Skip the Blue: I’ll Have a Beige Christmas Instead

A living room refresh prompted a more neutral Christmas colour palette for my director of eDesign, Tricia. See how she added both texture and contrast to her beige Christmas decorations for a pretty, yet seasonal take on an emerging colour trend.

For the last couple of years, I’ve wanted to create a more pared-back neutral look for my holiday decor. A few years ago I opted for a soft pink. But lately, since I have a huge crush on beige, I decided to finally commit to it this season. Plus, my newest living room refresh with my sexy cognac sofa prompted a more neutral holiday colour palette. 

Beige Christmas Decorations

The way I see beige, it’s like a warm hug. As a neutral, beige is softer than white and warmer than grey. And I’ve noticed lately that even my wardrobe has lots of beige in it right now, accented with rust, green, gold and denim.

Remember last year when pampas grass was the newest pretty texture everywhere? Well, it was the BEIGE that I wanted for my tree. But you could only get real dried ones, they cost a premium, and they were sold out. And it doesn’t grow in Edmonton.

But this year, you can find affordable faux pampas grass stems just about anywhere. So I jumped on board! I picked up a bunch of stems and indulged myself in creating my vision for a soft, neutral tree with loads of feathery texture, beige and brown.

Take a look 🙂

Stanley is really more interested in the new neighbour’s orange cat that hangs out in our front garden than in my subtle, neutral decorating 😉 The dogs jostle for that spot on the ottoman.

Similar Pampas Grass Stems | Capiz Garland

My home is modest in size (read: tiny), so the dining room tends to be heavily used – and not just for dining. It’s a place for gathering, working, homework, arts and crafts, and more. So I kept the decorations pretty minimal in here.

Chandelier | Bench | Area Rug

I’ve always had a soft spot for earthier creams, beige, olive – you know, weird murky colours from the bottom of the pond. And this year, because my room is relatively neutral with my new cognac sofa and sage green walls, it was time to mix in more of these muted colours.

Stone Vases | Candle

Tips for Christmas decorating with neutrals

When you’re decorating with neutrals, you don’t have the bolder interest and appeal that more saturated colour relationships give you. That means you need to play around with contrast and TEXTURE to create more intent with your decorating.

The fluffy texture of the pampas grasses is ideal for adding softness to my Christmas tree and contrasts the pine branches nicely. Also, I found these gorgeous garlands made of pearlized beige capiz rounds to brighten up the tree and add some sparkle. They have an understated burnished shimmer that reflects light in all kinds of interesting ways.

And there’s my other pup, Mabel in the window seat. She’s already 14 and a half and snoozes away most of the day snoring loudly, ha ha.

For the mantel, I wanted to bring in some contrast with brown. I simply went outside and made a big mess clipping and tying strands from my frozen wall of hops, which is our deck shade in the summer.

We leave the dried hops up all winter for the birds, and it’s a huge mess to cut them down each spring. They are pretty wild, and would not be tamed, but I am happy with the natural look of these stems. 

 

Area Rug | Brass Coffee Table | Cognac Leather Sofa |  Plaster Sculpture

The beige trend

Beige is fast emerging as a colour trend. And this isn’t the brown of the 90s we’re talking about. This is a lighter, and more serene pale beige. Since grey has gone beyond the full saturation point, beige quietly snuck in as a warmer alternative and is quickly becoming the dominant NEW neutral everyone wants.

While I personally love beige, I find that it remains pretty divisive. Would you agree? For some, beige is almost like a dirty word. We’ve noticed recently in our eDesign department that clients are requesting warmer neutrals, ie “Maria, can I have a darker, warmer white?” but it’s almost as if they are afraid to say the word beige.

There will always be those who will steer clear of the “nothing the colour of lumpy oatmeal.” But I think that’s at least partly because we have all seen our share of beige (and now frankly, grey) rooms done badly. 

Challenge accepted!

So how about you? Are you ready to embrace beige again? Do you know the 5 undertones of beige (well in this post I only cover 3, my system developed over the years)?

Happiest of holidays to you all and all the best in the New Year!

Thanks Tricia! 

PS. Just announced, Pantone’s Colour of the Year is Peri – a periwinkle blue 

From pantone:

“At its core, Very Peri is a combination of the digital world that everyone has grown accustomed to and the physical world, or what is seen in nature. The Pantone Color Institute has identified periwinkle blue as a color that is present in digital design and gaming, while also existing in the outside world in the form of flowers and bluebirds, among other things. This represents the merging of the two worlds in our current lives, a balance which will continue in the foreseeable future.”

A great way to start infusing Very Peri into your space is through accessories that can easily be swapped in and out, or for those feeling more bold, you can go right to painting an accent wall or ceiling that creates depth.”

I’ll take a periwinkle accent wall over a black one any day!

Over to you my lovelies, have you added pampas grass to your Christmas decor this year? And who’s decorating with periwinkle blue?

Related posts:

2020 Holidays Feel Different, and so does My Living Room

Festive Christmas Combinations that Aren’t Red or Green

How to Choose Colours that Flatter your Orange Wood Trim