Almost Ready
I was finally ready this morning to install holiday decor for a client both inside and out; the wreath for the front door was the last thing to be loaded in the trucks. My clients have spent years restoring a beautiful late nineteenth century house; they moved in just weeks ago. Though the landscape renovation just got underway before we ran out of good weather, we managed to get the granite driveway installed. The new front portico and brick walks are still under construction. But being in the late stages of a construction project does not mean they have to forego the holidays.
A formal tree in the foyer is decorated all in red. Glass ball ornaments in clusters and berry picks suffuse the interior of the tree with a red glow. Sparkly red ornaments of all shapes and sizes hang from the tips of the branches.
The space at the bottom of the stairs is a small one. Some of the lower branches of the tree spill into the stairwell going downstairs. A cloud of red sinamay shot through with metallic red threads finishes the tree at the floor. The garland on the stair railings is plain-but for bouquets of berry picks, ornaments and satin ribbons on the newel posts.
My client requested that the ceiling of her dining room be dripping with holiday. I am sure she did not think I would take her request literally-but it seemed just the thing to do. The glass drops pick up the light from the windows, and the chandelier; the whole room sparkles. I can imagine it will look beautiful with candlelight.
We pinned copper and pewter colored oak leaf garland at the top of each beam. Coppery brown manzanita branches were zip tied together in a configuration that would allow for hanging the drops at different levels, and in different planes. Natural reindeer moss is glued over the zip ties. The contrast of the old and somber hand hewn beams with the delicate glass drops-lovely.
The old fashioned cooking fireplace is draped in magnolia garlands which are fastenened at the corners with pewter colored leaf and pod picks. Small custers of brown berries add a subtle shine to the garland. I always hang magnolia garland with the leaf tips up. As the leaves dry, they open, and fan out, giving the garland greater volume. Garland hung with the leaf tips down will dry down, and be smooth and uniform in width. This is gravity at work.
The new portico outdoors still lacks lighting and finishing, but Christmas is next week. The steel topiary towers were custom made for these large pots; they are wound with brown corded lights. As the bed of greens is so massive, we did a mix for textural interest. Large branches of magnolia grandiflora were zip tied together to make a shrubby form akin to the steel topiary form.
These three English made concrete planters are stuffed with mixed greens; their centerpieces are cardinal red twig, red glitter branches and red glitter leaf picks. They make a big splash. The planters are positioned to screen the side door from immediate view, and direct visual attention to the front door.
In the spring, the antique brick walkway porch, and new landscape will dress this area up considerably. But for now, being ready for the holidays is a gesture in a good direction.
Posted on: December 18, 2009 4 Comments
Red On Red
What is it about red at the holidays? How it glows-electrifying. It does not seem to matter whether the material is ribbon, leaves, ornament, twigs, flowers or paper, red warms up the holiday. Those ridiculously large amaryllis blooms-I fall for them. Pointsettias come in a variety of different designer colors, but what beats a well grown pointsettia loaded with red bracts? Red on red-even better. Combining red materials of different textures will give your holiday that sumptuous look-all from the color.
We decorated this ten foot tall tree in a foyer entirely of red ornaments. Large and small, glittered, shiny, matte-a range of reds in different textures. clusters of matte red. Under the tree, a cloud of red sinamay. The repetition of red provides for plenty of holiday drama.
Red is beautiful with greens-whether they be the blue greens of Noble and Silver fir, or the green-green of balsam fir. As red has a darker value, massing it makes it read better from a distance. A smattering of red at a distance will look better if it is backed up with white, or a light green.
When red ornament will be viewed from up close, small splashes work fine.. Wine red needs to be up close; at a distance it will look brown or black-brown. For this reason, I think chartreuse green and wine red are particularly handsome together. Red and blue/green-electric on a dull cloudy day.
