Holiday Style 2022: The Queen’s Tree 

With the last few days of the year upon us, it’s time we feature the last of our Christmas looks! While the trees in the store have come down and most of our holiday decor has gone home with you, I couldn’t finish the year without sharing the most majestic of our looks!  

The Queen’s Tree stood poised and elegant at the entrance of the shop, greeting all who entered to take in the splendor of the season. The last, but certainly not the least, of our 2022 Christmas looks to come together, this design is truly one of a kind. We knew we wanted something exciting in our entrance – something we hadn’t done before. 

This motif paid homage to the late Queen Elizabeth, who like the design that donned her name was stately and elegant, and commanding in her tone. A timeless beauty exuded from the space, where twin trees were chosen for their wow factor.  

The Queen’s Tree creates a grand spectacle at the entrance of the shop  
The Queen’s Tree features a sumptuous color palette that pairs perfectly with a pair of upholstered chairs 

Crowning the Queen’s Tree 

The ornaments on the Queen’s Tree were as unique as they were widely varied. In lieu of a true theme for the trinkets dressing the trees, we opted for a sumptuous color story and lots of rich texture. Crowns and birds with long decadent feathers were among the unique baubles chosen to be featured in this look. Finials and globes of differing sizes and textures are the mainstay of the ornaments highlighting the branches.  

Lots (and lots) of velvets were used among these branches, spilling down from the top, rather than wrapped around the tree itself, the rivers of ribbon bringing an air of formality. Birds rested in the boughs, the most striking of which were the two large swans that peeked out from behind gilded flowers and glittering picks. Not originally intended for the tree, we wanted to incorporate a few larger elements that fit the uniqueness of the tree and to give the look more dimension. 

A graceful swan is nestled amongst the boughs of the Queen’s Tree 
Ornaments of many shapes and sizes came together to make this unique look come to life  

Sprays of laurel leaf, which has ties to royalty dating back to ancient Greek and Roman times, were tucked amongst the tree limbs. Before adding ornaments, branches were carefully placed at the top to give the tree a slightly different shape than the rest. Dusty pinks, rich purples, and golds were the cornerstone of this color palate that also incorporated pastels into the lightly flocked tree.  

A close up of the Queen’s Tree features ornaments and ribbons in shades of gold, teal, and purples 
Golds and pastels are the featured color palate for the Queen’s Tree 

A Companion Fit for a Queen 

The Queen’s Tree was nestled up against an aged sideboard topped with a cathedral piece that was show-stopping in its own right. The elegant, old world feel of the piece anchored the look in Nell Hill’s New Traditional aesthetic and keeps it from look too glam – if there is such a thing! By featuring an a-symmetrical garland atop the cathedral piece, we evoked a tone of whimsy and toned down on the formality of the space, letting the trees truly take center stage.  

Twin Bradstreet chairs (a personal and Nell Hill’s favorite!) were then brought in to match the steepled piece and were the perfect furniture companions to the Queen’s Tree look. They pulled in the richness of the bold purples that lent to the stateliness of the color arrangement and elevated this design from pastel and pretty to royal and regal.  

A cathedral steeple sits on a buffet covered in holiday finery 
An a-symmetrical garland chalked full of picks and ornaments is perched on a buffet next to the tree 

What a look with which to wrap up the season! Did you have a favorite look this year, or perhaps a favorite element or detail? I’d love to know – please tell me in the comments!  

Thank you to each and every one of you who came in to shop and soak in the beauty of the season with us this year, and for following along here on the blog. Working with and for you and getting to share with you the things we love is a joy all year long and especially so around the holidays. We are grateful for you, dear customers and readers – thank you! Until next time – happy decorating! 

Twin Bradstreet chairs are flanked by stately Christmas trees in The Queen’s Tree look