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Holiday Décor: Indoors and Outdoors |
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Written by Nevada Home
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Tuesday, 04 November 2008 |
INDOOR WINTER HOLIDAY DÉCOR
With all that we have to do for the winter holidays, sometimes it’s hard to get motivated to decorate our homes and, more difficult, get inspired to create even a slightly fresher look. To help you get started, here are some ideas and offerings.
Tree garnishes
With trees, frequently the focal point of the décor, options expand beyond live or faux, flocked or not. If you want a live tree—pine, fir or cedar, you can cut your own, select one and have it cut for you, purchase an already-cut one, or buy one you can plant.
Artificial trees come in various sizes and shapes, such as spirals and topiaries. Some are entirely colored red, silver, or gold (seen at Nevada Backyard) and even non-traditional hues, such as dusty pink and colossal blue (seen at Best Wishes Christmas Shoppe). For convenience, many faux trees now come pre-lighted (today’s tree lights have parallel wiring so that one bad bulb doesn’t affect the others).
Tree trimming has some new twists.
“There’s a focus more on colors, form, texture, and contour of trees rather than on a particular theme,” says Mark Desautel, owner of The Christmas Shoppe, an Incline Village store chock-full of winter holiday ornaments, collectibles, accessories, and décor.
Some designers loosely bind together a tree’s limbs to create a different visual form, then adorn the structure with large balls or other items to draw the eye inward.
The use of ample ribbon, and embellished floral picks and sprays is big, Desautel says. These designs include sword ferns, berry clusters, glass globes, and frosted holly. More nontraditional winter flowers, such as hydrangeas, are being used. New is a tree accessory with a ten-inch-diameter metal platform for showcasing a special object such as a music box or snow globe.
Today’s tree skirts are made of chic materials such as satin and velvet. Some come embellished, for example, with brocade, tassels, or sequins.
Tree ornaments run the gamut from balls to animals. Even “Hannah Montana” and “High School Musical” picture frame ornaments are available (seen at Lowe’s). Oversized balls, velvet-covered balls and star shapes are in, as are purples, oranges, pinks, and moss green. The Christmas Shoppe carries handcrafted, hand-painted glass ornaments from Poland, Germany, the Czech Republic, Italy, and Egypt. Some are more free-form (teardrop, ball, or finial shapes). Others are Christmas themed—trains, toys, wreaths, crosses.
“They’re absolutely gorgeous,” Desautel says.
Best Wishes Christmas Shoppe in Reno carries a variety of ornaments, too, ranging from traditional balls and Christmas figures to Western and animal-themed. (See Art in the Home on pages 14–15). It carries the Krinkles ornaments line, known for its whimsical characters. Ornaments designed to be given as family gifts can be personalized.
“We try to have a little bit of everything,” says Barbara McHenry, the manager.
Collectible crafts
The demand for Christmas collectibles continues to be strong. Both The Christmas Shoppe and Best Wishes Christmas Shoppe carry collectible brands. Jim Shore, famed for his “Heartcrafted” style inspired by German quilts, Scandinavian decorative paintings, and English appliqué, is hugely popular.
The Steinbach Nutcrackers offer various series. Byers’ Choice handcrafts unique, foot-tall carolers in Dickensian, Victorian, and other themes. Christopher Radko products include holiday accessories, European glass ornaments, and 1950s- and 1960s-inspired ornaments and décor. Sticks creates small and large figures (Santas, nutcrackers, angels) that are hand carved from found wood, then further embellished. Mark Roberts is known for his distinctive fairies and elves.
Department 56 offers detailed village collections. The company also produces Snowbabies, pieces featuring cherub-faced characters. Fontanini makes individual and grouped nativity scene collectibles.
Home accessories
Non-collectible, decorative pieces are available throughout stores in Northern Nevada. They include candlestick holders, topiaries, and holiday-themed figurines and scenes — such as snowboarders shredding a half-pipe (seen at Lowe’s). Nevada Backyard, for instance, carries a broad selection of indoor Christmas accessories and décor.
An intriguing product sold at Best Wishes Christmas Shoppe is Lolita brand, hand-painted Christmas-themed glassware — martini and wine glasses. Gel Clings for windows, which depict winter holiday designs and words, are a fun addition. Other hip items, Desautel says, include dark metal, garden-like accessories (deer, candleholders); décor with a turn-of-the-century look; and forest-related Santas, such as St. Nick on snowshoes or skis.
OUTDOOR WINTER HOLIDAY DÉCOR
The beauty of outdoor winter holiday décor is that it’s a spirit-lifting treat for the home’s residents as well as anyone who drives by.
