Fast Ways to Create a Gentleman’s Christmas Home — Transcript

Full transcript

1. 0:00A lot can be said about a home by the
2. 0:02way it feels in December. With only a
3. 0:04few weeks left before Christmas, what
4. 0:06can you do quickly to transform your
5. 0:09home's message? This isn't about holiday
6. 0:11decor. It's about crafting a winter
7. 0:14environment. As we enter the season's
8. 0:16peak, you'll notice some homes feel
9. 0:18brushed, loud, and overly decorated.
10. 0:21Others feel distant without
11. 0:22consideration, completely unmoved by the
12. 0:25season. But a gentleman's home, it
13. 0:27delivers the weight of winter. the mood,
14. 0:30the scent, the texture and ritual, a
15. 0:32display of calm bearing. So, what
16. 0:35changes can be made in a single day or
17. 0:37two that will bring our homes up to this
18. 0:39level? Today, I'm going to show you how
19. 0:41exactly to build that atmosphere when
20. 0:44time is running low. If you're a
21. 0:46returning subscriber, hit the thumbs up.
22. 0:48If you are new here, hopefully by the
23. 0:50end of this video, you'll be a
24. 0:52subscriber. Remember that if you would
25. 0:54like our help in designing your room,
26. 0:56you can have that help by clicking the
27. 0:58link in the description below. When
28. 1:01winter arrives, the first thing to
29. 1:03consider adjusting is texture and tone.
30. 1:06Nothing does this faster than a proper
31. 1:08throw blanket. You're looking for weight
32. 1:10and natural fibers. Wool, heavy cotton,
33. 1:13cashmere blends, or alpaca. Eye-catching
34. 1:17yet comfortable to the touch. Once
35. 1:19you've established texture, the next
36. 1:21shift is tone. Common basic colors of
37. 1:24the season are green, red, gold, silver,
38. 1:27and white. You see them everywhere. But
39. 1:29then there are intriguing tones, the
40. 1:32ones that will grip the attention of you
41. 1:34and your guests. Pine green, oxen blood,
42. 1:37espresso brown, camel, or variants of
43. 1:40navy. These will portray much more
44. 1:43character and prevent that
45. 1:45one-dimensional look. Seek to find
46. 1:47heritagriven patterns, subtle herring
47. 1:50bone, window pane plaid, fisherman's
48. 1:53knit, or heathered solids. When you
49. 1:55focus on detail like this in your
50. 1:57selections, you separate yourself from
51. 1:59anything that veers into the cheap or
52. 2:02overly festive. Traditional placements
53. 2:05of your throws are going to work well.
54. 2:06draped over the arm of a leather chair,
55. 2:09folded cleanly on your coffee table's
56. 2:11lower shelf, layered across the back of
57. 2:13a sofa, or placed at the front of your
58. 2:16bed for that wintering effect. The
59. 2:19throws have provided weight. Now we need
60. 2:21structure. We'll do this through accent
61. 2:23pillows. Keep the winter pallets, olive,
62. 2:26wine, red, deep sea, charcoal, saddle,
63. 2:29brown. Then look for tartan pattern,
64. 2:32welted edges, restrained geometrics,
65. 2:35leather lumbers, or those with buckle
66. 2:37accents. Your throw and pillow colors do
67. 2:40not need to be exact matches. They just
68. 2:42need to speak the same seasonal
69. 2:45language. Here are three combinations
70. 2:47that create a well-mannered vignette.
71. 2:50The first is a pine green herring bone
72. 2:52throw paired with an olive tartan
73. 2:55pillow. Both live in the green family,
74. 2:57but at different depths. It's rich,
75. 2:59heritage-based, and it's seasonal. The
76. 3:02second is an oxen blood heathered throw
77. 3:04paired with a saddle brown leather
78. 3:06pillow. Deep red for warmth, saddle
79. 3:09leather for masculinity, a welcomed
80. 3:11contrast during the winter solstice. And
81. 3:14lastly, we have a navy fisherman's knit
82. 3:17throw paired with a deep sea blue
83. 3:19pillow. The knit is a comfortable
84. 3:21texture. The deeper blue adds
85. 3:23prominence. Let's move on to scent.
86. 3:26Holiday candles often go wrong because
87. 3:28they're excessively sweet, at best
88. 3:30handled in small doses. A gentleman's
89. 3:33home does well with more rugged scents
90. 3:35of nature. Wood, smoke, spice, earth.
