Sproost Blog

If you are not yet sure how to decorate your home for the holidays, here are some simple ideas to get your creative juices flowing.

This Scandinavian wreath-style chandelier is an eye-catching way to direct guests to a holiday cocktail or buffet table. Remember if you’re using live greenery, especially if you took it from your backyard, make sure it’s bug free if you’ll be displaying it above food or drinks. Nothing says Cheers like beetles in the punch and ants in the nuts. Actually, ants in the nuts are never good.

If you want a more casual feel, use bright colors such as red and turquoise. And if you have a nice table, don’t even bother with the tablecloth. Just make sure you have plenty of napkins for your messy guests.

If you’re feeling a bit crafty, you can use cushion moss to create a beautiful wreath for your home. The moss will thrive all year and after the holidays, you can reuse it for topiaries or centerpieces.

This is a Sproost Favorite, more so because the people’s outfits coordinate with the colors in the room. I’m sure that wasn’t staged at all. If you want this look, pick a few colors and demand that your guests match. This must be in Miami (check out the flip flops).

Get creative with your glassware. Any clear drinking glass will do. Here, Champagne flutes and evergreen sprigs form a centerpiece when interspersed with forest green tea lights in clear votive holders. For more color, replace the tea lights with bright red cranberries.

Birds of a feather…get plucked for your pleasure. Don’t tell PETA. For a unique look, these floating feathers are so elegant and chic, they’d look lovely hanging on a tree but also dangling in front of a window or beneath a chandelier.

For a rustic look, these candles are perfect. Real birch bark forms the exterior of the candle. They are long-burning, smokeless, and available in 5 sizes. This is the only forest fire Smoky the Bear approves of.

If you have a light and airy master bedroom, layer your bed with white linens and satin. The footboard makes a clever home for a holiday wreath but you can also hang it above your bed. In this case, I’d use fake greenery because you don’t want needles to fall on your face while you’re sleeping.

This idea comes from Better Homes & Gardens. A soothing, subtle mix of soft white and sage greens creates a holiday look that’s both easy on the eyes and easy to accomplish. We like easy.

Ok, this one is our designer’s favorite, so pay attention! This is a modern look but really the design elements would work in any room. Pile your presents next to the fireplace (but not too close) to create a decorative Christmas centerpiece. On the coffee table, Rattan reindeers are a modern take on traditional Christmas decorations. This is probably best if you don’t have young children. Children are generally incapable of seeing a stack of presents without shrieking in joy, knocking them over, and ripping them to shreds.

This is a cool look. You can make homemade fans to add a personal touch to your tree. Just fold two colorful sheets of paper concertina style (whatever that means), staple each to make fans, then staple the fans together to create a circle. Attach to the tree using florist’s wire. This requires that you know origami and have florist’s wire.

For a redneck version, cut your finger while trying to make paper snowflakes. Drink your 5th beer of the night. Fight with your brother about who gets to hold the stapler and then staple a sheet of paper to his forehead. Finish off your 7th beer and crunch the can against your forehead. End the night with a quick trip to the ER.

Who said brush was bad? For a simple, yet unusual decoration, grab a downed limb from your yard (or your neighbor’s), hang it above a table, and then string brightly colored glass ornaments on the limbs.

If you have a lot if sitting room, throw some big, comfy cushions on the floor so that when you’ve had your fill of Christmas lunch (or wine) you can take a break and cozy up by the fire.

In this living room, the holiday decorating is minimal in keeping with the room’s more formal feel. Wreaths hung in the windows with ribbon and a vase of fresh greens arranged with candles on the mantel add a nice touch.

The simplicity of peppermint candy and popcorn embellishments makes this a yummy room. The crimson stripe of the upholstered bench and chairs, compliment the centerpiece of seasonal greens and berries. The white wreath is also a nice touch. This works in a small dining area or breakfast nook. I wish IHOP looked this nice.

With the holidays in full swing, I often like to pause and reflect on what I’m thankful for. Family, friends, bare-chested male models, jeans that actually fit my butt, and booze. Lots of booze. And on that note, here are some cool decanters you might consider to make your holiday party more complete. For one, they make great gifts. Two, they act as functional art. And three, if you drink enough, you’re sure to be invited back next year.

This 6-piece botella set from CB2 contains 4 handblown stemless glasses which are dishwasher safe. You have to wash the botella glass and decanter by hand. The nerve!

