I was working in New York last week and got the chance to look at some stores and what their clever visual merchandisers had done for holiday decorations. This year, it really is all about layered greens, with some really beautiful combinations of foliage, although I’m a bit worried that there’s no magnolia grandiflora tree with any leaves on it anywhere in the US, I think it’s all in New York display. I’m going to make my own wreath this year and I’m taking inspiration from an abundance of green-ness rather than piling on the baubles.
My first favourite is the one I saw in the new Shinola store in Tribeca (everyone who goes to New York should add this to their ‘shops to visit’ list immediately, bikes, leather stuff and watches, with a fab coffee shop in the front). It’s so simple and would be easy to do (buy a cane wreath and add extra greenery on top) and i also love the leather strap that secures it to the pole, neat.
Another gorgeous store is the newly refurbished Club Monaco on Fifth Avenue, I could quite easily have moved in and it had lovely green wreaths, using those magnolia leaves with their bronze backs, pine and olive-y eucalyptus.
Below is the Food 52 pop up store I visited (thanks to a tip off from TrueBritKnits and MasonDixonKnitting) with narrow leaved laurel and fir wreaths trimmed in red ribbon.
Another Club Monaco wreath below, with an elegant combination of long and short leaved pine leaves scattered with the odd cone.
This one below is from the newly opened Coach store, close to the Club Monaco on Fifth Avenue, I liked the use of the gold backed leaves (are they camellia leaves do you think?) which add a bit of variegated interest when combined with the shiny glitter stars.
Another simple Food 52 one below, which has been nicely matched to the window paint, love that shade of Santa red.
Club Monaco had also made long strings of pine/fern/cones/magnolia leaf foliage which it hung either side of doorways, it looked so pretty I might try this for draping the doors and fireplace.
The window foliage matched the door wreaths mentioned above….
Or if a wreath is too much to contemplate, why not just fill vases with green leafy-ness? It makes a few red berries go a very long way.
Below -we’re still in Food 52- I loved the burlap wrapped flowers, reminded me of Petalon Flowers, a nice change from cellophane.
More of that magnolia…
At possibly the best store in New York, ABC Carpets and Home, had a nice alternative to Christmas bling in putting up a Wish Tree, remember them from Yoko Ono’s exhibition? Customers could write a wish on a white ribbon and tie it on the tree. Next to it a neat way to finish off the base of the tree, with patchworked burlap sacks.
As a quirky alternative to green, why not do what Free People had done in the Union Square shop and do shaggy pompoms -either in snowy white of brighter hues -hung from simple branches.
Or….hang your baubles and Christmas trinkets off a branch and hang along the wall…easy and a refreshing alternative. Are you making your own wreaths and decorations?
I’ve been horribly ill, so to date have done nothing Xmas-related. You’ve inspired me – I’ll either strip my poor little magnolia in the name of Wreathy Goodness or raid the park down the road for eucalyptus and anything else I can find :)
Oh Tiffany, sorry to hear you’ve been poorly, perhaps a bit of green therapy might cheer you up? Glad to have inspired and get better soon Ax