Excerpts From: The Art of Tree Trimming - Follow form and function as much as trends - an article featuring Julea Joseph
Green and red may be the colors wrapped around the Yuletide season. But open the package, and there's blue, gold, pink, silver, purple, cranberry and orange. And where better to make a personal holiday statement than on one's tree?
The urge to be unique has gone anything but unnoticed. Julea Joseph, owner of the interior design company Reinventing Space in Palos Park, is just one of many interior decorators helping clients add flair to their holiday.
"More and more people are using their designers to assist in holiday decor," said Joseph. "I believe that this is so because there is so much offered to us out there in retail and in the media. People get overwhelmed with all their options, and need the advice and a professional eye to pull it all together.
"The requests that are most common are big picture holiday decorating; decorating that encompasses the entire home, not just the tree," Joseph said, "creating that consistent flow from room to room with the tree as the inspiration.
"Holidays mean a different traffic flow throughout the public spaces of a home, and also a different focal point for main rooms such as the living or family room."...
..."A theme can be a collection of something, or a style," said Joseph. "If the home depicts a certain style, or a client has a large collection of something, then yes I've created a themed tree. But what I try to guide my clients not to do is create a themed tree that has nothing to do with who they are or what their decorating style is. What happens today is that themes are picked out for us in the retail market, and we get swayed into a Victorian Tree in the 1980's split-level with furniture from Dania."...
... But no matter how our lives change, Joseph believes that certain traditions will, and should, remain. "I guess you would call me a traditionalist, because I think that trees are a personal stamp of the family. They tell a story and a history of the family."...
...Every year, there are trends - and color is among those items...
... Joseph said that "There are definite trends in holiday decor, and they follow traditional design trends...
...In general, Joseph said she sees "lots of metallic, glitter, whimsy and classic European influence."
"Uniqueness is truly inspired by my clients' desires and my desire to help them create a collection that can be used over and over again. A combination of color can change the way a tree looks, and create a striking look. I think if I have a signature look it's the use of large ornaments to play off the existing collection of small pieces that we all have in our current collection," said Joseph.
As for her own tree, "I'm going to embrace my childhood. I've got the 1940's California Ranch, so I've been collecting vintage retro ornaments for the past three years that we've lived here. Retro is very popular now so you can get reproductions of many of our childhood favorites, from bubble lights to aluminum trees. I inherited many of my grandparents' and parents' pieces, which I add to my family's collection. I'll add to that this year's candyland trend for a real kitschy Christmas tree.
As final parting suggestions, Joseph offers this advice to independent tree trimmers. "Have a goal in mind, and a color palette. Look through your existing pieces for the style and color palette you're creating. Use nontraditional color choices such a purple and red for your holiday decor. Don't be afraid to throw away tired trims or dated trends. Keep the 'good bones' pieces, but always add something new to keep your collection fresh."
| © reinventing space |
| e-mail: jjj@reinventingspace.com |
| phone: 708.448.7500 • fax: 708.923.6426 |
| mailing address: P. O. Box 130 • Palos Park, Illinois 60464 |