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Ralph Lauren Christmas is the latest trend — but in New England, it’s classic: ‘It belongs here.’
Move over white Christmas. This year, tastemakers have decreed that tartan-clad “Ralph Lauren Christmas” is the holiday trend du jour.
Trends are fun, faddish, and fleeting. Part of what makes them fun is that they don’t last: A lifetime of bright pink is wearying, but indulging in a short period of Barbie-themed living makes us feel part of the zeitgeist. Then we tire of pink and move on.
Christmas décor is as susceptible to trends as any other style. Remember white Christmas trees hung with single-color ornaments? Aluminum trees and color wheels? Bubble lights? How about that heavy, dripping tinsel — which was made with lead, leading the Food and Drug Administration to ban it in the 1970s. There were a few years when, instead of freshly cut greens, we were encouraged to decorate with bare branches dipped in white paint. Once we draped strings of chunky, primary-colored bulbs over our trees and bushes. Now we know stylish holiday décor calls for tiny white lights.
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This year, tastemakers have decreed that a “Ralph Lauren Christmas” is the holiday trend du jour, a composite of tartans, velvet ribbon, and vintage details. But here in New England, we’ve been ahead of the trend all along.
“I am of the opinion that holidays are at their best when they are traditional,” said Charles Spada, a long-established Boston interior designer. “I give Ralph Lauren a lot of credit for what he’s accomplished: his designs work, in large part, because [he] is respectful of the traditions.”
Vani Sayeed agreed. The interior designer, based in Newton and California, was recently named Interior Designer of the Year by the International Furnishings and Design Association, New England.
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“The look is not necessarily made up of Ralph Lauren products,” she said. “But, these days, people do like color … people are tired of beige and white rooms. We have come full circle to a love of the traditional elements of the holiday. That includes mixing metals, because it’s nice to bring glitter and glam to the space. All those beautiful metallic finishes, including silverware, bring a happy, collected feel.”
We see this in a dining room she decorated for clients with silver candlesticks, glass and metal ornaments, colorful glassware, and swaths of fresh greens.
Fresh greens are prominent at Les Fleurs in Andover.
“We decorate a ton of homes for the holidays,” said store owner Sandra Sigmund. “We have been in business for 30 years, and have seen a lot of trends come and go. Right now, we see a shift to what I call ‘Granny Decorating.’ Instead of beige and white, people want dark greens, reds, tartan, tweeds — deeper tones, like what grandma had.”
She and her staff turn the 3,000 square foot store into an annual holiday fantasy.
“When customers walk into the part that’s themed ‘A New England Woodland,’ they call it the Ralph Lauren section,” she said. “We have always loved that look here in New England, but now it’s all over the country.”
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“The Ralph Lauren Christmas look leans into a nostalgic New England story with layered textures, deep colors, and the warmth of a fireside,” added Sasha Jacq, a Lexington-based construction manager and interior designer. “Calling it a trend undersells what it really is. It aligns so seamlessly with New England architecture and sensibility that it never feels seasonal or fleeting. It resurfaces each winter because it belongs here.”
Her own taste leans toward minimalism, but she does not see that as a conflict with the look of a Ralph Lauren Christmas.
Her modern interpretation features chrome finishes, mercury baubles, oversized mirrored spheres, and silver-wrapped gifts.
“A contemporary home can honor the qualities of comfort and ritual while presenting them through clean lines, curated ornamentation, and a lighter aesthetic,” she said.
Gerald Pomeroy has called himself a classicist since he opened his Boston interior design firm in 1995.
“I’ve always embraced timeless elegance,” he said. “For the holidays, that means natural elements: A room comes alive with magnolias, greens, poinsettias, a real tree. Warm neutrals, like camel, green, and chocolate brown, are much more interesting than relying on red and green. The best holiday décor celebrates the room itself, and incorporates personal items.”
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He, too, sees today’s trend as a reaction to white and beige.
“Now, I find that my clients are very receptive to color. Maybe it’s the times we are living in: We want our homes to be warm.”
It’s the look of the season: warmth, deep tones, references to the past, greens, glam, and personality. That, as always, is how we celebrate Christmas in New England.
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