple bow. Where you would use tissue paper, use tulle. I also use tulle as bows and banding on boxes. The print paper can also be used as an accent on your solid paper (do this with a band or cut the paper into thin strips to create a floppy or spiky "bow" to place atop a solid-wrapped gift). With these simple items- you can mix n' match and give each gift character, while at the same time coordinating them. I believe presents are better when wrapped beautifully....it ups the anticipation level (and also looks great sitting under the tree all month long!).

Stay tuned for Part III....the Christmas Tree!

Best sources for Orange County Christmas decor:

Stats in Seal Beach- Its a winter wonderland FULL of Christmas decor, and merchandised according to different styles.

Roger's Gardens in Corona del Mar

Front Gate- While not OC-based, they offer petty holiday decor that is available for retail purchase.

Sinoda- you have to go with a designer....but, wow- what a place! HUGE, full of all sorts of stuff....and, of course, a huge holiday decor selection for the season.

Target for mass-amounts of basic, solid color ball ornaments and an array of budget-priced lights for both interior and exterior.

Paper Source at South Coast Plaza (other locations, too!) for fun, interesting and luxe gift wrap, cards, and small gifts.

Etsy - Do a search for gift wrap, you will get some great results from small-scale, artisan vendors...everything from posh papers, neat attache cards and silky ribbon. Above photo is Erin Ruth on Etsy.

Remember last year's Classic Exterior Christmas Decorations post? Well, here comes Classic Interior Christmas Decorations! This is a lengthy and info-packed post series, but hang in there and you will learn some great tips, tricks and calculations (yes! calculations!), plus get my commentary and opinions along the way.

Classic Interior Christmas Decor, Part I

I am what I like to call a "Holiday Decor Purist". I prefer and recommend live plants for trimming the home for the holidays. There is something about real plants that just feels better. They are fresh, they smell amazing, the colors are true and vibrant....plus, you don't have to worry about storage (a whole house of artificial holiday trimmings takes up a lot of room!) or cleaning them after the holidays (talk about dust magnets!). The tradition of using real plants and trees for your garland, wreaths, swags, table scapes, and Christmas trees just cannot be substituted by the fake stuff. I realize some people like artificial because they don't dry out and they don't have to repurchase all the trimmings every year (and maybe there are allergies to consider, which, in my opinion, is the only reason to go fake!)- but, really, it comes down to personal style and taste. The fake stuff, when done well, is still gorgeous...I'm not trying to rain on  anyone's parade here. Just try a real-plant Christmas...you may never go back!

Look for noble fir, douglas fir, evergreen, bay leaf, magnolia, holly or boxwood garland, swags and wreaths. Holly berries, cranberries, oranges, pears, pomegranates....all of the "winter" fruits, live or dried, are perfect for attaching to trimmings and/or using on the tablescape or mantlescape. Attach garland, wreaths, and swags to the banister with clear nylon cable ties for heavier items and/or anchor points, and use non-sticky green floral tape for less heavy items and/or intermediate swags. (I learned this from my mother....who, now I think about it, is mentioned quite often on {Maison Classique}! Hi Mom! I know you're reading!). If any of the nylon tie or floral tape shows, try to dress the greenery to cover it or tie a bow there. The green floral tape is also useful to attach ornaments, bows/ribbon, pine cones, lights and other do-dads to wreaths, swags and garland.

To measure for your garland around doorways, mantles and for staircases, do a mock-up with string or yarn. Keep in mind that your garland will be much thicker compared to the string, take this into consideration when doing your mock-up. After you have placed your string where you want it....take it down and measure it with a measure tape. Add about 5-10% to the total linear inches needed to cover for the bulk of the natural trimmings, shortages in the live product and/or slight errors in your measure. Plus, its always nice to have more than be short when you are decorating! Plus, you can use any extra trimmings for a wreath or centerpiece to give to a neighbor or take to a holiday event as a hostess gift.

Since you're measuring (and, if you do it right the first time, you won't ever have to measure again!), make a list of where you plan to place the garland and the linear amount needed for each feature you are trimming. At this time, you'll also want to walk through your house (don't forget the exterior! Gates, garage doors, front doors, etc!), and list how many wreaths, swags, centerpieces, etc. you need. Once you have your paperwork in order, add everything up then go shopping (either online or to your favorite holiday lot). Make a master copy of this information and reference it each year.

Candles in simple glass hurricanes are both classic and functional when sitting amongst live plants (you don't want them catching on fire!). I am a huge fan of candles (a really huge fan), so a table or mantle without candles feels sad to me. Snag some great glass hurricanes and nestle them in the garland and fruits of the season. For an alternative to hurricanes, check out these clever fruit converter candle holders from Wisteria. I love these! I plan on placing pomegranates in mine. If you aren't a fan of the shiny silver- you can easily repaint these to any color or metallic finish you desire (this is a really easy DIY project!). Just make sure your tapers sit high above the plants for fire considerations. Also, you can use these beyond the Christmas season, too!

