Dobbies Garden Centres has revealed its decorating trends for Christmas, providing an exclusive preview of what looks set to be big in homes for 2020.
Offering something to suit every taste and style, the UK’s largest garden centre retailer has four main themes that have been carefully put together to capture the magic of Christmas; with an additional capsule theme that offers even more variety.
From classic cranberry rich reds and metallics in Festive Fables; the rustic woodland charm of Enchanted Forest; rich jewellery box tones of Jewels and Jingles; to the icy cool contemporary glamour and glitz of Snowfall and Sparkles, you will be spoilt for choice. The smaller capsule theme, Fairytale, is elegant and sophisticated, teaming blush pinks with romantic rosy reds.
Christmas Buyer at Dobbies Garden Centres, Lynsey Abbott, commented –
“Christmas is a time of celebration and coming together and making our homes look magical is all part of the fun and build-up. This year we have created four key looks, each of which embody the spirit and fun of the festive season.
Each year, we see that our customers are experimenting more and more with colour and texture, often choosing multiple themes to dress different rooms and trees. The Instagram effect has provided even more inspiration and incentive to create bold, stylish, and Insta-worthy festive backdrops – leading to a desire to try out new styles and give traditional decs a timely update.
This year, Christmas is going to be even more special as we cherish the time with loved ones and celebrate homes, which for many been a haven for the most part of 2020. When the time comes to deck the halls, we are confident that each theme, plus the gorgeous capsule collection, offers our most unique range yet, with everything you need for a simply wonderful, picture-perfect Christmas time.”
The trends unwrapped…
Festive Fables
Reds, greens and golds are the iconic colours of Christmas and Festive Fables captures the very essence of this timeless trend. With a nostalgic nod, think cranberry berry reds, crushed velvet and warm metallics. Traditional with a fresh contemporary twist, this look calls for fresh holly, garlands and folklore prints to create a homespun feel.
Enchanted Forest
If you go down to the woods this Christmas…this earthy woodland story takes inspiration from the great outdoors, with an organic natural colour palette of forest greens and muted autumn hues. A paired back Scandi look, this theme has modern rustic influences and evergreens sit centre stage, including plenty of eucalyptus and fresh pine trees.
Snowfall and Sparkles
A modern approach to festive décor, this has a celebratory feel with a touch of sparkle and grown-up glamour. Decorations include a mix of bright white matte and iridescent glass, with feathers and mirroring details. Creating an effervescent back drop for cocktails and canapes, this icy cool theme will soon have you dreaming of a white Christmas.
Jewels and Jingles
Rich, bold and beautiful, this luxe look exudes opulence and glamour. Designed around a palette of gem-like tones, such as antique copper, amethyst, brushed gold and accents of teal. Complete the look against a moody backdrop to make colourful jewel decs pop.
Fairytale
Sugar and spice and all things nice, with an added layer of elegance – that’s what this theme is made of. Rose gold, nudes and champagne silvers are teamed with romantic reds and plum pinks to create an enchanting look. Sparkling and sophisticated, fairy-tale magic is truly brought to life.
Set to transform homes into a stylish festive setting, Dobbies Christmas Buyer Lynsey Abbott and Creative Stylist Rebecca Stanton share even more exclusive trend and styling insights on the UK’s largest garden centres key themes for Christmas 2020…
Lynsey Abbott, Christmas Buyer
Where did the inspiration for this year’s Christmas ranges come from?
As always when planning for the next Christmas, we look at what has been popular in the past and how we can move this on for the next again year.
We have seen a shift in Christmas towards more of a natural inspired approach, bringing elements from the outdoors in. This formed the basis of our inspiration for our Enchanted Forest theme, incorporating these elements into our rustic decorations and a colour palette of natural greens and amber.
Another natural element we have used is ice, this began our Snowfall & Sparkles theme. Incorporating snowflakes and icicles using a cool colour pallet and using iridescent to bring a magical quality to designs.
What is your favourite theme and why?
My favourite trend for Christmas 2020 has to be our Jewels and Jingles theme. It is unlike anything we have done in the past and I think our customers will really be able to have a lot of fun styling it in their homes – the colour pallet is gorgeous and so rich!
What do you think is going to the big Christmas trend/talking point of 2020?
I think for 2020 more than ever it is going to be all about family coming together, whether it is in person or virtually after spending most of the year apart, it will be about keeping up with traditions.
In terms of look/ style I think a big talking point will be about bringing those outdoor elements in and getting the family involved in creating their own decorations and bringing that look to life.
