Decorating the Entry Staircase

All kinds of decisions must be made for each entry we encounter. Individual style, budget, and emphasis all come into play.

With this entry the tree took center stage. The garland needed to be lush green and lit to be seen from the front drive and the emphasis was only placed on the newel posts. Ribbons often play a central role in decorating focal points of stairway garlands. This one started with wired ribbon and poinsettia picks and leaves were added to compliment the tree nearby. Careful attention is always paid in attaching garlands so woodwork is not scratched.

Ribbon is not always necessary to complete a garland for staircases.  Enough picks and ornaments placed in perfect points offer just the right amount of top dressing.

We have created fresh elements to add to existing artificial greenery garlands for this client. The wired stems of the garland are used as a way to pinch in fresh pepper berry, seeded eucalyptus, and magnolia leaves; a great way to bring fabulous holiday aroma to the whole house. These elements dry naturally and are removed after the season is over.

Creating a Christmas Mantle

Mantles present many challenges but there are many different solutions to achieve a well designed mantel to fit your style.

We took the art from this mantle  and replaced it with a natural wreath with matching topiaries to compliment and flank a coordinating garland. A few gold gilded magnolia leaves added to natural pine, stems, cones and berries adds just enough sparkle to this hearth room fireplace. Gold urns for the topiaries speak to the leaves and give a festive holiday feeling.

                                       

You don't have to remove art above the fireplace to add holiday trim, instead we framed this art with simple berry topiaries in clean white urns; just enough to get our client in the holiday spirit without hassle. Using her lidded vessels already in holiday color helps unify the look.

Another example of leaving art above the fireplace is this religious piece that speaks volumes to the Christmas holiday, underscoring it with a greenery garland and adding colors to compliment the art as well as the room in picks and ornaments. We dangled some lightweight ornaments off the edge to create more depth and movement, which provided more interest to a mantle design.