Showing posts with label holiday tree. Show all posts
Showing posts with label holiday tree. Show all posts
Monday, December 19, 2022
Happy Solstice and Happy Holidays 2022!
As we wrap up 2022, I send warm Holiday Greetings to all my clients present and past, followers, and regular readers. And Happy Winter Solstice which takes place this Wednesday, December 21 at 1:47 PM.
Happy designing, Happy Holidays, Happy New Year, and I hope to see you in 2023!
Monday, December 14, 2020
Happy Winter Solstice and Happy Holidays 2020!
This year, 2020, the Winter Solstice--the shortest day and longest night of the year--for the northern hemisphere will happen next Monday, December 21st. I am wishing everyone a Happy Winter Solstice and a beautiful and joyous Holiday Season! See you all in 2021.
Monday, January 1, 2018
Fiorito Interior Design Press Update, January 2017
I'd like to thank the wonderful resource website Houzz for featuring my work in their article "Celebrate! And 5 More Ways to Make the Most of This Weekend" about ways to observe and honor the New Year. Tonight is the last night of Kwanzaa and Houzz writer Laura Gaskill chose to feature a photo from my African Holiday Tree I created for Homes For The Holidays!
Happy designing and Happy New Year!
Happy designing and Happy New Year!
Monday, November 28, 2016
The Modern Christmas Tree
Last holiday season, I created a post called "The Non Traditional Holiday Tree" seen here, and the first photo showed a minimal tree made out of rings and ornaments only. I did not have a source for the tree but I have since discovered that it is The Modern Christmas Tree, invented by Bud Stoecker. The official website tells the story:
"In 2011 Matthew Bliss, as an ode to his grandfather, re-created his grandfather’s design of the Modern Christmas Tree and made it available to the public. Originating in the 1960s, Bliss’ grandfather, an Engineer and architect known as Lawrence “Bud” Stoecker, designed the first Modern Christmas Tree from cardboard. Bud loved to build A-Frame modern style homes making the Modern Christmas a natural fit for him. Over the years the trees design was refined, moving from cardboard, to Masonite, to Plexiglas and the ornaments were updated for aesthetic fine turning. Today the trees are designed in a range of acrylics and the ornaments are classic globes and chandelier crystals for sparkle and shine."
The tree is available in classic Pearl, shown above, but also in Emerald, Ruby, and Sapphire seen in the following photos.
The tree was photographed in a few Mid-Century and classic Modernist houses including the famous Stahl House in Los Angeles...
...and the Sculptured house or Sleeper House in Colorado.
If you'd like a Modern Christmas Tree for the fast approaching holidays, you can buy one from their website!
http://www.modernchristmastrees.com/
Happy designing!
"In 2011 Matthew Bliss, as an ode to his grandfather, re-created his grandfather’s design of the Modern Christmas Tree and made it available to the public. Originating in the 1960s, Bliss’ grandfather, an Engineer and architect known as Lawrence “Bud” Stoecker, designed the first Modern Christmas Tree from cardboard. Bud loved to build A-Frame modern style homes making the Modern Christmas a natural fit for him. Over the years the trees design was refined, moving from cardboard, to Masonite, to Plexiglas and the ornaments were updated for aesthetic fine turning. Today the trees are designed in a range of acrylics and the ornaments are classic globes and chandelier crystals for sparkle and shine."
The tree is available in classic Pearl, shown above, but also in Emerald, Ruby, and Sapphire seen in the following photos.
The tree was photographed in a few Mid-Century and classic Modernist houses including the famous Stahl House in Los Angeles...
...and the Sculptured house or Sleeper House in Colorado.
If you'd like a Modern Christmas Tree for the fast approaching holidays, you can buy one from their website!
http://www.modernchristmastrees.com/
Happy designing!
Monday, December 21, 2015
Happy Holidays and Happy Winter Solstice 2015!
I am wishing everyone a Happy Winter Solstice which is tomorrow, and a beautiful and joyous Holiday Season!
 |
| Holiday interior designed by Bronson van Wyck |
I'll be back to regular posts after the holidays. See you all in 2016, and until then, Happy Designing!
Monday, December 7, 2015
The Non-Traditional Holiday Tree
Don't want to bring a dead (or living) tree into your house? Hate plastic fake trees? Try one of these superbly outside-of-the-box holiday trees! Like this minimalist tree below--so minimal that the tree part isn't even there, just a mechanism for hanging glass ornaments!
