FEATURE
DECK THE HALLS
Ian Drummond, Creative Director of Indoor Garden Design explores this year’s trends in Christmas decorations and advises on plants to adorn your workspace with.
Years ago, corporate festive planting in this country would typically comprise a Christmas tree festooned with lights and tinsel, positioned within a pot draped in stretchy crepe paper and surrounded by a cluster of inexpertly wrapped faux presents. Elsewhere in the office there might a few bunches of mistletoe precariously dangled from a pendant light or two, presumably to really get the party atmosphere going, but essentially that would be it, that is what Christmas would look like.
“It’s hard to pinpoint exactly when
all this started but it may be that this stylish, abundant enthusiasm
for Christmas decoration is an American import.”
How times have changed. Interior planting for the season of good will is now frequently planned months in advance, often incorporating lavish props as well as subtle, exquisite colour scheming and lighting, the plants themselves, carefully chosen for their scale, style, scent – no detail is too small. The results of course are often spectacular, representing the very best of Christmas design - magical and nostalgic, or super luxe and decadent.
It’s hard to pinpoint exactly when all this started but it may be that this stylish, abundant enthusiasm for Christmas
22 | TOMORROW’S FM
decoration is an American import, because no-one does Christmas quite like our US counterparts.
I noticed that a few years ago, iconic Claridge’s of Mayfair ditched their traditional Christmas tree and instead each year invited a different icon of the fashion world to create something breathtaking for the main foyer – over the years, designers such Chanel’s Creative Director Karl Lagerfeld and Burberry’s Christopher Bailey have accepted the challenge, with extraordinary results.
Often the classic fir tree is completely discarded in favour of something whimsical, a tropical tree, or another year a moss-covered magnolia. Interestingly, the unveiling of the Christmas tree at Claridge’s has become a must-see focal point for the London tourist as well as Mayfair residents over the holiday season.
The point is, Christmas decorations are most effective when they include natural elements, particularly plants. And regardless of fashion, a trend that grows each year is the use of living plants within Christmas displays, not just the tree itself but the legion of other supporting plants that help to bring nature inside.
Biophilia, the need that humans have to connect with nature, doesn’t go home for the holidays, it is more widely recognised than ever before, particularly as the health benefits of having plants in interior spaces is increasingly understood and has been proven to boost wellbeing and productivity too.
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