Decorating your home for Christmas extends far beyond trimming the tree – particularly when it comes to dressing the table for Christmas dinner with friends and family or decking the halls of your home for entertaining. We chatted with Indigo Living founder and executive chairman John McLennan about his holiday decorating tips – and he also shared the big trends for interiors and home decor.
Where will you and your family be spending the holidays this year?
This year, we’ll be having a white Christmas back in North America, with my wife’s family in Denver. We’ll hopefully get to do some skiing while there as well.
How do you prepare your home for Christmas?
We’re lucky enough to have space to store a few boxes of family Christmas ornaments that we put out. While they have sentimental value, it’s tradition in our home to add a few new pieces from the Indigo Living Christmas collection each year, too. The kids still love picking out new decorations, and then we all decorate the tree together.
What’s your favourite way to get into the holiday mood at home?
Christmas in our home begins with turning on the festive tunes each year while we all decorate the tree and house together. It’s always a fun time, and unpacking our ornaments creates a sense of nostalgia.
What do you love about Hong Kong at Christmas?
It’s so peaceful here at Christmas and the weather is fantastic for family hikes and outdoor activities. Another Hong Kong favourite tradition of ours is going to The Peninsula to sit in the lobby lounge, have a hot chocolate with the kids and look out at all the beautiful Christmas lights.
How far in advance do you start planning the Christmas range?
Believe it or not, at Indigo Living we start buying our Christmas range in January, just a few weeks after Christmas! We have to be this far ahead to ensure we have enough time to get our designs done, made, delivered and photographed all in time for the following December. We all get excited about the season and it’s one of our favourites to create and put together.
What’s on trend for holiday decorating this year? Any advice for people wanting to deck the halls in their own homes?
You can never go wrong with a silver or gold colour theme. Individually or mixed together, it creates a truly traditional Christmas feeling. This festive season peacocks are very on point and you will see them everywhere. This will bring a new element to the traditional Christmas look and feel. Indigo Living will also feature the more traditional nutcracker theme, which is another true Christmas classic.
What can we expect to see in store in 2017?
We will offer a sophisticated city look in blues and inky greys, as well as a more beachy relaxed look in natural tones layered with an ethnic Asian feel. The tropical look is also back in a more funky retro way and this will create some fun and excitement in store. Our spring/summer looks will undoubtedly be our best ever and we look forward to unveiling them next year!
What design trends are you most excited about?
I’m excited about the use of texture and natural materials this season, from natural linens and plush velvets to polished marbles and antique brass paired with horn and petrified stone; it creates a sophisticated, layered look that can be amped up or toned down to fit in any home. Indigo has a wide range of beautiful exclusive products in this trend to help all our customers to “live beautifully”.
Indigo Living
6/F, Horizon Plaza, 2 Lee Wing Street, Ap Lei Chau.
This article first appeared in the Dec/Jan edition of Expat Living magazine. Subscribe so you never miss an issue.
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