91. 3:39These are the notes that make a home
92. 3:40feel natural rather than perfumed. Here
93. 3:43are a few candles that will deliver.
94. 3:45Balsam and cedar. This is good for
95. 3:47steady winter backdrop. Cedar wood and
96. 3:50tobacco. Perfect for studies or leather
97. 3:52heavy corners. Tobacco and amber. This
98. 3:55will remind you of a library at night.
99. 3:57It pairs well with darker woods in the
100. 3:59room. Fresh cut pine. If you have a
101. 4:01Christmas tree in your home, this will
102. 4:03amplify its presence. If you don't, it
103. 4:06will make you feel as though you do.
104. 4:08Whiskey and smoked wood. Subtle smoke
105. 4:11goes well with a bar cart. Leather and
106. 4:13tobacco. A very denlike reading room
107. 4:16atmosphere. Tobacco and vanilla with a
108. 4:19crackling wick. The sound creates the
109. 4:22illusion of a fireplace. The scent
110. 4:24creates the mood of being near one. You
111. 4:27can use a rotation of two or three of
112. 4:29these candles in a room. For example,
113. 4:31using a pine forward candle during the
114. 4:33day for freshness and a tobacco wood
115. 4:36candle in the evening for warmth. If you
116. 4:38have a designated bar or a reading area
117. 4:40off to the side, a whiskey smoke candle
118. 4:43is a nice addition. You're not burning
119. 4:45all of these at once and turning your
120. 4:47home into a bath and body works store.
121. 4:50you're choosing the right one for the
122. 4:52moment. Let's move our focus from
123. 4:55atmosphere to ritual. Christmas and the
124. 4:57holiday time is a season of ritual. A
125. 5:00beverage display will be made of great
126. 5:01use. Keep it simple. This gives guests a
127. 5:04subtle option to partake without
128. 5:06dropping them into the spaceide region
129. 5:09of Scotland. Your foundation can be a
130. 5:12tray made of aged brass, dark walnut, or
131. 5:14tarnished silver. A black marble slab is
132. 5:17also worth considering. Set the scene
133. 5:20with one or two winter leaning whisies,
134. 5:23a couple crystal glasses, a match
135. 5:25striker and candle, whiskey smoke, like
136. 5:27we mentioned before, a stainless steel
137. 5:30or brass bar spoon, and a small branch
138. 5:32of cedar tucked subtly. The wine setup
139. 5:35is fun. It's what you might expect from
140. 5:37a discerning traveling merchant. A
141. 5:40single bottle in a leather tote, a heavy
142. 5:42decanter for cabernet or merllo. Linen
143. 5:45napkins and winter tones and a
144. 5:47woodandled corkcrew. Hospitality without
145. 5:51fuss. Somewhere near your wine or
146. 5:53whiskey setup, include a small bowl. It
147. 5:55could be matte black, brass, or stone
148. 5:58wear and finish. You could also use a
149. 6:00dark wood cigar tray. This is where we
150. 6:02will display or offer sweets to be
151. 6:05paired with our drinks. Think of these
152. 6:07not as desserts, but as extensions of
153. 6:10the drink. For whiskey, choose things
154. 6:13that echo its notes. Dark chocolate,
155. 6:16chocolatecovered espresso beans, salted
156. 6:18caramel truffles, smoked or cocoa dusted
157. 6:22almonds. For wine, dark chocolate with
158. 6:24sea salt, chocolate dipped orange peels,
159. 6:27chocolatecovered black cherries, or
160. 6:29salted pistachios. These aren't just
161. 6:32standalone treats. They're
162. 6:34accompaniments. They elevate the drinks.
163. 6:37Greenery plays a vital role during
164. 6:39Christmas. Have you ever wondered why?
165. 6:41Why the Christmas tree? How did we
166. 6:42decide that? Why the infatuation with
167. 6:45the berry branches? To understand why
168. 6:48greenery matters, you have to understand
169. 6:50where the tradition began. Before
170. 6:52Christmas existed, people across
171. 6:54Northern Europe used evergreen branches
172. 6:57during the darkest months. Evergreens
173. 7:00didn't die in winter. They symbolized
174. 7:02life and endurance, a promise that
175. 7:05spring would return. In the 1500s,
176. 7:08German Christians started bringing
177. 7:10entire fur trees indoors, decorating
178. 7:13with apples to symbolize Eden, candles
179. 7:16to symbolize the light of Christ, nuts
180. 7:19and gingerbread as symbols of warmth and
181. 7:21future growth. In 1848, Queen Victoria
182. 7:25and Prince Albert changed the way the
183. 7:27world would celebrate Christmas forever.
