Discover what colors and theme worlds are trending in Christmas decorations this year. International exhibitors from the Christmasworld trade show in Frankfurt reveal their insights. Archi-living.com brings you holiday decorating trends for 2022/23.
“hearted+minimal”, “mystic+originate” and “local+vital” – these are the names of the three major holiday decorating trend worlds for the coming festive season this year, developed by the style bureau, Bora.Herke.Palmisano on behalf of Christmasworld.
Here, “hearted+minimal” stands for the conscious use of resources and brings natural materials to the fore with light colors and fine products. “mystic+originate” blurs reality and imagination and delves into natural yet surreal worlds. “local+vital”, on the other hand, creates closeness through local products and characteristic design and brings cheerfulness through striking colors.
Top Decorating Trends – Sustainability, Durability, and a Return to Tradition
What all three style worlds have in common is that sustainability, durability, and a return to tradition are increasingly coming to the fore in festive decorations. These aspects are reflected in the product selection and the general holiday decorating trend statements for 2022/23.
Three style worlds that show the upcoming colors, materials, inspirations, and decorative styles for 2022 and offer retailers a wide range of design options. But what was ordered particularly well? What will be increasingly found in stationary and online retail? A few selected exhibitors share their opinions on this.
Clean Look Like Hearted+Minimal
Subtle colors define the hearted+minimal decorating trend. The neutral range is dominated by light grey-white, medium grey, and deep black. In the cool range, a Nordic blue, frosty mint, and wintry green. The warm color range starts with gold, followed by soft maple and mild rosé.
The materials include bio-based and biodegradable materials, paper, and algae as well as durable natural materials such as wood and stone. Glass adds a filigree touch, as do floral motifs and accents in gold and brass. Shiny decorations and fragrant wax give candles a romantic touch.
Keywords – Organic, Vegan, Recycled, Biodegradable, Handmade, Reusable
This clean, reduced look thus perfectly showcases sustainable, natural products and particularly attracts people who are becoming more mindful when shopping and questioning the origins, manufacturing conditions, and materials of the products on offer. And this increasingly applies to festive decorations as well. Whether ribbons made of organic cotton, vegan candles, Christmas tree stand made of recycled plastic waste, or spectacular light decorations for city centers made of biodegradable sugar cane – the demand for these eco-friendly products is growing.
Exhibitor Vivant Decorations from the Netherlands sums it up nicely: “On the one hand, nature plays a major role this winter as a source of inspiration for designs and patterns inspired by natural textures and surfaces – such as corals, mushrooms, sponges, honeycomb structures, shells, leaves or dried flowers. On the other hand, the issue of sustainability is becoming increasingly important. We try to extend the life cycle and usability of products through recycling and upcycling. We turn leftovers into something useful and beautiful at the same time. The sales figures show that articles that support the well-being of nature are well received,” confirms Doreen Lortye from Vivant Decorations.
In this look, Vivant Decorations offers crystal leaf-shaped decorative pendants, for example. The natural tones promote a cozy ambiance – gold brings more elegance. Photo: Vivant Decorations / Messe Frankfurt Exhibition GmbH
The trend is toward reusable gift packaging. Photo: Vivant Decorations / Messe Frankfurt Exhibition GmbH
Examples are ribbons made of 100 percent cotton with catchy texts like “Handmade” or “Hohoho”, jute cords with wooden beads and brass bells, handmade winter pendants with winter-inspired gold print, or the reusable Lucente gift boxes.
Example of a clean, cozy look in soft tones by Graziani from Italy. Photos: Graziani / Messe Frankfurt Exhibition GmbH
Elegant Look Like Mystic+Originate
Creamy white, silvery grey, and dark grey form the neutral range of colors of the mystic+originate decorating trend. Violet, petrol, and a powdery shade of violet determine the cool colors, while a mossy green, warm light brown and strong earthy brown represent the warm range.
Patterns and materials that could have come from nature dominate the picture – such as stone grains, crystalline shapes, and blurred patterns as well as shimmering points of light. Diverse glass art with color effects and inclusions characterize the product spectrum just as much as glamorously printed wrapping paper. Olfactory stimuli also play a major role, for example with scented papers or perfumed candles.
Touch of Luxury and Glamor on Holiday Tables
If you ask exhibitors, it is confirmed that a mystically elegant look in earthy tones remains a strong theme. It is noticeable that especially dark color worlds with black, brown, gold and partly also silver as well as dark woods provide a touch of luxury and glamor to Christmas tables this season.
Luxury Trees in black, gold, and bronze are popular and bring glamour in art deco style to the festive tables. Photo: Ambiente Europe / Messe Frankfurt Exhibition GmbH
In the “Luxury Trees” series from Ambiente Europe, mystical black and shimmering metallic tones make a modern and trendy statement for Christmas this year. The “Timeless Luxury” collection from Inge’s Christmas Decor also plays with an elegant combination of brown and black as well as gold accents.
