I’m dreaming of a brown and cream Christmas (and other festivities)

The assignment:

create a Christmas treescape featuring shades of brown and cream that complimented the Thanksgiving decor

The goal:

keep things warm and inviting while using a less-traditional Christmas palate

Tricks to pulling off this look:

1. Decorate the trees in a way that they complement, not replicate, one another

2. Use the less dominant color of the trees as the ribbon color for each gift

3. Remain outside of the comfort zone of “traditional” Christmas colors (ex. most things in Michaels, Hobby Lobby, etc. )

Focusing under the tree

One of my favorite parts of creating this look was thinking about what it would look like under the tree. I wanted to try something that I don’t often do and go for complete uniformity.  This meant extra large rolls of wrapping paper and spools of ribbon (and learning how to tie a Tiffany-style bow).  Choosing cream as the wrapping paper color made the presents “pop” under the green trees and using a satin brown ribbon for each gift on a velvet brown tree skirt brought the entire look together.

Complementing instead of copying

None of the trees were exactly the same (branch style, height, flocking), and three types of stars were used to top the trees.  The ribbons and magnolias were only used on the main tree, and each accent tree featured an element of the main tree design.  Together with the colors and textures on the mantle, a scene filled with visual interest was created to serve as the backdrop to the holidays.

Thinking outside of the “traditional” Christmas color box

It’s not easy to find Christmas decor in various shades of brown. I knew I wanted brown velvet ribbon as a focal point on the main tree and spent many hours searching for a spool in the right shade, texture, width, and length.  Since the main tree is not flocked, I needed a slightly warmer brown to stand out against the green.  The stockings were also hard to find.  I needed something in a lighter tone to play off of the lighter-colored ornaments that wouldn’t detract from the look of the wrapped presents under the trees. Ultimately, many shades of brown, copper, champagne, and cream were used to create the look.  The most notable color missing from the entire look is red, which was only used as an accent during the annual gingerbread party (and worn by our visiting elves).