The Rural Voice, 2005-12, Page 49Home Decorating
Decorating for the jog of Christmas
Patti
Robertson
operates
Classic
Interiors in
Wingham.
By Patti Robertson
Raindrops on roses and whiskers on
kittens
Bright copper kettles and warm
woolen mittens
Brown paper packages tied up with
strings
These are a few of my favorite
things...
— From My Favourite Things
by Richard Rogers and
Oscar Hammerstein
Here we are at the doorstep of the
Christmas festive season. Ward and I
have always tremendously enjoyed
this time of year. We are enchanted
by all the possibilities to care, share
and enjoy the creativity, bounty and
bright lights. It definitely is a season
of our "favorite things".
Always, at this time of year both
of us are scurrying here and there
getting client orders completed for
home decor and gift giving. There are
window treatments to be hung,
accessories to be positioned, photos
and artwork to be hung and I'm often
asked to assist with Christmas trees,
and tabletop displays etc. This puts
me in many homes all over our area
and beyond, as a result I get a first
hand tour of so many homes decked
out in their Christmas finery, and
what I always find so enchanting is
how everyone has such truly unique
ideas fdr adorning their homes for the
Yuletide season.
Every colour is seen from
traditional red and green combos to
transitional burgundy and hunter
green to raspberry and sage green and
into the royal blue and gold combos,
gold, silver and white, blush pink and
champagne. Themes range from folk
art, through classical and downright
whimsical. The sky is the limit and
no one style can be said to be the
"only way".
One new combo that is. very
exciting, and to my knowledge just
appeared last season, is the russet/
bittersweet and bronze combo...it's
very rich yet subtle. I worked this
into a stylishly -renovated living
room, which incorporated the palette
of a soft honey hue with a dusty
muted sage green and russet
colour range. Most
stunning!
Packages wrapped
in everything from
parchment paper tied
up with string to an
array of multi
coloured gifts to
finely colour co -
coordinated boxes
tied with the finest
organza bows all
heighten the festive
decor. We can choose to
accent or blend our parcels
into our colour scheme and these
too add to the overall effect.
As I bustle around from clients
home to supply shops, I get an eyeful
of ideas to incorporate into my own
decor. This really works! Just keep
your eyes open and you are bound to
see some new technique to add
interest to your own Christmas decor.
As I wend my way home from
jobs, I turn up my Christmas music
CD and enjoy the sights of all the
outdoor decor, homeowners have so
lovingly draped their homes and
landscape with. I so appreciate each
and every home I pass by as it sure
makes this time of year more merry
and bright. In fact Ward and I so
enjoy exterior Christmas decor we
take every Saturday in December to
tour yet another town's adornments.
We enjoy Goderich, Hanover, Port
Elgin, Southampton and Bayfield,
which is always charming but extra
quaint at Christmas time! And we
always try to get up to Owen Sound's
"Festivals of Northern Lights" at
least once per season. It is truly
spectacular!
At home I enjoy
dinners by candlelight
with carols playing softly
in the background.
Actually the Christmas
CDs come out the last
week in November and I
proceed to continually
play them all! By the
time Boxing Day comes
Ward and visitors have had
more than enough of my love
of the festive songs!
I grab my gifts to be wrapped and
all the tissue, wrappings, ribbons and
bows; I plunk myself down in front
of the TV and catch all the various
TV specials I can work into my
schedule. The hustle, bustle, the
merriment, gift giving, cooking,
baking, concerts, parties etc. are all a
part of this glorious once a year, over
the top celebration that we can either
choose to enjoy or go "Bah
humbug"...but for me it is truly one
of my favorite things as it emphasizes
to me the peace and prosperity our
area truly does enjoy...Wow!
Have a Cool Yule!O
PATTI ROBERTSON'S
Qfri ic.
i)feriflrs
Unique Residential and
Commercial Interiors
135 Victoria St., WINGHAM
357-2872
• Custom-made Window
Fashions, Bedspreads
& Accessories
• Fine Domestic &
Imported Fabrics
• Select Wallcouerings
• Furnishings, Lighting
& Artwork to suit
any interior...
DECEMBER 2005 45