Holiday Decorating Trends
By Chris Drummond, AAF, PFCI
Penny’s By Plaza Flowers
The pandemic has caused many of us to spend more time at home working on our gardens and revitalizing interior spaces. We all seem to be planning to decorate with renewed energy and focus this holiday season. Here are six trends we are noticing at Penny’s by Plaza Flowers.
Incorporate berries, pods, pinecones and more into centerpieces.
This Thanksgiving table centerpiece includes much more than just fresh lilies and roses. The designer adds a high degree of warmth and visual interest with hypericum berries, mini pumpkins, millet and artificial pip berries. As you decorate, think of creative ways to add both natural and artificial elements to enrich your designs.
Carry your themes from floor to ceiling.
Windows, mantles and sofa tables continue to be popular places for seasonal decorations. However the baubles, ribbons, branches and pinecones are moving higher. Starting with inverted Christmas trees a few years ago, we now see many decorations near the ceiling, including extensive chandelier designs and cozy column toppers like the one shown here.
Variety is key when selecting greenery.
For decades, traditional evergreens such as pine, fir, spruce and cedar have dominated December décor. Consider the elements in the photos here. On the left is our traditional assortment, which is certainly very pretty and achieves the goal of creating a welcoming environment with visual winter warmth. On the right, we’ve kicked it up a notch by adding millet, Italian ruscus and two varieties of eucalyptus for added texture and color. Have fun mixing new varieties of fresh greens into your holiday mix.
Trendy trees are packed with natural items and simple color themes.
Use your current glass balls, but stick to one or two colors. Then bring nature indoors by adding pods, mushrooms, berries, fruit, bird nests, pods, preserved leaves, real branches and more. Here we show a close-up photo of one example.
Bicolor florals, fresh and permanent, are all the rage.
Botanists throughout the world are busy creating new varieties of flowers for us to enjoy. While they often focus on disease resistance, stem length, head size and longevity, most recently they’ve worked on breeding cultivars with multiple colors in each bloom. Look for fantastic bicolor varieties of roses, amaryllis, lilies and poinsettias.
Table scaping is a great alternative to a single centerpiece.
Stop by your florist or greenhouse and pick up some small potted plants; in this example we show four Norfolk Island Pines in four inch pots. Add pinecones, magnolia leaves, ornaments, moss, berries and fresh flowers. Frame everything with branches you’ve foraged. This is great for mantle or dining table.
I suggest you get together with friends and family and work on these pieces together. The fun lies in bouncing ideas off each other and stimulating creativity. Try new components and don’t be afraid to break the rules. Take some risks because seasonal decorations are fleeting. If you don’t love what you’ve done, there’s always next year. Enjoy!
About the author:
A third-generation florist, Chris grew up in Audubon, PA and co-owns Penny’s by Plaza Flowers with his sister, Heather. Their staff of 45 talented artisans and drivers, called “happiness ambassadors,” deliver 50,000 gifts annually from locations in Philadelphia, Glenside and Jeffersonville. He has been awarded Pennsylvania’s Florist of Year, and currently serves as Chairman of the Board for the Society of American Florists.
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