Seasonal

I remember going to the Christmas Tree Lot as a young girl, torn between my love of aesthetic perfection (which led to my career as an interior designer) and the unwillingness to “hurt any of the trees’ feelings.” Now, with my own home as well as the homes of a substantial client-list to select trees for, I have mostly gotten over “hurt tree feelings,” although I don’t always rule a tree out just because it isn’t “perfect.”

Rather, I have become very adept at selecting the perfect Christmas tree for the space.

Select the Perfect Christmas Tree For the Space

Here are some of the things I take into consideration, and you can as well, to select the best tree for this year’s holiday decorations.

Real or synthetic. Sometimes the lifestyle of the family is as important as the look and size of the tree. If your family has a hard time keeping house plants alive, and abhors vacuuming up all those dead Christmas tree needles as a result of forgotten waterings – it might be time to invest in a synthetic tree. Today’s options are hard to tell from the real thing unless you get up close and personal and it they are easy to put up – and take down – each year. If environmental sustainability is important for you, however, they aren’t necessarily the ideal.

Keep in mind that a synthetic tree is not biodegradable, is (mostly) made in China and will sit in a landfill for an indefinite amount of time when you’re done with it. The average lifespan of synthetic trees is about six years and a 2009 study stated that when all is said and done, “the artificial tree…has three times more impact on climate change and resource depletion than the natural tree.”

The right size. On average, a Christmas Tree has an 80% “taper,” so a tree that is 10-feet tall will be 8-feet wide at the base. Try to remember that proportion if you’re measuring trees that are bundled. Start by measuring the maximum width you can accommodate in your living space and then match the height accordingly.

Also, keep in mind that taller trees are more expensive – sometimes significantly so. Thus, if budget or width accommodation is an issue, I recommend converting an old flat trunk, or a couple of end tables pushed together as a way to elevate a shorter tree that needs a little boosting. You can also use concrete blocks and a piece of plywood, making sure to create a big enough base.

Then, place your Christmas tree in its stand on top of the platform and use a white sheet or that cotton, snow-like material that abounds this time of year, to hide the foundation. Finish it off with a nice Christmas tree skirt. Now you’ve gained a more impressive tree and have a fabulous space below the lowest boughs to pile your wrapped presents and gift bags to boot. Plus, elevated bottom branches are protected from wee ones and chew-happy pets.

Choose the right type. There are a range of tree species used for Christmas trees. You can consult the National Christmas Tree Association’s website to research the specifics. Some have short, upright needles with sturdy branches (Noble Fir) while others have softer, deep green needles and more dense branching (Douglas Fir). The choice is up to you so explore a bit and settle on a species that appeals.

Do a branch test. Don’t just go on looks alone; the dryer the tree, the sooner it will die in your living room. Run your hands (preferably gloved) along the branch. If needles fall off readily and/or the branch is brittle and dry at the ends, skip it and wait for one that is suppler and will last longer with regular watering.

The holidays are right around the corner, and it’s not easy for busy families and professionals to decorate their homes the way they want to. If you’re feeling pressed for time, or are hosting holiday gatherings this year, schedule a consultation with Kristina Wolf Design and let us assist you. We can take over the holiday decorating, or help you add those finishing touches to your own design.

Hosting beloved family and friends at your home on Thanksgiving has such a wonderful, idyllic and dreamy quality to it – until the date is visible on the current calendar page and you realize all of the little bits and bobs that need to come together to make that golden-lit fantasy come true.

7 Tips For the Loveliest Thanksgiving Ever

Never fear, my friends. While a well-set table and beautiful fall decor is a bonus, your guests are primarily focused on the joy of being together (possibly accompanied by a little stress) as well as all that scrumptious food.

The following 7 tips will help to make your upcoming Thanksgiving the loveliest yet – and I vow to make it as stress-free as possible.