Sources for trimming a home with natural greenery + live wreaths:

Christmas Farms. (Their "Classic Wreath" is pictured above)

Williams-Sonoma (FYI- they sell season-appropriate live and dried wreaths year-round). Mantle photograph, above, courtesy of Williams-Sonama.

Lynch Creek Farm

Wisteria for the convertible taper candle holders

Costco for wire ribbon (I just picked up a 50 yard spool for $7!)

I'm going to outline this editorial in list form- because, really, all you need is the information! (And fast, its already December 9th!). Basic guidelines for classic Christmas decorating for the exterior of your house:

-Use classic white lights.  If you feel white is a little tired for your taste, use a single color (red, green) to maintain tradition while standing out.

-Use an appropriate amount of lights. Too much or too little, in essence, does the same thing- it looks bad. A guideline is to follow the architecture and roof line, framing windows and doorways and highlighting architectural features. As for the landscape, don't forget to light shrubs (and trees, if you wish).

-Do not use "lawn ornaments" or "roof ornaments". If you really want to, use them sparingly and set uplights on them. If you have lawn or roof ornaments, rotate them. Do not use them all at once. Sometimes these decorations are fun for kids. All that's needed is a little restraint.

-On the front door, hang a natural wreath of noble fir, douglas fir, evergreen, bay leaf, or boxwood. If you want to dress it up, wrap the top of the wreath with a red, gold or white wire ribbon bow (the contrast of white or gold against green looks nice from afar). Refrain from other distracting decorations on the exterior wreath.

-Natural garland of either noble fir, douglas fir, evergreen, bay leaf, or boxwood framing your front door not only smells wonderful, but looks very finished alongside your wreath.

-If you have the space at your formal entry, a pair of conical boxwood or coniferous topiary in cast concrete urns or metal pots (copper, oil rubbed bronze- depending on the style of your home) flanking the door will set off your entry. The symmetry will also lend a more formal look to your home.

-If you can, plant some red or white poinsettia in your landscape. Just take a mature, live plant and plant it, rather than keep it in a container. Lining a walking path or in flower beds are generally pretty safe yet visible places.  If you would rather not plant them, or if space does not permit, re-container them and arrange them as you see fit. In pots, ideal places are around water features, up stairs, along a walk way, etc.

-Don't forget how lovely it is to see from outside, the Christmas tree on the inside! Position a tree in a front-facing window for that quintessential view from the outside.

-If you have a gated entry to your house or estate, the wreath guideline holds true here, too. I suggest a pair of wreaths, one for each gate door or each gate post. Keep in mind that you will need a larger size to keep proper proportions.

-For the posts between your fencing, mount swags. For a more festive gate display, commission custom garlands and swags for the front perimeter of your estate's gate.

-Earliest to start decorating: the day after Thanksgiving. This goes for the interior Christmas decorations, as well.

-Latest to take down: January 3rd (and that's only because I trust you throw a smashing New Years party and need the 2nd to recover!). Its best to schedule your take down before the season gets into full swing. That way, it can't escape your mind to the point that the lights and decorations don't come down until spring.

-Things to generally avoid (there are always special situations and exceptions to the rule; however, think critically to determine if your house or estate falls into one of the two): window decals, blinking lights, fake snow, music on a loop, anything that may obstruct a view or disrupt your neighbors to the side or across the street, metallic "garland", the icicle lights that everyone now has, artificial wreaths and garland.

J Steinberg Design is looking forward to providing seasonal and holiday style direction and decor for your 2008 festivities. Please schedule your appointments ahead of time, as this time of year gets crazy really fast!

We want your holiday backdrop to be a statement of your style and taste, warmly welcoming your guests, friends and family this holiday season. Get a head start on securing a consultation, where Janelle will collaborate with you on what you need, where to put it, where to get it and how to do it with true style and class!

 

It's important to plan ahead for a number of reasons:

1) to ensure an appointment and project time allotment during the hectic holiday season

2) timely order placement and lead-time consideration for custom designed goods

3) timely order placement and lead-time consideration for goods that need to be special ordered due to quantity, customization, and vendor stock & shipping issues

4) to ensure the largest selection of seasonal "goods-on-hand" from our valued trade resources

Seasonal and Holiday Design & Decor Services:

Style, Theme and Design Direction/Development
Interior & Exterior Fresh Wreaths and Garlands
Holiday Floral Arrangements
Themed Christmas Trees
Tablescapes and Centerpieces
Custom table runners, tablecloths, place mats and napkins
Holiday China, Silver, Stemware and Service Pieces
Holiday and Seasonal Accessories
Purchasing
Delivery, Installation and Set-up
Take-down and Storage Arrangements

Suggested Time-line:

Autumn: Call us now for mid-September install
Thanksgiving: Call us late September for early November install
Hanukkah, sundown 12-21-08: Call us mid-October for early-mid December install
Christmas: call us mid-September for install before 11-27-08
call us late September for 12-01-08 or later install
New Years: call us mid-November for install the week of 12-29-08
Winter: call us late October for a post 1-01-09 install

 

top photo courtesy of my favorite mail-order holiday vendor: Frontgate
second photo courtesy of my go-to source for replacing fine china: Replacements