Feb 22, 2017

Less is more for Christmas 2017

In 2017 the Christmas festival is all set to allow the spirit to relax and delicate tones provide the background. And the color palette at Christmasworld from Jan. 27-31, 2017 reflected this: warm copper, rich gold, snow white as well as lustrous, full red tones, natural greens and relaxing shades of blue create a calm, pleasant, but also festive, ambience. With the help of formal echoes of times past, quality products such as hand-blown baubles and traditional motifs, old values are revived and lend a feeling of safety and security. Vintage is a key trend for 2017, and not only at Christmas time. So, too, are casually found objects and holiday souvenirs; and humorous figures from the world of comics and fairytale make for brighter moments in spring and winter. Alongside these, products made from natural materials and the gentle light of candles remain popular.

These and other trends were presented by over 1,000 exhibitors from 42 countries at the leading international trade fair for festive and seasonal decoration in Frankfurt am Main. In its Trend Show, Christmasworld provides more than 43,000 trade visitors from all over the world with expressions of the major decorative trends. The overarching leitmotif, ‘delightful moment’, identified by the bora.herke.palmisano Trend Bureau, reflects the latest currents in fashion, interior design and architecture, as they manifest themselves in the products being promoted by the exhibitors. From September, they can then all be found on the retailers’ shelves.

Color trends for 2017: soft and atmospheric

As a broad generalisation, we can say that 2017 is all set to be the year of subdued colors. Copper becomes warmer and acquires a reddish hue; a sugary pink is used, at most, for occasional accents in the warmer months; in springtime, as well as in winter and autumn, rose pink, combined, perhaps, with warm nougat or hazelnut tones, gives a sense of delicate freshness. All year round, white provides a sense of lightness. As the days grow colder and darker, the colors become richer, deeper, darker – but also more lustrous and festive: midnight blue is very much on trend, as is denim blue. Red remains a classic that can’t be overlooked; it sometimes appears darker, sometimes in a powerful orange-red, almost lobster-colored, sometimes in a strawberry shade. Gold remains part of the mainstream trend, and the elegance of silver just is part of Christmas, as is green. And there is no shortage of the dignity of black and even a dark lilac.

Motifs from the good old days

There have been echoes of the styles of the ’50s and ’60s around for some time now but, this year, the pleasure we take in old styles is particularly in evidence. Not least when it comes to Christmas decorations, we find some enchanting motifs from, say, the ’30s, ’40s and ’50s: chubby cherub faces, grumpy old Santas looking into them, as well as cats, pudgy moon faces, little girls with big red bows in their hair. In short; vintage is very much in demand. So too, antique collectors’ sets of pictures with rose-pink and light blue glitter are used to decorate baubles, candles and plain metal pendants. This trend contrasts with the modern, humorous motifs from the worlds of Manga and other comics, such as snow-men with clowns’ faces and big red noses and plain baubles with witty sayings.

Decorating with emotion

2017 is not just about bathing in one’s memories, it is about something more subtle: there is a trend for the soft and the delicate – grandma’s lace is celebrating its comeback and can be found, say, on Christmas-tree baubles or as hanging decorations. Filigree designs in paper, wire, glass, metal are also in vogue: wafer-thin metal stars, delicate wire wreaths and plain glass medallions draw the eye to details. The pure beauty of glass not only, however, lends something delicate to the Christmas tree – there are also spring bouquets, candles, sweets, cakes, wines and liqueurs that are clearly given a lift with this particular material.

Animals fit in everywhere

It is not only on Facebook and Youtube that animal clips have proved extremely popular – foxes, deer, stags, owls, rabbits, dogs, cats and birds all continue to be used in the field of decoration to create special accents; they exist in all imaginable sizes, materials and forms.  They decorate cushions, candles, baubles. A particular place is reserved for birds this year: all species and kinds of bird are to be found in abundance on Christmas decorations: elaborately and naturalistically painted, drawn with delicate lines or as a complete decoration in the shape of a bird. As a result, birds hang from the Christmas tree, adorn the Easter table, decorate shrubs and windows.

