The Home Front: Getting your home party ready
Credit to Author: rebeccakeillor| Date: Sat, 28 Dec 2019 13:44:26 +0000
When it comes to decorating your home for New Year’s Eve celebrations, it’s best to ignore the traditional home-decor offerings that flood the market at this time and go your own way, says Aleem Kassam of Kalu Interiors, known both for his bold personal style and the parties he throws.
Consider your home’s already established personal esthetic and accessorize it, Kassam says.
“I never want to just slap on a bunch of decor because it’s a certain holiday, ” he says.
Kassam says he’ll be taking this approach when decorating the Gastown loft he and his partner recently moved into for their New Year’s Eve celebrations.
“It has more of that industrial feel with brick walls and large fir plank floors, so I’l be going for more edgier, sexier decor. I’m thinking blacks, whites and golds, which are very on trend right now for design in general, and I’ll also be taking textures and materials that you wouldn’t necessarily normally use to decorate, like using a black feather boa as a centrepiece, because it’s an inexpensive way to add a lot of luxury and create a soft ambient feeling and wow factor,” he says.
Using items you already have in your home to decorate is key, says Kassam, so you don’t have to run out and buy a bunch of things.
“I can use a lot of my own home accessories, like golden candelabras, gold candles and tea lights, gold cutlery mixed with black napkins,” he says.
Florals are key to party decor success, says Kassam, who prefers to go with more exotic foliage.
“I love utilizing broad Monstera leaves, because they create that luxe and lush feel, and for New Year’s Eve I’m going to mix white ostrich feathers with white roses and some broad green leaves to add some natural texture and feel,” he says.
Kassam says something that’s very trendy right now when it comes to party decor is a centrepiece that is suspended over tabletops as opposed to sitting on them, such as a chandelier overhead or a rod that’s used for the same effect.
Cocktails are experiencing something of a renaissance with the rise of the “home mixologist,”says Scott Morrison, CEO and distiller of Heretic Spirits and vice-president of communications for Ontario Craft Distillers Association.
“People are experimenting with making some really fabulous cocktails, whether for themselves or at dinner parties,” he says.
If you’re planning on throwing a New Year’s Eve party, it’s worth knowing that oversized ice cubes are very on trend for speciality cocktails, says Morrison.
LG has released its new Instaview Door-in-Door refrigerator with Craft Ice, which produces large ice spheres, says Ashley Audisho, senior marketing manager for LG Home Appliances & Signature Kitchen Suite.
LG’s InstaView Door-in-Door refrigerator with Craft Ice produces large ice spheres, popular with home mixologists and party hosts. Photo credit: LG Electronics Canada for The Home Front: Getting your home party ready by Rebecca Keillor [PNG Merlin Archive]
“It gives users such an easy way to get such a speciality shape of ice that would require a lot of manual time and effort,” she says.
LG’s InstaView Door-in-Door refrigerator with Craft Ice produces large ice spheres, popular with home mixologists and party hosts. Photo credit: LG Electronics Canada for The Home Front: Getting your home party ready by Rebecca Keillor [PNG Merlin Archive]
The ice maker takes two or three hours to produce a couple of these ice spheres, says Audisho, so planning ahead is key. The machine can hold up to 25 spheres, she says, and has a tech feature that allows home owners to connect with their fridge through their smartphones to start the ice making process remotely.
“It’s a cool tech features, but very convenient for a host,” she says.