Holiday Vibes: Three Different Design Approaches for Your Seasonal Celebration

In many places of the world, the winter holidays are marked by the cooling of the temperature and the rich fiery hues of nature’s release and recoil into hibernation. While here in the tropics we don’t get the same sensory cues (blessed be our endless summer and ever-green palms), the secret key to setting holiday vibes is in the festiveness you generate, the special spaces and moments you create to share with loved ones, and in the practice of traditions. And one tradition we love (can you guess it?!) is the holiday party.

While you may not be able to (or even want to!) escape some of the classic Christmas style elements - evergreen trees, ornamentals, dark warm wood tones, reds and greens - there are still plenty of different ways you can interpret the theme. And it’s in this nuance that you have the opportunity to set your vibe. Here are a few design direction ideas to give you some inspiration for your vibe this holiday season (along with some of the perfect rentals from our inventory to help to you create it! 😉‎🎁🎄)

The Classic Modern Christmas

The idea here is to be light and fun, effortlessly modern with a nod to tradition. For your holiday trimming, think about borrowing elements from vintage eras, such as the tradition of elf on the shelf with their distinct 1950s look, and elements such as beads and tinsels on the tree rather than solely this year’s trendy ornament. For furniture, you can play with mix and matching mid-century styles with more contemporary pieces, such as blending the white Eames chair paired with our marble nesting tables. Throwing in the natural tone of the light wood rustic table and adding a cozy velvet couch in holiday green makes this lounge group eclectic and fresh while still having all the recognizable elements that we look for in a holiday setup.

2. The Silver Bells Yuletide

This style is all about the elegance of the holiday season. You’ll notice here in this photo that the main color story is gold, green and white. Eliminating the reds is how the refinement is achieved. So when choosing your decor, lean heavy into tones of gold and silver, and then choose to emphasize one pop of color, either the deep greens OR rich saturated reds. Greens will give you a more natural feel while reds will feel more decadent. Use textures that provide a sense of refinement and quality, such as velvets for textiles, and glass, metal and marble stone. Elegance can be achieved through both simplicity and ornateness, but quality is always the bottom line. For your table tops, go with traditional pieces such as serving trays, fine tableware, taper candles and chandeliers paired with runners and lots of greenery are great ways to set the tone! Ribbons in the trees and a fire in the fireplace are a great look as well!

3. The Rustic & Natural Holiday

The rustic vibe is one of our favorites, because of the warmth and coziness it invites. Rustic implies simplicity, stripping the showiness away and getting to the heart of the season, which we appreciate. Using unfussy natural materials and fibers are key, and muted and soft tones help create the sense of comfortability. But that doesn’t mean you can’t have personality, too - quite the opposite! You can have fun with this style by adding unexpected elements, like a cowhide rug to bring in the air of rural life. We also love the natural look of undecorated trees, untreated wood, brown butcher wrapping paper and freshly picked sprigs.

Of course, no party would be complete (especially in Hawaii) without food! Your table presentation and the food and drink you serve is a great opportunity to bring the seasonal spirit to your event.

While the look of your table goes a long way to setting the tone, the food is heart of it! Classic flavors include chocolates, cranberry, creams, and soul-filling foods. Spices such as cinnamon, nutmeg and allspice are a big element in the holidays and can transform otherwise bright flavors like citrus and fruits into decadent and cozy flavors. Don’t be shy trimming your deserts with springs of fresh herbs to bring green to the color palate, and get playful with your serving platters. Holidays are all about celebration, so now is a great time to bring out your fancy dishes, cutlery and glassware. And by all means, drizzle chocolate on everything.

We hope these style themes gave you fresh inspiration and renewed hope that Christmas decoration can be fresh and fun! And in total honesty, we didn’t even scratch the surface regarding all the different design angles you could use for your celebrations and decoration at home. At the heart of it all, though, are our traditions and the people we celebrate with.

Above all, if you’re the one in charge of the decorations and event planning this year, take your first cues from your family, friends and co-workers. What would they enjoy doing while together? What traditions of story telling or gift giving or game playing do you share? What can you co-create together, beyond (but definitely including) cookies? What we take away more than anything from this time of year are the memories we create, so ultimately the design and elements of your event should foster these shared moments. We’re just here to give you some helpful tips, make sure you’ve got the goods you need to do so, and to help make those photos holiday-card worthy for the coming year!

Wishing you and your’s the happiest of holidays!

xoxo,

The Roam Rentals Team