Timeless Luxury shows an elegant combination of black, brown, and gold. Photo: Inge’s Christmas Decor / Messe Frankfurt Exhibition GmbH
Classic pillar candles in a matt look are also in high demand – but please be sustainable, as with the candles from Gebr. Steinhart, candles are made from natural renewable raw materials and are offered with completely plastic-free packaging. In addition, reusable gift packaging in glossy looks, such as Vivant Decorations, is doing very well.
The candles from Gebr. Steinhart’s Nature line candles are made from natural renewable raw materials such as rapeseed wax. Photo: Messe Frankfurt/Pietro Sutera
Colorful Look Like Local+Vital
In the local+vital decorative trend, the color tones are powerful and show off graphic shapes as well as individual motifs. Light porcelain, rich beige, and black are found in the neutral range. In the cool range, the milky nuances of May green and lime are juxtaposed with a strong azure blue. Ochre, urban red, and strong signal red characterize the warm color range. Illustrative motifs and graphic patterns dominate the surfaces of the materials.
Moving waves, dot motifs, and high-contrast drawings convey a positive and sweeping expression. Traditional objects, hand-painted Christmas decorations, and stationery are staged with folklore patterns.
Traditional Christmas Colors
A colorful look brings optimism. What is now increasingly in demand are the traditional Christmas colors and above all candles in all variations. This year in a twisted form particularly graceful or spherical with a smooth shiny surface as at Graziani.
“Wax candles are a popular product, especially at Christmas time. A burning candle stands for home, togetherness, and happiness. If the candle that takes center stage is a designer candle, this also enriches the living ambiance. The colors that are most popular in Europe in the run-up to Christmas are red, English green, and burgundy. Classic and timeless shades, but in combination with the glossy finish and avant-garde shapes, they become a must-have for the home. Following the European color trends, we have included two new colors that blend into shades of blue: “very pery” and “teal”. Two colors that will also be seen at the upcoming Christmasworld 2023 in Frankfurt,” says Amanda Martinucci, Communications Manager at Graziani in Italy.
At Graziani, burgundy, red, and English green are the most popular in Europe. Photo: Graziani / Messe Frankfurt Exhibition GmbH
Ludger Post from Design Studio Ambiente Europe also confirms: “Our candles are always very popular for table decoration, but also as gifts or simply as mood enhancers.” With the Skating Dwarfs collection, the designers of the Dutch manufacturer present a motif that will create a good mood on the festive days in a humorous way, and with a little wink – the sales figures speak for themselves.
The Skating Dwarfs collection with funny Christmas gnomes is a big hit at Ambiente Europe – but candles with stylish winter forest motifs, birds, and squirrels are also doing well. Photo: Ambiente Europe / Messe Frankfurt Exhibition GmbH
Traditional Christmas Motifs
Classics thus remain evergreen in these times, although traditional Christmas colors and motifs are happy to tolerate a modern update. At Inge’s Christmas Decor, two collections are doing particularly well: “Christmas Classics” presents classic Christmas colors in crimson and fir green combined with dark blue and black. Traditional Christmas motifs round off the festive mood. Tradition is reinterpreted in “Refreshed Memories”. Vivid red and rich green combined with white and silver accents spread more carefree cheerfulness.
Christmas Classics creates a familiar festive mood with familiar colors and motifs. Photo: Inge’s Christmas Decor / Messe Frankfurt Exhibition GmbH
At Krebs Glas Lauscha, too, there are two main trends for the Christmas tree: Firstly, the elegant Scandinavian Christmas tree decorations of the “Scandic Xmas” collection in the typical northern European colors of white, red, and green. On the other hand, the “Christmas Night” collection is in demand, with its nostalgic motifs evoking fond childhood memories and conveying safety and security. Here, too, the traditional colors red, gold, and green dominate.
At Krebs Glas Lauscha, high-quality Christmas tree decorations made of real glass in Scandinavian style are in demand – for example, the glass bauble set with hand-painted holly decoration. Photo: Krebs Glas Lauscha / Messe Frankfurt Exhibition GmbH
Upcoming Christmasworld
At the upcoming Christmasworld, exhibitors will be showing their new products for Christmas 2023.
From February 2023, Christmasworld will be held at the Frankfurt exhibition center at the same time as the leading international consumer-goods fairs Ambiente and Creativeworld.
Ambiente/Christmasworld: 3 to 7 February 2023
Creativeworld: 4 to 7 February 2023
In the cover photo – Refreshed Memories features lots of fresh white and classics interpreted in a modern way. Photo: Inge’s Christmas Decor / Messe Frankfurt Exhibition GmbH
Christmasworld / Messe Frankfurt Exhibition GmbH Press
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