Elaborate and quirky: Christmas tree decoration

Still popular as tree decorations are, moreover, fantasy figures: fairies, sea creatures, unicorns and angels, as well as dogs of any and every breed – and, indeed, animals in general.  Equally popular are hanging decorations with culinary motifs. More strongly in evidence, this year at Christmasworld 2017, are glass baubles with embedded sprigs, brightly coloured pearls, stars, or tiny trees and Santas. Quality-crafted baubles, too, together with little glass trees are a trend in 2017. This is shown, for instance, in the detailed work exhibited in decorative beetles with fine glass legs, destined for the Christmas tree, glass discs with delicately drawn cats’ faces and the most intricate feathers, or baubles with elaborately painted natural motifs or set with stones.

Continuing trend: the cactus and the pineapple

Nature is, at once, a model, a source of inspiration and a provider of raw materials. Nature is, simply, the fashionable thing. Ceramic pots and bowls imitate the form of leaves and woodgrain and echo the shapes and forms of feathers. Antlers are fashioned in porcelain and silver. Wood is worked to form bowls, plant-pot holders, candle holders. Flowers, shrubs, brushwood and moss form wreaths, are fashioned into fresh bouquets, enliven tables and entrances. But natural fruits, too, are popular, such as acorns and pine cones. Equally popular are soft materials such as felt and wool – in the form of cheery hanging decorations for Easter and Christmas. On display, too, were, moreover, some felt plant-pot covers and wreaths with felt woven into them. Particularly popular in 2017 are cacti and succulents – both real and imitation, as containers, vases, candles and fairy lights. Pineapples, too, are still around and command attention – even in winter: in the form of a black candle, for example.

Creating a sense of freshness and ambience: stars and trees

Alongside all this, traditional motifs such as stars and trees are also on trend; small metal stars in copper colours or silver, made from fine wood or paper are also popular, as are wreaths plant-pot covers and star-shaped tea-light jars. The tree, in particular, is a major motif in the upcoming season: sometimes in stylised form, sometimes naturalistic. There are echoes of a wide variety of tree shapes and they are made in a wide range of materials, colours and sizes – tiny for the kitchen table and gigantic for shops and entrance lobbies; and they exist as wax hanging decorations, candles and candle motifs, as well as being carved, stamped and sawn out of wood.

More atmosphere by candlelight

If things need to be a little more cosy and romantic, then what is needed is candlelight. So candles play an important role in terms of decoration for 2017. This is evidenced by the wide variety of candle shapes, colors and styles that were presented at Christmasworld 2017. Simple pillar candles, turned, or in the form of icicles, textured, as if batiked,  uncompromisingly shiny, with uneven surfaces or shaped like a pineapple, like Santa Claus or like a rabbit, in a porcelain holder with a wooden lid or in a finely ground glass receptacle, with delicate illustrations or a lace banderole. In the spring, they embellish classic Easter motifs like bunnies, lambs, birds and snowdrops. In winter, stars, hearts, and trees. You can even have your own name specially printed on the candle – the cult of the selfie is never far away!

Christmasworld: Seasonal decoration at its best

Christmasworld is the world’s most important order venue for the international decoration and festive articles sector. Held annually in Frankfurt, it presents the latest products and trends for all festivities of the year and provides innovative concept ideas for decorating large-scale and outdoor areas for the wholesale and retail trades, shopping centres, DIY markets and the green sector. The last event was attended by 1,070 exhibitors from 42 countries and over 43,200 visitors from 110 countries (including Floradecora). Christmasworld is characterised by the complete spectrum of festive decorations while a wide-ranging complementary programme with Trend Show, special exhibitions, events and expert lectures is a valuable and informative source of supplementary inspiration for everyday business life in the sector.

Next edition of the fair: Jan. 26-30, 2018.