Get Inspired with Holiday Designs from Around the Globe
Modern design allows us to play and experiment with holiday decorations and traditions. New color schemes, alternative holiday trees, and twists on the old allow for us to make merry in new and exciting ways. Around the world, people of different nationalities and cultures host a myriad of traditions that are beyond amazing. While probably commonplace to those people, to us it feels like incorporating their holiday design is a great way to refresh our seasonal spirit as well as wowing our friends and family who may stop by.
Photo by Sam McAdam-Cooper
It sometimes seems like the American ideal of the Christmas season is the only way to deck our halls, but that is just not the case. While many of us dream of a white Christmas, down in Australia December 25th comes in the summertime. This means that Australians spend their holidays out of doors enjoying the sunshine utilizing their native evergreen eucalyptus instead of the prototypical evergreen trimmings from fir trees.
If this sounds more like your cup of tea, feel free to opt for a Christmas bush or decorating your dinner table with some eucalyptus branches mingled with lovely citrus. The refreshing look (and smell) will delight the eyes as well as complement a modern aesthetic in any home. Or if weather permits, have your holiday meal outdoors where green grass and/or shining stars can become part of your own decorating scheme.
Photo by Nick Scott
Still, if a bed of fresh snow is the number one gift on your list, the Scandinavian mindset might be for you. With the Danish people’s cultural ideology of hygge, the feelings of intimate cozy warmth are perfect for the Christmas season. Well-made goods with fuss-free living sound to us like a perfect way to spend a holiday, instead of getting a headache in those shopping lines or stressing over the abundance of red and green bric-a-brac.
We feel perfectly transported to Northern Europe when the easeful winter decor is mixed with clean lines of a modern minimalist home. Plus, the blank canvas this styling provides allows for a little bit of personality to play into the holiday! Whether you go with a pop of color or a mix of trendy metallics, taking a few notes from the people who do arguably do minimalism the best means that the cookie-cutter design prescribed to us will not wash away our unique individuality.
Photo by Chris Warnes (left), Photograph by Carissa Jones (right)
Beyond these locales, there a little million ways to have globally-inspired holiday spirit infused into your home this season. For instance, Victorian England had a deep love of fruit at Christmastime. Did you know they used to rent pineapples for decorating their holiday parties? It’s true! Use this English tradition to make a modern tablescape. Or rather, take a page from Norway’s love of handcrafted paper ornaments and craft some trinkets and holiday pieces that will be sure to impress the ones you love such as an alternative tree.
Photo by Angus Fergusson (left), Photo by Becki Owens (right)
Regardless how you decide to spend (and dress up) the season, we hope these holiday images can inspire you to be bold and fearless as you trim your trees and get ready for one of the most wonderful times of the year.
Photo by Marc Kelly, Scandinavian inspired decoration by Laurie March. Source: hgtv
