A Natural Approach: We're Following Anastasia Casey's Lead and Skipping the Sparkles This Holiday

The holiday season often brings with it the tradition of decorating homes with festive cheer, and while many embrace the sparkle and glitter associated with Christmas, there's a growing trend towards a more natural and neutral aesthetic. This article highlights Anastasia Casey, founder of The Identitè Collective and IDCO Studio, who advocates for a modern holiday decorating approach that prioritizes natural elements over traditional glitter and vibrant colors. Casey's philosophy for holiday decor revolves around gratitude and a minimalist ethos, focusing on sustainability, simplicity, ease of storage, and efficiency—principles that became particularly relevant during the ongoing pandemic. Her inspiration for this approach stems from a recently completed home renovation, which she was eager to adorn for the holidays in a way that complemented her monochromatic aesthetic. The core of Casey's modern holiday decorating is a curated color palette and extensive use of greenery. She selects two or three monochromatic hues, often muted copper and faded marigold, to complement the natural green elements, allowing the greenery to remain the focal point. This approach ensures that the chosen colors, even if not traditionally 'Christmas,' still evoke a festive feel through the use of materials like satin or velvet ribbons and the deliberate avoidance of sparkles. The starting point for her decor was fawn-colored velvet ribbons, whose golden buttery hue, inspired by local beeswax candles, guided the entire color scheme. These ribbons are used in a color-blocked manner, adding texture and creating significant visual moments without being cliché. Casey emphasizes the importance of using fresh, natural greenery and provides practical tips for its maintenance. She suggests soaking live greens in a bathtub overnight before hanging them to ensure they stay fresh longer, and then misting them with water once or twice a week, or more frequently in warmer climates. For mantel decorations, she advises arranging candles of varied sizes closely together for a more editorial effect, clipping individual olive branches (a symbol of peace) around the candles to ensure stability rather than using a full garland. This method not only enhances the visual appeal but also fills the home with natural aromas from bay leaves, olive branches, or eucalyptus. Beyond traditional holiday items, Casey incorporates other natural elements into her decor, such as seasonal harvest items like bowls of persimmons and pomegranates in the kitchen, and mini rosemary trees that double as cooking ingredients. For those on a budget, she suggests repurposing existing brass or chrome decor accents by grouping them strategically to create subtle sparkle. Artwork also plays a significant role in her seasonal transformation; she advocates for switching out art to reflect the season, whether through thrifted landscapes, downloadable prints, or by utilizing smart TVs like the Samsung Frame TV to display seasonal artwork from museum archives. This thoughtful approach to holiday decorating emphasizes enjoying each moment and appreciating the beauty in simplicity, encouraging a phased decorating process to avoid overwhelming oneself, and allowing for a more mindful and sustainable celebration. #HolidayDecorating #NaturalDecor #ModernHoliday #AnastasiaCasey #HomeDesign #NeutralPalette #Greenery #VelvetRibbons #SustainableDecor #HolidayDecorating #NaturalDecor #ModernHoliday #AnastasiaCasey #HomeDesign #NeutralPalette #Greenery #VelvetRibbons #SustainableDecor