styled living simply achieved by Jacqueline deMontravel
This season celebrate a green Christmas, and we’re not talking about spruce trees or a holiday in Florida. As the holidays are about giving, being eco-aware is the natural thing to do.
Cloth and ribbon gift wrapping is prettier than paper, simple, and without the mess. How’s that for a holiday de-stress?
If you shop for Christmas in July, get a rush when sifting through thrift store merchandise, chances are you have a vintage Christmas home. Those who find excitement in beautiful things get emotional when discovering a distinguished piece, perhaps in an obscure color or size, which must be acquired. The home becomes a showcase for these finds, where a constant rotation of personal pieces is tantamount unless you want to battle an avalanche of keepsakes when tapping into storage. Christmas is the ideal time to display prized possessions and, perhaps, add some new collections.
Christmas decorating takes a personalized approach with a mix of personal vintage items and a unique color palette.
Decorating a festive home does not have to follow Christmas’s primary colors and themes. Simply arrange your favorite pieces, add some seasonal elements, and you will have a holiday home like no other.
Chocolate boxes that share our color palette add to the design.
Lynn Goldfinger of Paris Hotel Boutique has been hitting the casino lately but we don’t mean the slot machine kind. She came across antique casino chips from France and was immediately smitten. “I’m obsessed with them because in all of my years, I have never seen the color-dyed ones,” says Goldfinger.
A holiday theme like no other is guaranteed with a personal collectible. Here, these vintage casino chips and French francs compliment the overall style.
For a purveyor of rare collectibles, Goldfinger’s coronation of the casino chip assures its covet factor. “These were used as gaming chips in France circa the 1870s,” she says. “They are extremely rare and hard to come by.” The chips have the ability to transport to an illustrious, more elegant time when gamblers dressed in their fanciest garb over the flip flop crowd currently taking over gambling arenas. The variety of geometric shapes have a mother of pearl shimmer, while the addition of hot colors delight the eye. “Mother of pearl casino chips are small works of art. I may place them in an apothecary jar, or on a fancy silver platter, and decorate with holly berries and pine to create a holiday feeling,” says Goldfinger.
Something edible and sweet always hits the right holiday notes.
Playing with casino chips for the holiday is an assured bet, especially when grouped with corresponding accessories. Ideal pairings are vintage Christmas tree ornaments, which create an attractive interplay of color and texture. For our dessert table, they add the right spot of color and intrigue to personalize the setting, allowing guests to spark conversation. Pull in some vintage French money, holiday greenery, and delicacies along with beautifully colored chocolate boxes that support the theme and you will have a table like no other.
Vintage casino chips and French francs: Paris Hotel Boutique
Chocolate boxes: Louis Sherry
Once we flipped a switch to light a room, a non-nondescript fixture that looked like an upside down crystal ball. Now lighting has evolved into artful objects that do everything from change colors, adjust remotely, and can uplift a grouchy mood. It’s no wonder that Sotheby’s has cast light on the category. The fine auctioneer known for selling the world’s most sought after luxury items by prodding the highest bid until the gavel strikes recently acquired Viyet. Their direction seals lighting’s importance as a lifestyle necessity while upholding quality and provenance.
An art filled living room is given the right jolt of color and design by the inclusion of the Francois seagrass chandelier by Au Courant Interiors.
What can engage a child for hours, lights up in a prism of colors and does not involve a controller? KiWi Co’s Tinker Crate, which could be a home’s salvation from video games. In a straightforward box with easy to identify parts, this is not a 300+ piece puzzle where one missing item can turn the entire production into pandemonium, thereby creating frustration (parents included). Children read easy-to-follow directions and assemble projects tested by kids for kids.
A project that a kid can connect with without specialized glue, nimble pieces or an outlet.
In fact, while adult participation is always welcomed, your child may boot you off production because they are having so much fun. They’re also picking up useful STEAM skills without realizing it, so it’s not necessary to harp on the educational benefits because they prefer to be inspired on their own. Overall the project boosts confidence while successfully earning their innovative thinker’s cap.
Want your kid to impress you? Watch and learn!
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If you want to make a girl squeal, and this is a family-friendly site, give her a pumpkin pie latte with a spice scented candle. Come fall, women obsessively search for pumpkin flavors to amp her senses. (Note to reader: Buy in bulk due to pesky limited-edition availability.) Move over fall foliage and chunky sweaters worn with to-the-knee boots, pumpkin flavors are the true autumn attraction.
Pumpkins are to the fall what peonies are to the spring–capturing the best of the season.