Lights are sure to grab attention. Gaining popularity are light emitting diode (LED) lights. While they’re more expensive than incandescent or ceramic lights, they’re more energy efficient, longer-lasting, durable, and brighter.
“A 50-foot-high tree at a home in Montrêux, which has 70 LED starbursts on it, can be seen from the top of Mt. Rose,” says Kim Gardner, general manager of Brite Lights, Moana Nursery’s outdoor holiday lights division.
Adds Tim Scott, installation services manager and consultant for Christmas Décor, Reno Lawn & Landscape’s outdoor Christmas lights franchise, “A 15-amp breaker can only accommodate 200 traditional transparent or ceramic C-9 bulbs but, in comparison, 1,200 LED bulbs,”
LED holiday lights come in shapes that include bows, swags, stockings, snowflakes, ornaments, candy canes, concaves, and icicles. Colors are red, green, blue, strong white, and warm white (this one’s new). Warm white isn’t as bright as the original white that sometimes appears bluish, pinkish, or purplish.
Outdoor lights are sold at Nevada Backyard, Moana Nursery, Home Depot, Lowe’s, and other stores. When it comes to installation, your options are to hang them yourself or have it done professionally.
Moana Nursery’s Brite Lights offers a service that includes a free consultation, an outdoor light design, installation, maintenance, takedown, and storage. The lights are customized to the home, and the customer owns the lights. Brite Lights uses 44-inch, weather-coated aluminum rods of lights, and offers incandescents or LEDs.
Along with contouring a home, their designs include wreaths, garlands, starbursts, icicles, and lawn displays, such as individual figures and 32-inch wide words like “Peace,” “Merry Christmas,” and “Happy Holidays.” Brite Lights also offers faux cherry blossom trees that are prelit with blue, pink, red, or white lights, and install timers. Hanukkah lighting options include blue and white lights, and an LED menorah, a Star of David, and a dreidl. The cost starts at $1,500.
Christmas Décor (Reno Lawn & Landscape) offers a similar program with some differences. It installs commercial-grade transparent, ceramic, or LED lights. Service includes a consultation, design, installation, takedown, storage, and maintenance. Customers, however, rent the lights.
The company provides house fascia outlining, window framing, branch or trunk wrapping, tree canopy stringing, hedges and shrubs, wreaths, garlands, and timers. They can do blue and white lights for a Hanukkah theme. They don’t install icicle lights nor do they provide lit figures. If a customer wants lit lawn décor, they’re welcome to put it out themselves, and Christmas Décor will incorporate it in the timer. Christmas Décor’s service costs between $400 and $1,500, and averages about $500 to $700.
When lights are professionally installed, they conform to the house’s contour. Spaces and hanging ends are eliminated. Companies have already begun installations, so call soon to get on their list.
Christmas holiday figures and scenes for the lawn or roof are popular. These are for sale throughout Northern Nevada and specifically at Nevada Backyard, Lowe’s, Home Depot, and Costco. Large inflatable, colorful decorations are available, such as a caroling snow family, teeter totter, carnival swing and Santa in a chair, pirate ship, or helicopter. Inflatable ball ornaments, 12 or 24 inches in diameter, are perfect for hanging on outdoor trees. Other eye-catching lawnscapes are life-size, animated tinsel figures and scenes, prelit with LEDs. Some designs are an angel, standing buck, snowman, drummer bear, palm tree, mailbox, candy cane, and geese. One scene, for example, depicts Huskies pulling a sleigh that’s carrying an Eskimo. Bronzed figures and crystal bead figures—sleighs, deer, trees, angels, and more—are other alternatives. Sledding penguins, golfing Santas, and skiing snowmen combine sports and Christmas themes.
Other outdoor decorative embellishments are metal yard stakes and wreaths, which come plain, prelit, adorned, and in both traditional and non-traditional, vibrant colors.
Visit local stores for Holiday Indoor and Outdoor Décor:
* The Christmas Shoppe
(In the Christmas Tree Village at
Incline Village)
868 Tahoe Boulevard, Incline Village
(775) 831-9627
* Best Wishes Christmas Shoppe
2303 Kietzke Lane, Reno
(775) 786-8998
* Nevada Backyard
75 E. Moana Lane, Reno
(775) 826-4800
* Brite Lights (Moana Nursery)
1100 W. Moana Lane, Reno
11301 S. Virginia Street, Reno
(775) 825-0602
* Christmas Décor
(Reno Lawn & Landscape)
850 Maestro Drive, Reno
5440 Louie Lane, Reno
(775) 827-5296
Doresa Banning is a Reno-based freelance writer. |
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