LONDON — Hotels in London and Europe have been teaming with Britain-based fashion designers on themed Christmas trees to usher in the holiday season.
Pulitzer Amsterdam tapped Jenny Packham, who dreamed up a twinkling Johannes Vermeer-inspired tree festooned in black bows and pearls.
“The Pulitzer Amsterdam’s connection to Dutch art, and Vermeer in particular, felt like a natural point of inspiration,” said Packham, referring to the hotel’s 2023 partnership with the Rijksmuseum’s “Vermeer” exhibition, the largest-ever display of the artist’s works.
She added that “Vermeer’s mastery of light and his ability to capture quiet moments of beauty resonated deeply with me. The tree’s design pays homage to his work, particularly ‘Girl With a Pearl Earring,’ with its celebration of elegance, light and timeless allure,” the designer added.
Jacu Strauss, creative director of the Lore Group, which owns Pulitzer Amsterdam, redesigned some of the rooms in the hotel in honor of the exhibition. He said Packham “was very much inspired by the history of our buildings and the work we did on the refurbishment.”
Strauss added that Vermeer’s work inspired the color schemes for many of the guest rooms at the hotel, “and we also have evidence of exactly where one of his paintings was historically hung in one of our canal houses.”
A close-up of Packham and Strauss.
Courtesy of The Pulitzer Amsterdam
The London Edition’s Christmas tree, designed by Ashish Gupta.
Courtesy of The London Edition
Back in the British capital, Ashish Gupta designed the London Edition’s tree, which features a rainbow of tinsel the designer has collected over the years. The Delhi-born, London-based Gupta said he was inspired by childhood memories of assembling a tinsel tree, which he inherited from his aunt.
“This tree is a consolidation of found and bought treasures but also a cross-cultural exchange. I think it is also a nice way to reflect the nature of hotels — how they are a home away from home for people from other parts of the world,” he said.
The Londoner hotel in Leicester Square took a different turn, partnering with the British bridalwear designer Kate Halfpenny on its tree.
The Kate Halfpenny-designed tree was unveiled on Nov. 14 as part of the Londoner’s festive celebrations.
Courtesy of The Londoner
She decorated it with oversize bows made from upcycled bridal fabric. In place of ornaments, Halfpenny created large disks, inspired by gold coins, to which she added hand-drawn designs.
To mark the collaboration, the Londoner’s Champagne bar has partnered with London perfumer Miller Harris to create two cocktails inspired by the brand’s bridal fragrance, Secret Gardenia.