On the other side of that there is an extremely glamourous element to Christmas that we are seeing coming through as a trend due to the rise of Instagram. Including elements like metals and marbles, this is all about giving your house a touch of glitz and glamour for Christmas parties and into New Year.
We are also seeing consumers becoming more playful with their colour of trees so this year we have our “Highland Blue” artificial tree that took inspiration from Pantone 2020 colour of the year.
Can you share any favourite Christmas pastimes or traditions?
My favourite Christmas tradition is the whole family going to the Edinburgh Christmas Markets to see the whole city lit up with Christmas lights and drinking some!
Rebecca Stanton, Creative Stylist
What is your favourite theme and why?
My favourite trend this year is Jewels and Jingles. Although it is not my usual go-to look, I love the opulent colours and textures and I think it would be a beautiful one to style in your home.
Can you provide some tips on how to style each of the looks, what style homes they may suit best, how to bring them to life in homes?
Festive Fables
Festive Fables is our more traditional theme and would work wonderfully in a cosy cottage or period property. Using fresh Conifer branches, Ivy and Holly in your wreaths and garlands will complement the red, green and gold colour palette of this look and give your home a more nostalgic feel. Beautifully wrapped presents under your tree with crushed velvet ribbons and bows will bring this look to life. Mix home-made decorations and hand me downs alongside new to let your tree tell a story. Layer your home with cosy blankets and cushions, ready to cosy in and watch classic Christmas films.
Enchanted Forest
If you enjoy a more Scandi-inspired interior, then Enchanted Forest is for you. Bringing the outdoors in, this theme would sit really well in a simple pared back Living room or in a garden room. To get the look use a variety of evergreens around your home, from a modern rustic hoop wreath on your door to swags around doorways. Gifts are tied with natural twine or hessian and topped with a sprig of eucalyptus. Your home should be full of organic natural materials with a twinkle of Christmas layered on top. Add fresh sprigs of evergreens throughout your potted Christmas tree as well as cinnamon sticks and pinecones to bring the smell of the woodland into your home.
Jewels and Jingles
Jewels and Jingles is the perfect theme for your dining room or entertaining space. This theme is best suited to someone that likes dark moody interiors. To create a bold look in your home, heavily adorn your tree with a mix of glass and embellished baubles clustered together. Keep your colour palette rich and gem like. To give an opulent look to your dining table you could create a beautiful hanging centre piece. Use artificial greenery mixed with feathery dried grasses such as pampas to bring a touch of glamour to your dinner party.
Snowfall and Sparkles
Snowfall and Sparkles would suit any home, it looks particularly good in a modern setting with clean lines and white walls. Keeping your baubles and decorations to the one colour palette is an effective way of creating a statement, using white as we do here is even more stand out.
Sticking to all white it gives you a license to get creative, mix different textures like glass, mirror and matte along with different sizes from small to extra-large. Introduce feathers, glitter, and sequence for the wow factor. The result? An A-list worthy tree any celebrity would dream off!
To top the look off in your home remember to style your drinks trolley with statement barware and a few extra decs from your tree.
Fairytale
Fairytale would bring a touch of elegance to any home. It complements tones of grey and teal interiors. This look suits someone who enjoys a more sophisticated colour palette of rose gold, nudes and plums.
Use faux fur throws and cushions on your sofa to indulge in a moment to relax, read a book and escape the Christmas madness. Burn candles and use warm gold lights on the tree to complement the romantic red tones in the baubles to bring this theme to life.
What do you think is going to the big Christmas trend of 2020?
Celebrity inspired entrances and showstopper centre pieces in your home will be a big trend for Christmas 2020.
We will all hopefully be welcoming guests back into our homes after the spring lockdown so this Christmas we will put more time and effort than ever into making our homes look extra special and perfectly Instagrammable.
By using a mix of real and artificial greenery and foliage, you can create an impressive archway around your front door to immediately set the scene for your guests and make your home a standout of the street.
Dried florals continue to be a big trend for this Christmas. By combining them with fresh greenery you can create stunning centrepiece displays for your Christmas table or transform your mantle into a Christmas showstopper.
Can you share any favourite Christmas pastimes or traditions?
Ever since I was little, my Mum and I have foraged greenery from our woodland dog walks and made wreaths together. When I was younger my role was to collect as many fir cones as I could carry. We would dry out orange slices and limes and then I’d help my mum build the wreath. Our home was always filled with greenery from garlands on the mantel to swags down the stair.
This has to be my favourite Christmas pastime. The smell of the fresh greenery instantly makes it feel like Christmas. We still do this today although now we accompany our wreath making with a pot of mulled wine on the stove.
Find out more at www.dobbies.com