If you are spending the holidays at a cabin, this antler tree would be spectacular. But please note that the candle bulbs are wired through the antlers which means they are likely made of life-like resin, not actual antlers. For the record, I approve of naturally-shed antlers only.
With a little bit of imagination, nearly anything can be coaxed into the service of a holiday tree.
Happy designing and Happy Holidays!
A cascade of Asian lanterns in green makes a stunning display!
A coiled felt helix and an Arne Jacobsen egg chair say "modern cool."
If you are spending the holidays at a cabin, this antler tree would be spectacular. But please note that the candle bulbs are wired through the antlers which means they are likely made of life-like resin, not actual antlers. For the record, I approve of naturally-shed antlers only.
Off-cuts of tree branches can be upcycled into a tree which can be used year after year!
A fluorescent tree by avant-garde British fashion designer Gareth Pugh.
An unexpectedly beautiful bonsai holiday tree...delicate and spellbinding. Of course the things that truly make this tree so successful are the tiny Japanese lantern ornaments, the finches lining each branch, and, brilliantly, the flocking.
A plethora of Brooks Brothers neck ties make a geometric pattern in silk!
And another minimalist tree: wall-mounted branches and white lights still capture the holiday spirit.
With a little bit of imagination, nearly anything can be coaxed into the service of a holiday tree.
Happy designing and Happy Holidays!
Saturday, December 28, 2013
FID Press Wrap-Up for 2013
Fiorito Interior Design got some nice press in 2013.
I was interviewed by San Francisco's Nob Hill Gazette for two articles. The first was a piece about kitchen trends.
In December's issue of Nob Hill Gazette, I talked about how to have fun with holiday trees. By way of example, I spoke of the African Savanna Tree I did for a Holiday Designer Showhouse, featured on this blog here.
And finally, I was just featured on Houzz.com in a December article about decorating for Kwanzaa and once again, the African Savanna Tree was a focal point!
Thank you everyone for making 2013 a great year at Fiorito Interior Design!
Happy designing!
I was interviewed by San Francisco's Nob Hill Gazette for two articles. The first was a piece about kitchen trends.
Click the image above or here to read the article.
In December's issue of Nob Hill Gazette, I talked about how to have fun with holiday trees. By way of example, I spoke of the African Savanna Tree I did for a Holiday Designer Showhouse, featured on this blog here.
Click the image above or here to read the article.
And finally, I was just featured on Houzz.com in a December article about decorating for Kwanzaa and once again, the African Savanna Tree was a focal point!
Click the image above or here to read the article.
Thank you everyone for making 2013 a great year at Fiorito Interior Design!
Happy designing!
Monday, December 2, 2013
Why Not Try A Theme Tree For The Holidays?
I love winter and the tradition of the decorated and lighted tree. When I was a little boy, it always felt so connected to the time of the year, the elements, the snow, and darkness. Even then, I sensed the pagan roots of this tradition and now that I am an adult, I love it even more.
Descended from the Roman festival of Saturnalia, and from Pagans and Druids from all over Europe, the tree is an expression of the season: deciduous trees, plants, flowers and crops die off (or go dormant) while the pine remains magically alive, the only thing that stays green in the natural world ("sempervirent" = evergreen). It only makes sense to honor the earth, the season, and the fir itself by bringing it inside to decorate and celebrate. This is the time of the Winter Solstice, short grey days and long dark nights, where twinkling stars are visible for so much longer. As an homage to the winter sky, lights are put on the tree, again echoing the natural world. It’s also reminiscent of the bonfires many different pagan cultures lit around the countryside to ward off the darkness and chill; lights on the tree bring some light and warmth to this lifeless time of year, and speak to a time when the days will eventually grow longer, the planet will again tilt, and summer will return.
Although a traditional holiday tree is a wonderful, comforting sight (I have spent many holidays replicating the magical, colorful trees from my childhood), you don't have to be limited by snowmen, reindeer, and poinsettias. I created my first themed holiday tree in 1999 when I threw a holiday party with a 1950s-Space-Age-Bachelor-Pad theme. I found a vintage 50s silver foil tree and color wheel in an antique store and set it up with blue and green lights, and blue and green blown glass balls. It was a huge hit with all my guests and I have done a themed tree every year since.
In 2010, I was invited to participate in a Holiday Designer Showhouse here in Northern California, and was asked to create an African holiday tree. I was up for the challenge and had a fantastic time collecting all the decorations and objects that would adorn the tree and tell a clear, identifiable African story.
