Whether you’re making final preparations for a Christmas get-together at home or planning a New Year’s Eve dinner party, read on for last-minute decor tips from three Hong Kong hospitality experts
Entertaining at home—especially over the holidays—is all about creating a warm, welcoming ambience for your guests.
If you’ve left it too late to put together festive decorations, fret not. We asked three hospitality pros in Hong Kong to share their thoughts on stylish decorations for festive soirees: find inspiration on everything from tablescapes ideas to must-have lighting.
Meet our experts:
Todd Darling, founder, Red Sauce Hospitality: The restaurateur is behind Hong Kong’s much-loved Italian-American concepts Posto Pubblico, Fini’s and Frank’s, which recently unveiled all-new interiors and a revamped menu. This month, the group also opened Frank’s Records, an extension of the brand offering a sizeable selection of vinyl records as well as a daily menu of fresh and preserved seafood. Expect freshly shucked oysters, caviar, specialty tinned seafood from around the world and more.
Archie Haig, senior interior designer, Pirata Group: As part of Pirata Group’s in-house design team, Haig created the interiors of oceanfront Italian bakery Pane e Latte; temakaria and sake bar TMK Rap & Rolls; as well as The Sixteenth, a new 18,000-sq-ft dining destination boasting a collection of concepts, including Italian opera house-inspired trattoria La Favorita, to name a few of the establishments she designed.
Kim Plaggenburg, head of marketing, Feather & Bone: Boutique deli and grocery store Feather & Bone has 11 branches around town, some of which encompass all-day dining concepts. They’re known for beautiful interiors that pay homage to 20th-century British butcher shops. Feather & Bone is also famed for its extravagant festive decorations. “We’re a community business, so we encourage our staffers to make their own mark on each Feather & Bone store,” notes Plaggenburg.
In case you missed it: Christmas 2021: 7 Easy Steps for a Stylish Holiday Dinner Party at Home
1. Find your inspiration
“Growing up, my mother always decorated the house fully for Christmas. She bought and made Santa [decorations], [as well as] different kinds of decorations. We saved and collected them. Putting up the decorations was part of the fun of Christmas.” — Todd Darling
“Our stores are inspired by the archetypal British butchers and grocery stores of the 1940s, so we aim to invoke the same sort of nostalgia with our festive decorations.” — Kim Plaggenburg