Mid-Century Modern & Organic Holiday Decorating: Gustafson Guthrie Nichol

Gustafson Guthrie Nichol wanted holiday decor of clean, modern lines with influence from the mid-century decor they already had, incorporation of fresh greens and keeping product purchase to a minimum.

Main Inspiration
Using their aluminum tree as the main inspiration, I placed silver throughout the decor to unify, as well as the green of the fresh cedar garland.

Whimsical Aquarium
Some ornaments of that era have a playful and whimsical style so their fish ornaments were perfect.  They swim amidst tinsel, glass ball, and ribbon “algae” in the “aquarium” designed for the face of the reception desk.  GGN was tickled when I presented this design concept and it did turn out quite adorable!

Sustainability
This design is about 75% sustainable. We had to purchase additional ornament balls, the mid-century influenced star burst tree topper, the ribbon and the garlands. The fresh greens will be composted or chipped after the holidays.  The ribbon, topper and ornament balls are not sustainably-made, though they CAN be re-used repeatedly.

In the Future
I now have a sustainably-made ribbon source in Seattle, Of the Earth.  Normally, I source the second use stores first for ornament balls.  However, the narrow time frame from hire to deadline of this project did not allow for the time it takes me to do that, so I had to go with conventional.  I also wanted to make the tree topper, but again, the narrow time frame prevented.  When a narrow time frame is concerned, I bring a client in as sustainably as I can.  For this short notice deadline, 75% sustainable is very good!

Thank you to the following vendors for being a product source for this holiday project:

• Swanson’s Nursery – cedar garlands
• Camelion Design – starburst tree topper
• Fred Meyer, Ballard – ornament balls
• Joann Fabric, Ballard & Costume and Display – ribbon

Thank you Joanna at Lotushaus, one of my green designer colleagues, for her inspirational support!   Her work is fabulous, and it’s always a treat when I have opportunity to call on colleagues for input on projects.

Last, but definitely NOT least, I give deep gratitude to my assistant for this project, Ellie, without whom, I could never have installed this project, mainly the garland!  Ellie is a bright, creative spirit who also happens to be a freelance graphic designer, in case you are in the market!

Thank you for choosing EcoKind Design!