Monday, November 16, 2009

Holiday Inspirations

I’ve had numerous holiday themes throughout the years. Woodland (natural) themes, vintage themes, antique themes, Victorian themes, copper colored themes, red and white themes, and finally, blue and silver themes.

This year, my inspiration comes from a variety of sources.



Retro tablecloths from the 50s


Christmas cards from the 40s-50s


Festive red bells


Red/white candy striped packaging


People that take "retro" a bit far..



and two of the covers from the 2009 December issue of Martha Stewart Living.

This year, we’re going what I call “simple retro” for the holidays.

The color scheme for this year will be what you see here on the blog; teal and red (with some sparkle of silver). I love the color combination and it does scream mid century modern! My goal, however is to not to have the décor be garish or obnoxious. Rather, I’m shooting for a blend of ‘remember when’ and simple elegance with that retro flair.

In our home, holiday decorating takes place the day after Thanksgiving. David will likely be out shopping, I’ll have the movie “White Christmas” playing in the background whileI busy myself with putting up the tree, and putting up decorative touches around the house. My goal is always to have it done in a day, but it never seems to work that way!

I’ll keep you posted on progress after Thanksgiving. For now, I’m still working on my plan.

5 comments:

Elaine said...

Done in a day! I wish I could do that...The colors you've chosen this year are beautiful together, Kenn.

mike said...

I'll be done in a day. :)

LOVE the tablecloths... brings back memories at grandmas for dinner! The bells turned out so wonderful - you need to post those as well! Looking forward to a teal and red christmas!

---a--- said...

I love the colour combination Kenn. We will start putting our decorations up at home at the beginning of December but will save the tree until nearer to Christmas so that it is still fresh. I am starting on my office at work soon - I want to start feeling festive before December! Can't wait to see the photos as you go.

John R. said...

I really enjoy all the "retro" holiday decorations that bring back the happy memories of my childhood! Especially love all retro Christmas decorations.

ANDREW RITCHIE said...

Kenn, I love this tradition of yours! And I love the "simple retro" idea. The one photo I actually like the best is the one where simple retro was "taken a bit too far." Haha! Go ALL the way!