1. Flavor your house with fall. If you’ve yet to decorate for fall, no worries. There are easy ways to add a little fall color to your home in under an hour and without spending very much at all. Colorful pumpkins and gourds abound this time of year and you can add a few autumn-hued pillar and votive candles to the mix as well. They can be used to adorn table tops as centerpieces, the mantel and virtually any surface that needs a little pick me up. Just tuck all the other tchochkes away so your fall harvest decor is the star of the show. Read Taking Your Interiors From Summer to Fall for additional, practical tips.
2. Do use place settings. Sometimes guests on the Thanksgiving invite list don’t blend together as well as your traditional recipe ingredients do. For this reason, I highly recommend taking 15-minutes out of your life to create a seating arrangement.Plus, there’s something about place cards that makes the event seem a bit more special. Try to balance personalities, interests and the people who make excellent personality buffers (the ones that don’t mind great-aunt Sally telling the same story over and over or who can listen peacefully, unruffled by vehement political/religious views). Place cards can be as simple as a pre-cut, black cardstock rectangles with names written in gold or white script, to whatever clever place card idea you want to incorporate.
3. Rearrange the furniture. You might find a temporary furniture arrangement makes more sense than your everyday setup. Take the kids play area out of the family room for the day so there’s more space for additional seating (or, perhaps you should  add a kids’ play corner to accommodate visiting guests). Think about conversation and body movement, removing any furniture that is superfluous or impedes flow – and adding additional seating from elsewhere in the house if needed.
4. Remove breakables. The last thing you want is to stress out about heirloom and valuable collector’s’ pieces. Even if they enhance your decor, it’s better to remove them than lose them. With a crowd of house guests, odds are they wouldn’t have been noticed anyway – except by the person who accidentally knocked them over and broke them…
5. Purchase the non-essentials (or the essentials!). If cooking isn’t your forte, or if you have to work directly before and after the holiday, give yourself a break and fill in the food gaps using pre-made versions from the store, a local bakery, or a restaurant that offers Thanksgiving meal items to order. The turkey and stuffing are easy – and once they’re in the oven – you can enjoy the guests. So consider buying some of the sides and pie (or make the day a potluck) to remove a significant layer of stress.
6. Sweep the chimney. Here in the Bay Area, fireplaces are often more for looks than use – but it’s so nice to have a fire on Thanksgiving if it’s cool enough. Just make sure you’ve had it looked at – and swept, if need be – so you don’t smoke the guests out of the house.
7. Set up a Make-Your-Own bar. If your home doesn’t have a bar, use a tea cart, a serving cart or a couple of sturdy TV trays and set up a DIY bar with all the ingredients the typical drinks require. You can use a metal bucket or cooler (draped with a linen table cloth to hide the metal/plastic if you like) filled with ice to chill sodas, white wines, champagne and the like. No need for you to play bartender…and it adds a social flair.
8. Set the table a couple of days before. If you have a formal dining room, I highly recommend setting the table at least one full day before Thanksgiving. People will tease, but you know what? You won’t care. By having all of your place settings in place ahead of time and the servingware cleaned and ready to go – you’ll save yourself hours of last-minute running around the night before or the day of the meal.

Thanksgiving is a time for practicing gratitude for the abundance in our lives – and that’s much easier to do when things unfold as stress-free and pleasant as possible. All of us here at Kristina Wolf Design wish you and your family a very happy and laughter-filled holiday.

Are you getting burned out on Santa Claus, Rudolph and little elves? It’s easy to accumulate a hodge-podge of holiday decorations, many of which may not suit your tastes or your home’s style anymore.

If this is the case for you, it may be time to donate the ones worth donating, trash the ones that have had it, and starting over from scratch using tasteful, mature and nature-inspired décor that doesn’t scream, “CHRISTMAS!”

Holiday Decorations for Everyone’s Taste and Traditions

Even if you are a believer in Jesus, Santa, Buddha, Judaism or another major religion, that doesn’t mean your partner is, or the rest of your family is. Neutralizing holiday decorations can be a nice way to strike the right balance, blending your individual traditions in here and there, as you see fit while still celebrating the magic we all share this time of year.

Here are some lovely ways to honor the change in seasons – as well as the holiday – by using nature-inspired holiday décor in your home.

Gild your fruit. Does your family keep a fruit bowl on the table? Fill it up with some of this season’s favorite fruits, including crisp apples, voluptuous pomegranates and different varieties of pears. Right away you have blend of rich reds, greens and golds. Up the gold ante by choosing a few apples and spray paint them gold – or silver if you prefer – to add a little festive flair to the arrangement.

Pinecone garlands. Take the family on a nature walk and collect pinecones. If you like things to match, select the cones from the same species of tree. If you like an eclectic look, you can purchase a variety. You can also buy pinecones – some of which are pre-glittered or gilded – at a local craft store. String them up using metallic ribbons or natural hemp twine – depending on your taste. You can use these “garlands” to adorn the mantel, a front door or walkway, along the front of your kitchen or dining room hutches or anywhere else you see fit.

Make banister bouquets. If you have a stairway with banisters, skip the traditional garland approach and make banister bouquets instead. To start, collect or purchase bare branches – birch or redtwig dogwood are ideal for this – and cut the branches so they span from the base of a stair to just above the banister. Then, cut evergreens from your own backyard – or a generous neighbor’s. Attach the branches and greens (branches in back, greens in front) to the banisters (every two or three banisters is an ideal ratio) using green florist wire.

You can attach bows, bells, clusters of berries and/or Christmas tree ornaments to jazz the bouquets up a bit. They look and smell delightful and can also be added to doors or used in vases for centerpieces.

Father Christmas and Real Reindeer. We all love Rudolph, Dasher, Dancer and the gang and the occasional cheery Santa is fine as well. However, there are so many variations that all those figurines can start to have a cartoony effect. Instead, look for images and figurines of Father Christmas and true reindeer, which look more realistic, tend to be more consistent in their aesthetic and have a more grown-up appearance – even though the kids in the family will be just as transfixed.

Go Cedar hunting. Cedar is one of my very favorite winter greens from which to make holiday decorations and arrangements. It lays flat but drapes well. It smells good but it’s relatively gentle on the hands, and you can find it in just about any neighborhood. Plus, you can hack quite a bit out of an established plant without it really showing.

Use freshly-cut cedar to make wreaths and garlands. It looks lovely circled around the base of pillar candles and can be arranged with dead wood, stones, and fairy houses or just-the-right ornaments to create magical, miniature worlds. Once you’ve arranged the cedar to your liking, add small twinkle lights (I highly recommend the tiny LED lights that are strung on thin metallic wire) and twine them into the arrangement. The effects are stunning.

Are you ready to overhaul your hodge-podge of holiday decorations? Schedule a consultation with Kristina Wolf Design and I’ll help you go through your traditional boxes to cull the antique and sentimental pieces, and then work with you to create a whole new look.