Add a little simplicity and elegance to your entertaining with the Sagaform Wine Decanter with Oak Stopper. The simple design makes this decanter chic and modern—a must-have for any wine and spirits connoisseur. And it comes gift boxed so you can reuse the box to regift that godawful present your aunt got you last year. Don’t lie. You know you hate it.

The wide base of this Captain’s Decanter allows wine to aerate quickly, helping to release the wine’s natural flavors and aromas quickly. And when you’re not using the decanter, it becomes a striking accent piece on a kitchen shelf or bar counter. If you run out of wine, you can always use it for iced tea or kool-aid.

This little gem is called a Visual Wine Decanter. I can’t find anything else about it but I assume that it’s aptly named because it’s clear. Brilliant marketing, if I may say so.

For the wine snoot in your life, get them the Snob Decanter. The description says that the snob series of glassware seems to suggest a cooler-than-thou attitude. I guess it’s like that high-art where if you ask what it’s supposed to represent, you are shunned from the building. So I won’t ask.

For the wine connoisseur who has everything, including enough income to replace the carpet after every dinner party, get them the Schott Zwiesel Decanter. Guaranteed to keep the host on edge all night, this looks more like a misshapen vase than a decanter, but hey…what’s a party without a little red wine on the floor?

Ribbed for her pleasure (or his?) this Cascade Decanter is made of lead-free crystal and at $70, it’s on the higher end of the ones we’ve listed, but it’s still a good choice. Plus, the description reads like bad porn: “A series of mouth-blown rings on a slender neck hold the secret to the perfect pour. Inside, wine flows over the neck’s wavy contours so its full character is realized. Outside, these contours serve as convenient indentations for fingers wrap around and hold firm while pouring.” The only word missing is shaft.

Your parents always said not to play with your food, but they didn’t say that about your drink. Voila! The Orbital Wine Decanter is both fun and functional. “The orbital movement provides full breathing of your wine with minimal disturbance. The decanter’s unique ‘V’ shape design minimizes the pouring of sediment into your glass.” And after 5 glasses or so, your guests can entertain themselves while staring at the pretty toy as it goes round and round.

Drink up! And Happy Holidays from all of the resident lushes at Sproost.

I don’t know about you, but this year I was completely prepared for the Black Friday mayhem. I had a full tank of gas, enough water to last 3 days, band-aids, toilet paper, and a big bowl of Wheaties before I left the house Friday morning at 3:30 a.m. I managed to do all my shopping without getting into a fist fight, wrecking my car, or hitting unruly pedestrians (thought tempting). So in honor of the day, we’ve selected some items that can make your holidays just a little happier.

What better way to watch football than your own X Lounge and Ottoman? A couch is great and all, but remember last year how your Uncle Jeff got excited, jumped up, and elbowed you in the cheek on the last play of the Superbowl? Yeah. This year he can keep his elbows to himself and you can watch the game all relaxed and injury free in your own chair.

Matches 5 Sproost styles including: Rustic Revival, Cottage Chic, Contemporary, and Vintage Modern

This Large Teardrop Vase is cool for many reasons. One is that the black resin is fully waterproof so you can actually use it for flowers and not just for decoration. Another is that it’s in the shape of a teardrop. So now all you Emo fans can have a proper vase to showcase your misunderstood angst.

Matches 5 Sproost styles including: Contemporary, Vintage Modern, Zen Style, and Cottage Chic

This is how I felt after Thanksgiving. Minus the happy face. These little Buddha Desk Organizers can help you keep your files together and keep your books at attention. All while reminding you that you really should take advantage of that gym membership. But who says you can’t find Zen in a bowl of mashed potatoes? I know I didn’t find it on Black Friday.

Matches Sproost style: Zen Style

Nature Rectangular Trays from Feel More Human help you bring the outdoors inside. These beautiful Laminated Fabric Trays are made in New York on hand-printed fabric that is then laminated. They’re both water and stain resistant and the designs go with just about anything. Unless your home is decked out in hearts and chickens. Then, not so much.

Matches 6 Sproost styles including: Arts and Crafts, Cottage Chic, French Eclectic, and Modern Elegance

This Graham & Brown Chysanthemum Wall Covering is so glamorous and it would look amazing in your dining room. Wall paper has had such a bad rap for years (think house circa 1982 complete with mustard yellow and avocado green appliances) but with designs like this, it’s making a much deserved comeback.

Matches 5 Sproost styles including: Rustic Revival, Cottage Chic, Contemporary, and Vintage Modern

Like eyeballs, but better. This fluffy Thomas Paul Kabuki Linen Pillow is just the right size for a throw pillow or after dinner nap accessory. And it reminds me of eyeballs. I’m sure it’s supposed to be geometric cherry blossoms. Or maybe a lollipop orgy. Or acorns on stilts. Or something.

