Chris Malacarne
Holidays are all about atmosphere. And let's face it: Creating atmosphere requires some smoke and mirrors. If you don't have the time — or the talent — to conjure that magic yourself, there are several local designers who will trim trees, decorate chandeliers, dress mantels and wrap the banisters in greenery. We asked four of them to demonstrate what they might do for a client, ranging from wreaths to whole rooms.
The Modern Romantic
Resito Pecson of twigs & MOSS creates a contemporary look that radiates warmth, thanks to natural materials: big sugar pine cones, feather wreaths, wooden chairs, teakwood frames. Though Mr. Pecson notes that the stockings, wreaths and pine cones are very traditional holiday items, "an updated approach is used — beginning with the monochromatic color scheme, brown." For pops of color, Mr. Pecson used felt stockings with bright appliqués, as well as iridescent pheasant feathers for the wreaths, which, "attached directly to the frame glass, are tightly made for a clean presentation." The streamlined color palette, as well as a willingness to let simple elements, like pine cones, shine on their own, makes this vignette totally modern, but other aspects — vintage botanical prints, antique ceiling tins hung on the wall as art — allude to the nostalgic nature of the holidays.
twigs & MOSS, 7715 Clayton, 314-454-0447
A Winter's Tale
Like a lot of designers, Joe Vodicka of Niche decks out chandeliers for Christmas. He's also done upside-down Christmas trees. This icy winter tableau is a hybrid of the two, with tree branches wired together with bead- and glitter-encrusted floral sprays, flocked branches and silvered branches dotted with silver-blue berries that tendril down and give the "tree" some fullness. Mr. Vodicka says he wanted to stay away from traditional holiday colors, to show how it's possible for holiday décor to stay up through New Year's. "It's not holiday-specific, but more a celebration of the winter season itself," he says. "And although it's not illuminated, it's reflective and celebrates ambient light." The fabric covering the Baker shieldback dining room chair echoes the delicate lines of the branches; the ebonized oak bowl, filled with a crystal garland and glass ornaments, further emphasizes the wood/ice motif.
Niche, 300 N. Broadway, 314-621-8131, nichestl.com
A Season for Everything
John Sullivan of Ken Miesner's says this wreath is all about "tradition with a fresher face." It's Victorian in the purest sense (Sullivan notes that it was Queen Victoria, with her Germanic heritage and Scottish country home, who first mixed tartans with holiday greenery), but the individual elements — buckeye pods, Pyracantha berries, Artemesia, cloved citrus, magnolia leaves, stick cinnamon, Dusty Miller and a sprinkling of pine cones — feel earthy and local. "You can do a wreath like this in mid-September, and it's great through the first of the year," Mr. Sullivan notes. "Everything dries in place. So at Halloween you can add a few orange and black streamers; then for Thanksgiving, miniature Indian corn and baby pumpkins. Add another plaid or a solid red ribbon and some winterberry, and it would be perfect for Christmas." As for that Fabergé-style ribbon, they even make it with monofilaments along the edges, so you don't have to worry about it getting smushed.
Ken Miesner's Flowers, 202 Plaza Frontenac, 314-567-6650
The Big Apple
Apple green: Melinda Hagedorn is in love with it. "It almost functions like a neutral," she swears. And it's great for the holidays, because "it adds more of a punch than the traditional Christmas green." Here, she paired it with gold and candy-apple red, including a wreath heavy with glittered fruit. "I really enjoy putting wreaths in different places," Mrs. Hagedorn says, "including above a sofa or on top of a mirror — you should have holidays all through the home." The base of the lamp was actually a Fitz and Floyd cookie jar that Mrs. Hagedorn transformed using one of Brody's "Make-a-Lamp" kits; the holiday rug and pillow were sourced from there as well. At the end of the day, though, she loves nature as well as glitz: "When I am doing a mantel, I'll go out and see what a client might have in the backyard, from magnolia leaves to holly branches, twigs that have fallen, and add those. It gives it more of a natural feel."
Interiors by Melinda, 314-913-0277
Other designers who will assist with holiday décor:
Peg Hammerschmidt
Hammer & Schmidt
9349 Manoroak
314-270-3035
Kim Kelce and Nancy Pedley
Kelce & Pedley
314-961-7453
Elke Koch
LK Design
314-607-2924
Sandy Long
Sandra Long Interiors
314-520-7949
Josef Mykel
17826 Edison
636-532-0800
Rose Roberts
Rose Roberts Interior Design
3449 Pheasant Meadow
O'Fallon, MO
636-379-7776
Dale Rohman
America's Flower Man
314-608-3984
Dana Romeis
Fibercations
609 Eastgate
314-721-9237
Scott Tjaden
Tjaden Interiors
2433 McNair
314-761-5740
Park Avenue Design
10 S. Brentwood
314-863-0095