184. 7:30Prince Albert was German. An
185. 7:32illustration of the British royal family
186. 7:34gathered around a decorated Christmas
187. 7:36tree was published in the London
188. 7:38Illustrated News. Their power of
189. 7:41influence led to all of Britain, then
190. 7:44Europe, and eventually America adopting
191. 7:46the tradition. So when you bring
192. 7:48greenery into your home, you're
193. 7:50participating in a centuries old symbol
194. 7:53of endurance and renewal. If your goal
195. 7:56is a home of heritage and tradition,
196. 7:59don't skip your botanicals. Here is your
197. 8:01list. Cedar, Douglas fur, eucalyptus,
198. 8:05olive branches, natural pine cones, and
199. 8:08magnolia leaves. Placements could be a
200. 8:11tall vase by the entry, a small
201. 8:13arrangement on your coffee table tray,
202. 8:16an understated garland across the
203. 8:18mantle, a magnolia and cedar arrangement
204. 8:21on the dining table, or a low bowl of
205. 8:23fur and pine cones on a sideboard. Avoid
206. 8:26anything sparkly, glittery, or ribbon
207. 8:29covered. Quiet strength is our aim. Many
208. 8:32people have seasonal decor displayed in
209. 8:34the home for a month or so. After that
210. 8:36time passes, it's packed away into
211. 8:38storage or a garage. This decor is so
212. 8:42theme-based and holiday forward, it
213. 8:45doesn't look right during any other time
214. 8:47of the year. Our goal is to have pieces
215. 8:50that can work all year whose
216. 8:51personalities deepen during winter.
217. 8:54We're talking bronze and brass animal
218. 8:56sculptures, busts of historical figures,
219. 8:59Roman emperors or Greek philosophers,
220. 9:02aged brass candle holders, carved wooden
221. 9:05boxes, antique bells, or leatherbound
222. 9:08books stacked horizontally. One of the
223. 9:11most overlooked elements in winter
224. 9:13styling is how books are placed. Why
225. 9:16horizontal? It adds weight, acts as a
226. 9:19platform for candles and greenery, and
227. 9:20has the unique ability to transform the
228. 9:23corner of a room into a winter study.
229. 9:26Marble obelisks can work very well in
230. 9:29this environment. They add verticality,
231. 9:31remain simple, and contrast beautifully
232. 9:34with cedar, leather, metals, and candle
233. 9:37light. Finally, try some heavy classical
234. 9:39bookends. What do I mean by classical?
235. 9:42things like Corinthians, lion heads,
236. 9:45horse heads, or antique globes. If you
237. 9:47have an eye for detail and you want to
238. 9:49emphasize how your room is experienced,
239. 9:52seasonal books are an excellent
240. 9:54addition. A gentleman's Christmas home
241. 9:56isn't complete without a few classic
242. 9:58titles displayed. Here are a few. A
243. 10:01Christmas Carol, filled with Victorian
244. 10:03imagery and winter morality. The
245. 10:05Nutcracker and the Mouse King, rooted in
246. 10:08oldworld European winter charm. Letters
247. 10:11from Father Christmas, Tolkien's winter
248. 10:14mythology and quiet wonder. Old
249. 10:16Christmas from Washington Irving, a
250. 10:18romantic account of early English winter
251. 10:21traditions through an American lens. And
252. 10:24then there are winter travel books, much
253. 10:26like coffee table books. I picked out
254. 10:28two of them, The Alps 1900 and Unseen
255. 10:32Scotland. They bring a sense of
256. 10:34landscape and adventure into the room,
257. 10:36and they're fun to look through. A
258. 10:38gentleman's Christmas home isn't solely
259. 10:40decoration. It's the creation of
260. 10:43atmosphere and mood, one of culture and
261. 10:46meaning. The weight of winter fabrics,
262. 10:48the scent of cedar and tobacco, the
263. 10:50sound of a crackling wick, the faint
264. 10:53presence of books, brass, and greenery.
265. 10:56December will never be just another
266. 10:58month. It will be a privilege. If you
267. 11:01like the video, hit the thumbs up. If
268. 11:03you feel like sticking around a while,
269. 11:05feel free to subscribe. See you on the
270. 11:07next one.
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