One of the fun things about having the Gift Mart here in Atlanta is that any time I need a Christmas fix I can head down there and tour showroom after showroom of Christmas decor.
When I had my retail store, I loved planning for a buying Christmas product. I typically has 6 to 8 Christmas trees in the store, each with its own unique theme. Every January I would head to the mart to see what the latest trends were and plan my themes for that year. It might sound crazy but most retail stores purchase their Christmas product in January of each year when all the manufacturers make their new product introductions. So, the themes for 2014 were set over a year ago and were officially introduced this past January.
So as not to scare you off with a Christmas post in January I decided to wait until now to share FIVE of the hottest holiday looks you’ll see in stores when Christmas product starts to hit the shelves. In the case of Hobby Lobby, Christmas product has already been on the shelves for about 2 months now. That’s what I call a case of Christmas fever!
Anyhoo, here’s a look at what’s hot for 2014…
image by ConfettiStyle
Botanical Christmas is fresh spin on the traditional Christmas colors of red and green with a few natural, organic elements thrown in to give the decor a more casual feel. With this look you’ll see lots of texture incorporated by using a variety of branch, greenery and flower stems. A sprinkling of ornaments will give the tree a classic Christmas sparkle.
Over the last couple of year, burlap has become a popular decorating material and during the holiday season burlap will be incorporated into tree decor. In additional to burlap the other decorative elements used as part of this theme will have a natural, rustic feel. Pops of red will had the holiday punch and natural colored ribbon and leaf stems (plucked from the yard or faux) will add the dimension.
I’ve never decorated our home using these off-white shades but I love the look. Tiffany is a great description for this tree theme given that is has a really elegant and sophisticated feel. The color palette consists of a variety of neutral shades and the wow factor comes from the abundance of ornaments, flowers, branches, stems and ribbon that create the holiday glitz.
While classic Christmas colors will never go out of style, you’re starting to see new ways the colors are used. The Victorian Tradition theme gets its vintage vibe from the gold accents, heavily embellished ribbons, glittery ornaments and punches of off-white flower stems.
And for those of you that like a true rustic look, a hot trend for 2014 will be the Winter Woods look. The decor of this theme centers around more natural colors, materials, themed ornaments and rustic branches. Frosted branches, mercury glass and muted white shades keep this theme from being too dark and drab and create what I call a ‘rough luxe’ look.
Other trend elements to plan on for 2014:
* Traditional tree toppers are being replaced by plumes of branches, flowers and bows at the top of the tree.
* Bows and ribbon plumes are replacing bands of ribbon wrapped around the tree. Although I hate cutting up my ribbon, I love the look of big bows placed around the tree.
* Dimension makes tree decor come alive. Remember when Christmas tree decor consisted of mostly lights and ornaments? Well, as with past years, trees in 2014 will be embellished with branches, flowers pics and all types of stems that will help give the decor dimension and layers.
* Colored lights are making a comeback but white lights still rule.
* More and more people are moving away from mis-matched Christmas paper and coordinating their Christmas gift wrap to match their holiday decor. A must in my book.
* When it’s all said and done, decorating for Christmas is about creating a look that you love.
For tips on Decorating your Christmas Tree like a Pro, read the blog post I wrote here!
Stay tuned, I’ll be sharing my personal Christmas theme for 2014 with you in a few weeks.
