Holiday Decorating Ideas and Inspiration…
There’s never a shortage of holiday decorating ideas during the season and usually starts in early October. You walk into a department store and it’s everywhere… And like many of you, I too meet it with some resistance. After all, we have three months to go. But come November, the falling leaves, and all the coppers and gold of the season, and it starts to happen for me. Inspiration! This year, it came quickly with an event we hosted here at sudioGUILBEAU during Nashville Design Week called, Curating A Soulful Home.
Heidi, our social coordinator, was yammering at me to get some tabletop decorations going or else she would do it herself. So I began with what I already had at home – some cute succulents which I’d picked up for a summer party earlier in the year.
It was a bit sparse and simple, but with a little greenery mixed in with lots of white candles, you can go from one season to the next and still feel festive. In any case, Design Week isn’t exactly a holiday party(!) I counted myself as off the hook.
Spruce it up…
All the same, I felt like I needed to up my game – two more real holiday parties to go! So I made a point of stopping in at my favorite new home décor shop, Willow. I wanted to find something new and different, that would spruce up and “winterize” my timeless, classic greenery and candles. Is that possible with succulents?
At Willows Home Decor…
Remember all those layers I was talking about getting out in the early fall? Well, we need them now in Nashville! And boy has Willow got my number – everything from real cashmere and fur to designer faux of the same – something from everyone’s budget! But I digress…..What I really love about this quaint little shop is that every room has a decorating theme, and you can glean many, many ideas from them. Click here to visit their facebook page
Take a look at this Thanksgiving table laid out… I loved the simplicity of the bowl in the middle, with two fat pillar candles beside it, and then two wheat grass pics on either side. Such a simple arrangement, but so effective.
Party Centerpiece Presentation…
Our next holiday party was the same evening as the Nashville Design Week presentation. It was really just an overall winter party theme. As it goes, I noticed that Willow’s had a well-curated display of greenery that could possibly play well with my succulents. How perfect!
So I gingerly asked Jenny, the super friendly store manager, if she thought there might be a way to work in some more “wintery” greenery in with my cute little succulents. I brought in my vintage soup tureen which I like to do floral arrangements with, and which instantly dresses up any occasion just a little bit. And voilà!
The above centerpiece is what I finally settled on! Some more succulents with a floral appeal – and with a little red in them for just a hint of holiday cheer.
So I proudly brought it into the office, just in time for the party! I stole a page from Willow’s Thanksgiving table – my bowl in the middle, flanked by candles, and something else floral on the ends – in this case my little succulents.
Getting Ready for Christmas…
Finally, while at Willow’s Home Decor boutique, I quickly realized I wasn’t ready for Christmas yet… But if I was a Modernist, I’d want to hang out in this room! Gorgeous!
And don’t worry, there’s plenty to look at for the Traditionalist at heart, and all manner in between…
Willow Home Décor is located at 6600 Highway 100 in Nashville. Check out their Instagram @willow.nashville And facebook fb.com/willowhomedecorTN
– Marcelle Guilbeau,