The following is my concept statement for the tree which I had printed on handouts at the Showhouse:
"The open grasslands known as 'savanna' and the indigenous cultures of Africa were the inspiration for this themed holiday tree. Soft yellow lights give the tree a warm glow reminiscent of the golden grasses of—and the sun over—these vast plains. On the tree you see traditional beaded gourds from Kenya, which can also be used as percussion instruments. Carved wooden African animals mingle together as they do on the veldt. Colorfully beaded leather amulets adorned with cowrie shells from West Africa pepper the tree; cowrie shells are used for divination by the Yoruban people of West Africa and have also been used as currency for centuries. Blown glass balls in bronze and copper speak to the origin of African metalworking over four thousand years ago. A carved wooden figure of the deity Akuaba from Ghana tops the tree. This style of Akuaba originates from the Ashanti people and is used as both a fertility symbol and general good luck. The tree skirt is made from genuine hand-woven and hand-dyed mud cloth, or bogolanfini, from Mali. The name mud cloth comes from the iron-rich earthen pigments used to dye the classic geometric designs. Packages wrapped in African designs and tied with bows of raffia and cowrie shells wait to be opened under the tree."
If you are looking for something fun and different this year for the holidays, why not try a themed holiday tree? I have created trees based on cultures (Japanese, Native American, Bollywood), food (cookies, candy, fruit), nature (the night sky, oceans), and time periods (Art Deco, Renaissance). You can be inspired by anything--let your imagination roam!
Happy designing and Happy Holidays!
Descended from the Roman festival of Saturnalia, and from Pagans and Druids from all over Europe, the tree is an expression of the season: deciduous trees, plants, flowers and crops die off (or go dormant) while the pine remains magically alive, the only thing that stays green in the natural world ("sempervirent" = evergreen). It only makes sense to honor the earth, the season, and the fir itself by bringing it inside to decorate and celebrate. This is the time of the Winter Solstice, short grey days and long dark nights, where twinkling stars are visible for so much longer. As an homage to the winter sky, lights are put on the tree, again echoing the natural world. It’s also reminiscent of the bonfires many different pagan cultures lit around the countryside to ward off the darkness and chill; lights on the tree bring some light and warmth to this lifeless time of year, and speak to a time when the days will eventually grow longer, the planet will again tilt, and summer will return.
Although a traditional holiday tree is a wonderful, comforting sight (I have spent many holidays replicating the magical, colorful trees from my childhood), you don't have to be limited by snowmen, reindeer, and poinsettias. I created my first themed holiday tree in 1999 when I threw a holiday party with a 1950s-Space-Age-Bachelor-Pad theme. I found a vintage 50s silver foil tree and color wheel in an antique store and set it up with blue and green lights, and blue and green blown glass balls. It was a huge hit with all my guests and I have done a themed tree every year since.
In 2010, I was invited to participate in a Holiday Designer Showhouse here in Northern California, and was asked to create an African holiday tree. I was up for the challenge and had a fantastic time collecting all the decorations and objects that would adorn the tree and tell a clear, identifiable African story.
The following is my concept statement for the tree which I had printed on handouts at the Showhouse:
"The open grasslands known as 'savanna' and the indigenous cultures of Africa were the inspiration for this themed holiday tree. Soft yellow lights give the tree a warm glow reminiscent of the golden grasses of—and the sun over—these vast plains. On the tree you see traditional beaded gourds from Kenya, which can also be used as percussion instruments. Carved wooden African animals mingle together as they do on the veldt. Colorfully beaded leather amulets adorned with cowrie shells from West Africa pepper the tree; cowrie shells are used for divination by the Yoruban people of West Africa and have also been used as currency for centuries. Blown glass balls in bronze and copper speak to the origin of African metalworking over four thousand years ago. A carved wooden figure of the deity Akuaba from Ghana tops the tree. This style of Akuaba originates from the Ashanti people and is used as both a fertility symbol and general good luck. The tree skirt is made from genuine hand-woven and hand-dyed mud cloth, or bogolanfini, from Mali. The name mud cloth comes from the iron-rich earthen pigments used to dye the classic geometric designs. Packages wrapped in African designs and tied with bows of raffia and cowrie shells wait to be opened under the tree."
If you are looking for something fun and different this year for the holidays, why not try a themed holiday tree? I have created trees based on cultures (Japanese, Native American, Bollywood), food (cookies, candy, fruit), nature (the night sky, oceans), and time periods (Art Deco, Renaissance). You can be inspired by anything--let your imagination roam!
Happy designing and Happy Holidays!
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