Patrician DesignPatrician Design
  • About
    • About PATRICIAN DESIGN
    • In The News
    • Design Resources
    • Testimonials
  • Projects
    • Commercial
    • Residential
    • Exterior
    • Custom
  • Boutique/Gallery
    • What’s NEW!
    • About The Shop
    • Greeting Cards
    • Original Art
    • Handcrafted Jewelry
    • Designs for Living
    • Bath and Body
  • Contact
  • Patti Says…

Kicking Off Glitz and Blitzen Merchandising

Posted On November 26, 2018 By pattisays In artistic expression, blue and white, Centerpieces, Christmas, Color schemes, color trends, context of interior design, Crate and Barrel, creativity, custom design interior design, decorative accessories, decorative arts, design, design details, design process, design solutions, design tips, design trends, dining and design, dining rooms, drama of color, dried flowers, embroidery, entertaining, fabrics, family rooms, floral designs, good design, good taste, hammered metal, hiring an interior designer, holiday decor, holiday trends, home, home improvements, houses, inspiration, interior atmosphere, interior design, interior design preferences, interior design trends, interior enhancements, lifestyle, metal and wood furniture design, nostalgia and design, personal expression, personal taste, red, Refresh, retail storefronts, seasonal interior design, silk flowers, Subscribers, table dressings, table top, tableware, textiles, timeless colors, trends, update design, winter, winter design trends /  

Some retailers put Christmas merchandise out with Halloween and squeeze Thanksgiving autumnal themes in between. But for sure, by Black Friday its all about Christmas merchandising and SHOPPING! The season is in full swing! After salivating over the finely “curated” collections at Sundance, peeking through the dazzling embroidery at Johnny Was, had a taste of Margaritaville at Tommy Bahama’s and elbowed through the throngs at Anthropolgie…among the myriad stores I visited – well, raced through – this weekend, Crate and Barrel is the one where I focused my camera and paused to ponder as they are one of the most prominent trend setters in world of home decor.

Upon arrival, front and center in the very first display, I was particularly drawn to this embroidered pillow announcing South for the Winter!

 

It caught my eye as it stated my very thoughts on the subject – although I prefer to stick around for a wintry Christmas and then head south as January sets in…it nevertheless spoke to me. But the combined selection of plaid fabric tree skirt and the cotton pillow had me puzzled. I picture the pillow being in that southerly destination expressing the sentiment but paired with the plaid, like a fish out of water. Plaid in a warm winter getaway didn’t seem to fit. Perhaps it is a pillow that you leave in your chilly, empty, abandoned house with your woolen plaid blankets and afghans as you snow-bird it south?  In which case the woolly plaid works, albeit nobody is there to get the drift – snow drift! Or a third scenario that I imagined is when you dream of going south, but are stuck in the northern climes and the pillow states your thoughts in a “wouldn’t it be nice” wishful thinking scenario??!! Three stories for this little pillow…which do you think is the best story?

There on the Christmas display is an intriguing statement of home decor. There it sits, this smart little pillow, all dressed up with the coordinating holiday plaid and exclaiming a statement that might have many connotations…

It’s nice to establish traditions for Christmas and other major holidays throughout the year. Yet like home decor in general, some people are more sentimental than others. While some treasure each year’s addition to a collection or contribution to the spirit of the season, others trade the look with each new trend.

This year an all gold tree…next year it might be jewel tones of amethyst purple, aquamarine teal and ruby accents…and of course the ever popular white on white on white!

Like personal interior design, some switch it out often, with changing fashions, while others nestle in and call it home for the duration. The compromise here is that there might be a family room tree that displays all the traditional ornaments while a more focal tree in an entry or living room makes the trending design statement.

As interior designers we wouldn’t be very busy if everyone nestled in without change for decades, however, even in this staid scenario there is the need for sprucing up the tired, updating certain elements, replacing damaged or broken items…Therefore, reupholstering, replacing of worn flooring, introducing fresh paint colors, improving lighting, opening spaces, face-lifting kitchens and bathrooms…there are many things that we as designers can do to update while not changing the essence of the place called home. Just in time for the holidays and the refresh-during-winter design blitz!!

Back to Crate and Barrel’s merchandising…

The bling that sparkles in the long dark nights of winter is a recurring and uplifting theme.

Red and green are inescapable for traditional Christmas color schemes.

Holly leaves and berries, evergreen needles, brilliant red bows and ribbony garlands.

Having previously stated my love of the traditional blue and white color schemes in so many applications and blogs I have written, Hanukah’s blue and white colors are perfect to crisply punctuate the doldrums of defoliated trees and dormant, bare bones deciduous landscapes of winter.  The cool yet refreshing theme is a perfect winter color scheme.

With their modern/retro style melding with a bit of industrial, Crate and Barrel’s stylized wing chairs with their updated lines sport a fresh take on a paisley motif cotton print.

Naughty or nice, reindeer, fir trees, twinkling lights, scented candles, silver and gold,  movies and music all stir the senses rejoicing in a healthy economy of vibrant shops, eager shoppers, anxious bargain-hunters, BOGOs and door busters, full of fresh new ideas, products, design trends, toys, gadgets and nearly anything you can imagine!

So get out there and strengthen the fiber of your community, support local artists and fabricators when you can,  shop where your neighbors work and where your local entrepreneurs invest their dollars and dreams. Try not to  overdose on all the glitz and blitzen of the merchandizing madness!!

 

 

 

Share on TwitterTweet
Share on Pinterest Share
Send email Mail
DETAILS Found at Hillwood Estate This Christmas
Rejuvenate and Expand Your Interior Spaces by Opening Walls

Recent Posts

  • DOWNSIZING: Part Two of Three February 21, 2025
  • DOWNSIZING: Part One of Three November 5, 2024
  • Colors and the Creamy Attraction of Latte August 29, 2024
  • Designing, Styling and Why – Finding Personal Style April 30, 2023
  • Fabrics – Texture, color, pattern, design & style – The Art of Transformation August 7, 2022

Archives

Categories

Patrician Design

Recent Blog Posts

  • DOWNSIZING: Part Two of Three February 21, 2025
  • DOWNSIZING: Part One of Three November 5, 2024
  • Colors and the Creamy Attraction of Latte August 29, 2024
  • Designing, Styling and Why – Finding Personal Style April 30, 2023
  • Fabrics – Texture, color, pattern, design & style – The Art of Transformation August 7, 2022

Get in Touch!

Come Visit Us!

216 GOLD AVENUE
ALBUQUERQUE, NM 87102

MON-FRI: 9 AM – 5 PM
SAT-SUN: 9 AM – 2 PM

(505) 242-7646
shop@patriciandesign.com

© 2025 Patrician Design. All Rights Reserved.