Matches 8 Sproost styles including: Contemporary, French Eclectic, Vintage Modern, and Zen Style

Stunning style in an end or lamp table, the Linea Table by Traditional Accents features a high-gloss black finish with red rubbed edges. It would look just as lovely holding a lamp as it would holding a Peebers and a meat and cheese tray. Although, you really should respect your furniture a little more, don’t you think?

Matches 5 Sproost styles including: Contemporary, Zen Style, Traditional Asian, and Hollywood Couture

I hope you saw something you like today. And remember, you only have 4 weeks until Christmas so get on it!

If you are looking for a modern, clean look in your decorating, you should consider acrylic furniture. It’s weather resistant, very durable, easy to clean, and comes in many colors. It can be a bit pricey if you get a designer piece, but if you do your research, you can find items in every price range that will match your style.

Acrylic Trophy Deer Head
It’s beginning to look a lot like…Rudolph? We think Tristan Zimmermann has a clever head on those Canadian shoulders of his, particularly when it comes to his life-sized trophy head, lasersmithed of pure Swiss glacial acrylic. It’s a little expensive, but WWBD (What Would Bambi Do)?

Sproost Styles that would love this piece:Vintage Modern, Contemporary, Hollywood Couture and the right Southwest and Mountain Lodger

Acrylic Wine Rack
Here’s a tasteful way to show off your rack. An elegant, artistic solution to wine storage, up to eight bottles can be stored and displayed on this Acrylic Wine Rack. And because it’s wall-mounted, you can display it anywhere—your kitchen, bar, living room, closet…if you’re a private lush.

Sproost Styles that would love this piece: Contemporary, Hollywood Couture, Vintage Modern, Cottage Chic, Modern Elegance

If Contemporary fell in love with Classic and they had baby, it would look a lot like this George II chair. Yes, a C-section would be necessary. This is really a versatile piece because it’s just so simple and elegant. Looks comfy, too.

Sproost Styles that would love this piece: Contemporary, Modern Elegance, Cottage Chic, Hollywood Couture, French Eclectic

Here’s a seat for all you swingers. The original Bubble chair is an absolute classic, though you might have to save for the next 30 years to afford it (or scour ebay, or sell your plasma). There are many reproductions out there but this bad boy is $5,095. Socks and black pants not included.

Sproost Styles that would love this piece: Vintage Modern, Contemporary, Modern Elegance, Cottage Chic, Hollywood Couture

This trunk could make a great living room coffee table or an unexpected child’s toy bin. Little Max will be able to see all of his colorful toys packed away and ready to be played with but he’ll still want a new one every time you go to the store. On second thought, maybe this is better just in your living room.

Sproost Styles that would love this piece: Vintage Modern, Hollywood Couture, Contemporary, Cottage Chic and maybe even French Eclectic

This bookcase is functional, it’s durable, it comes in 12 different colors, and it may break the bank. But it’s gorgeous! Only bummer is that it’s not offered in clear. So you’ll just have to suck it up.

Sproost Styles that would love this piece: Vintage Modern, Hollywood Couture, Contemporary, Cottage Chic

This is the Baxton Studio Annis Clear Acrylic Coffee Table and the description says it will add “unique and innovative perspective, as well as playfulness to your living space.” Who doesn’t want that? Actually, I feel like a naked game of twister right now! How’s that for an innovative perspective?

Sproost Styles that would love this piece: Vintage Modern, Contemporary, Hollywood Couture, Modern Elegance

ESSEY Illusion Side Table
I guarantee you David Copperfield has this table in his home. The design gives the impression of a table cloth on a round table. Priced at $310, the object uses the structural strength of the folded material to create a magical and surprising experience of an illusion. If he can’t trick ladies into dating him…at least he has cool tables.

Sproost Styles that would love this piece: French Eclectic, Hollywood Couture, Contemporary, Modern Elegance, Cottage Chic

Show off your wood with the timber table for $235.  This clear acrylic accent table has a woodgrain pattern on all sides, mixing organic lines with modern materials. Pro: it’s really cool looking and it’s just the right height for a night stand. Con: if you are walking barefoot through your house in the dark and you can’t see this table, you’ll stub the hell out of your toe.

Sproost Styles that would love this piece:  Rustic Revival, Vintage Modern, Contemporary, Cottage Chic and could work well with the right Southwest or Mountain Lodger