Red combines amicably with any other holiday color. Red, dark purple and gold has the look of a pageant. Integrifolia dyed red will bleed some if there is rain, or a thaw; care needs to be taken so it does not stain a terrace. Red also fades in full sun; red twig dogwood is your best bet for good color retention all winter. But for that fleeting moment that we have holidays, red is smashing.
The Bulbeck lead pot is the anchoring ornament of this garden-summer and winter. The mass of red integrifolia in a huge pot makes a strong central holiday statement; the satellite grape vine deer sport red holiday collars. I am unable to resist decorating garden sculpture for the holiday season. No doubt this is a character flaw on my part, but I do it anyway. I like to see garden figures with hats and the dogs with collars.
Eucalyptus dyed red is a very dark red. The science of this-the red dye over the green leaf muddies the color. Mixing colors opposite to each other on the color wheel produces various shades of mud. If an orange terra cotta pot seems too orange, a green wash over top will tone it down.
Red in all its sassy glory at the holidays gives me the same lift as red tulips do in the spring, and a new red jacket. A gloomy time of year can be energized by red.
See what I mean??
Posted on: December 15, 2009 5 Comments
The Mantle
Fireplace mantles were invented so we could put stuff on them, right? I do have clients with contemporary homes that do away with the frivolity of a mantle, but I like them for what I can do with them. More than most architectural features, a fireplace is a visual representation of the idea of home-a place around which to gather, be warm, and be safe. A mantle can be home to a revolving collection of objects during the year; their height makes them perfect for displaying those small personal things that benefit from a placement at eye level. But a mantle is never more in its glory than it is at the holidays. Traditionally, gardeners drag all sorts of materials in from outdoors, and custom construct a holiday coat that dresses up that shelf over the fireplace. This mantle began with a natural garland, to which Jeffrey pine cones, nests, cardinals, holly and berry picks were added. Very warm and cozy.
I like a garland centerpiece. In this case, a small wreath constructed of individual pine cone bits identifies the center. The feathered red birds, a symbol of the wildlife so precious in a garden, are nesting here and there. A natural garland may dry quickly indoors, but the smell of fresh greens in season is a little bit of heaven at home.
Armoires, cabinets and the like can be dressed up with garland as well. This antique china cabinet has a gorgeous spiky hat of faux pine and giant cones. A stately and quiet nod to the season.
Formal fireplaces adapt to dressing just fine. White berry garlands, clear creamy snowflakes and ornately carved ornaments are appropriate to the limestone, silver, and formal furnishings in the room.
If I use ornament on a mantle, I like to hang some over the edge. This can be a construction problem, if the mantle is shallow, and the garland heavy. In this case, I loaned my client lead pot feet, which I wired to the garland. These keeps everything securely on top, even though the display spills over the front edge. Some garland I attach to a bamboo pole that runs the entire length of the mantle. Once the heaviest element is stabilized, I can add on.
This garland is woven with large old fashioned white lights, and red LED berry clusters. The garland is wired to a heavy iron candelabra. As this fireplace is in the family room, and host to gathering involving grandkids, all the ornament is plastic. Kids so like to touch things-and why shouldn’t they?
A holiday mantle can be glamorous. The relationship of the large pearly ornaments and birch tubes is an interesting one. I cannot imagine how the bark is removed intact from a birch log, but here they are. The light weight makes them perfect for hanging over the edge of the mantle. White at the holidays is beautiful.
A pair of tall cone shaped topiaries are finished in off-white double faced satin. This ribbon is a sumptuous material that shines softly. This treatment over a cone form is so fast and easy, it can be changed out for other seasons.
There is ornament designed specifically for mantles; they are usually narrow and quite heavy. Close to Christmas, the children’s stockings will be hung from them. An artificial pine garland is augmented with fresh noble fir; if artificial greens are the order of the day, adding some natural greens greatly improve the overall appearance.
Glass ornaments in wine red and chocolate complete the look. The faux white pine has pleasingly overscaled needles that give this mantle a very festive look. I like bringing the feeling of the outdoors inside.
Posted on: December 14, 2009 2 Comments