Visual designers and décor suppliers say their commercial customers are seeking holiday presentations that recognize Americans’ growing interest in environmentalism.

Green is the word in commercial Christmas decorations this year. “Environmentally responsible” decorations are the order of the day, and that means energy-efficient lighting, recycleable or reusable products, and displays made from reclaimed materials.

Jim Minard, vice president of sales and marketing at Nu-Era Group, says many malls and individual retailers are sticking with nostalgic iconography right now, while trendier retailers are seeking out more daring colors. But the common thread, he says, is the “green” factor. “Some bio-centric commitment, some green marketing message, must be part of your décor,” he declares. “You might want to use more plants and flowers, papier-mâché instead of plastic, or planters with trees that you can raffle off after Christmas for people to plant in their yards.”

“Big” is in, too, reports Jackie Bach, president of M. Lavine Design Workshop. “We recently constructed a 14-foot wreath, where the challenge was to make everything look proportionate, so we had to use apples instead of holly berries,” she reports. “Our customers are asking for metal structures. The metal is often treated with uneven finishes in red, gold, brown or black for an oxidized appearance.”

The idea of reuse is important, Bach says, and so is waste avoidance; thus, many displays employ reclaimed materials. Also popular are ornament panels that can be used year-round for various holidays.

Jack Dorner, creative director at Center Stage Productions, also sees a trend toward larger holiday display pieces in commercial venues. He reports that his mall clients, for example, seem to want “to make big statements but to make fewer of them.” In the past, says Dorner, they wanted décor “in every corner” of the mall; now, they are more inclined to seek one or two high-impact presentations. As for style trends, Dorner says that the momentum right now is toward conservative styles with an updated look or twist. “They don’t want terribly modern, but they also don’t want Victorian looks,” he observes.

Color Choices
Some observers report a trend back to traditional Christmas colors — reds, greens, white and golds. Kent Fritzel, chief creative officer at American Christmas, notes also that commercial-décor colors and styles are often dictated by context as well as by general style trends. “A hotel will have a more textured approach, a more intimate, homey feeling; while the corporate space, a larger environment, will need a more neutral palette and décor scheme,” he explains. “You don’t go too far away from traditional red, gold and silver. This year, shades of gold are popular — champagne and platinum tones. Another interesting color scheme is a mixture of bronzes and deep oranges with a hint of beige. Add a touch of gold or champagne, and it takes the scheme away from autumn and into the winter holidays.”

J. Stuart Hurt, showroom manager at Corman and Associates, says that a “homey” look is more in demand nowadays, whether the venue is a bank, hotel, hospital or office location. He says he has seen some movement away from traditional reds and greens and toward gray tones, white, burgundy, chocolate brown, and some oranges and lavenders. “This sounds odd,” he notes, “but these colors do look good together, and the grays play off each other. Holiday displays are more about colors than about content these days.”

Kevin Maurer, commercial display consultant at Bronner’s CHRISTmas Wonderland — which has both a retail and wholesale division — says that traditional colors are popular, as well as new designer colors such as copper, celery and mustard-yellow. He, too, believes that in commercial venues, the season’s holiday colors must coordinate with the year-round décor and fixtures.

Maurer notes that he has seen a change in the focus of mall displays. “One important trend is that malls are looking for more extravagance in the overhead décor, while their Santa settings are shrinking. It used to be that every mall had a center court with a huge display, but that is definitely changing; so, we have to provide elements that look great, have an impact, but are flexible.”

Lighting Changes
LEDs have become the lighting technology of choice for commercial venues, say suppliers. Dorner of Center Stage Productions says the lighting segment of the holiday-display industry is currently undergoing a transformation. He notes that most of his clients now insist on LED lighting, be it for a large-scale tree, for a mall’s light curtains or for outdoor municipal lighting. “The entire Champs Elysées in Paris was lighted with LEDs last year, creating a much brighter lighting scheme at huge savings,” he reports. “In the U.S., LEDs are being used to light lifestyle centers. We’re also seeing a trend towards more adventuresome animation in lighting schemes: faster-moving, live action coordinated with music. Sheer fabrics are more popular, for wrapping a tree or for use in a light-curtain — especially transparent fabrics with a texture.”

Karyn Atwood, director of sales and marketing at Holiday Creations, also reports that the commercial market has been receptive to LED-lighted décor because the technology offers long-term savings in maintenance and energy costs. Whereas residential consumers may be more price-driven in the choice of lighting, commercial customers factor in the long-term costs. Atwood reports that her company has added a patented technology that seals in the LED: a one-piece construction that eliminates moisture issues. “It’ll be able to handle more than half a mile of lighting on just one plug (with certification), and it eliminates the power adapter,” she claims, noting that technological improvements also mean that “we can create a stronger, brighter light, maybe 40 percent brighter on the commercial side.”

At GP Designs, President David Loer reports that many of his clients are dealing with the high initial cost of LEDs by phasing them in, perhaps using new lighting on 20 percent of their displays each year. //