It’s one thing to decorate your own home for the holidays. It’s an entirely separate endeavor to design someone else’s space for one of the most special nights of the year.
I think that’s why I love holiday design so much.
No two houses are ever the same. Some clients love the traditional red and green, while others crave a more unusual color combination – think navy and pink.
Whatever the color scheme, almost every client wants a little sparkle in their holiday decor.
Sometimes we go the glitter route to achieve that shine because in my mind, glitter is never a bad thing! But lately, I’m using a lot of metallics.
From the traditional silver and gold, to brass, copper, nickel and even rose gold, there are many beautiful metals to choose from to add that gleam to your holiday design.
And there’s no hard and fast rule saying you have to limit yourself to just one!
If done properly, mixing metals in your holiday decor can create a classy, sophisticated look.
The most important aspect of mixing metals is to choose one to be the focus. This provides an anchor and allow the colors of the other metal or metals to blend harmoniously. Houzz.com recommends a 70/30 ratio.
This means, if gold is your dominant color, 70 percent of the metal in the room should be gold with 30 percent another metal.
Try your hand mixing metals is with your Christmas tree. Always a focal point in holiday decor, the Christmas tree has many elements and is a great way to experiment..
However, as digsdigs.com points out, pay attention to the other colors at play.
If you have a traditional green Christmas tree, most any metal or combination of metals will look good.
But if you have a light colored tree or flocked tree, gold may be a better option as it will stand out more than silver.
Try putting a gold star atop a Christmas tree adorned with silver bells or placing copper chargers with your antique silverware. Mixing metals is a perfect way to bring old and new styles together for a fresh look.
In the President’s House at Principia College, a space I recently designed, we used lots of silver with touches of gold for an elegant, timeless look. And of course, we used some glittered items for a little extra sparkle!