Holiday decor trends

“It’s all about helping you transform your space into the social scene of the season,” Macy’s personal stylist Deborah Holmes said about this year’s holiday decor trends. “Easy ways to elevate your space include thoughtfully placed luxe mini trees, table lights and scented candles to create a warm and welcoming atmosphere.”

From mixed metals to jewel tones, trendy animals to festive vintage themes, retailers offer new ideas and traditional options to refresh any homes’ decor this season.

“I always recommend thinking about how you want to feel in your home and how you’d like your guest to feel,” Holmes said. “Start with a color scheme, a few personal must-haves and go from there.”

Holmes said that this is the year of “seasonal patterns and textures infused with wood, leather and hints of colors and embellished jewel tones and silver shimmer and shine.”

She also sees a bit of Las Vegas making its way into the mainstream holiday trends with “glitterati.”

“It’s the term our fashion office has coined for all of the metallic and shine/shimmer we are seeing in both fashion and home this season,” Holmes said. “It’s relevant here in Vegas. Where glitz and glam are seen all year round.”

Kate Jones, co-owner of Ralph Jones Display and Store Fixtures on Charleston Boulevard, watches local trends carefully to determine what her customers want this season. This year, she sees mixing metals in neutral colors of gold, white, platinum, champagne and silver.

“People are getting modern and contemporary with their home design,” Jones said. “And those colors work in that style of home.”

Another popular palette is a mix of champagne, black, pink, peach and platinum, with diamond accents.

“Pale hues, such as blush and champagne, are big this holiday season,” Holmes said. “This pallet is sophisticated and light, a lovely alternative to the colors traditionally associated with Christmas. Add glitter to this combination for a fun transition into New Year’s as well to keep the festivities going.”

Rich jewel tones of sapphire, amethyst and emerald are everywhere this season. Jones suggests accenting the neutral palette with a hint of the darker shades.

“Add one small color,” Jones said as a means of using the neutral mixed-metal palette year after year. “So, if you wanted to add a blue you could pop it in. Next year, you could add a different color.”

A fun modern theme, Cool Yule, is introduced through Kurt S. Adler Inc., a leading importer and wholesaler of holiday decorations since 1946.

Cool Yule incorporates hipster-style animals and gnomes dressed in fashionable sweaters and accessories including stylish shades.

“The trendy animals include llamas, alpacas, sloths and foxes,” Jamie Adler of Kurt S. Adler said. “Colors are rich red, deep turquoise, curry and lime green.”

Adler’s Unicorn Fantasy and City Glamour designer themes are also becoming popular. The Unicorn Fantasy features colorful unicorn ornaments, sprays, tree toppers and nutcrackers.

“City Glamour features light blue and chrome silver products,” Adler said. “It’s inspired by an iconic look of something unique and expensive.”

Drawing upon decor from the past, vintage themes awaken nostalgic feelings for a classic Christmas.

“Vintage is one of my favorites right now,” Jones said. “This is huge and popular.”

Jones showcases three distinct trees, each from a different era on the store’s showroom floor. Trimmed with Jetson-esque ornaments and tinsel, the 1960s, or baby boomer, tree is the most popular.

“Baby boomers love all the fun nostalgic stuff they used to have,” Jones said. “To re-create a memory and good feel for someone, that is cool.”

Other trending themes include rustic nature with woodland creatures, plaid, gnomes, elegant florals, copper pots, mint green with white decor, Tiffany blue and food-themed ornaments.

“Food is also a very popular theme,” Adler said. “With everything from the healthy avocado toast ornaments to the indulgent sweet shop doughnut ornaments.”

Once the interior is done, it’s time to transform your desert landscaping into a Southwest rendition of the North Pole with inflatables, vintage lighting and classic decor.

“Adding more exterior decor is all the rage,” Caroline Harmon, Lowe’s trend and style expert, said. “We’re seeing larger items in all kinds of materials take center stage.”

According to Home Depot’s holiday decor merchant Lance Allen, a wide range of decor items are trending, making it easy to personalize the space.

“We are seeing a lot of trends across the category this year,” Allen said. “They range from classic decor designs and lights to decorations so big and bright that Clark Griswold would be jealous.”

This year Allen sees vintage looks gaining popularity, using larger multicolor C9 LED lights.

“These classic looks are sure to bring back childhood memories,” Allen said, “without the hassle of breaking the glass bulbs or the spike in the energy bill.”

Incorporating smart technology into holiday decor is becoming more popular. This technology is manifested through app-controlled lights and smart trees.

A new style of modern contemporary trees and nontraditional items such as a cow or lion are finding their way onto area lawns.

“We’re even seeing people go big with our 11-foot fuzzy reindeer inflatable,” Allen said. “This has been one of the top sellers early on in the season.”

Many inflatables play homage to some of the best-known Christmas movies including “Elf,” “A Christmas Story,” Disney’s “Frozen” and “The Grinch.”

“Inflatables are a great way to showcase your love for the holidays,” Allen said, “and bring cheer to the whole neighborhood, and they remain popular as ever this year.”

Outdoor seasonal decor is popping up all around the home, even in the backyard.

“Back decks are being decorated with items like big blankets, holiday pillows, lights and greenery,” Harmon said. “People are also adding firepits and lanterns to create more cozy places outside.”