A Longwood Christmas is, by design, magical … and this year’s focus on shapes has been a designer’s dream. From the vertical line of a towering Fraser fir that brings your eye upward to the star-like details of a poinsettia that draw your eye in, the concept of shape plays an enormous role in design itself … along with other such cornerstone design concepts like light, texture, pattern, color, and scale. For this year’s Christmas display, we drew inspiration from the unique figures found in nature to the iconic contours for which Longwood is known. Take a look with me at just few of the shapes we’re celebrating this season … and you’ll see how in no way, shape, or form is this display like any other ever designed at Longwood.
Among the many nature-inspired shapes we’re celebrating this season is the delicate form of a snowflake. The stunning diversity, symmetry, and beauty of snowflakes is reflected in several elements of our display, including a warmly lit wooden snowflake hovering from above in our Estate Fruit House.
The mesmerizing, layered contour of a pine cone can be found draped among the wreaths and garland at our Conservatory East Entrance. You’ll also find pine cones swathed throughout our staggering 25-foot East Tree. Outside, the 25-foot Gardener’s Tree is adorned with an abundance of gourds, with their full, robust shape beautifully accenting this soaring tree.
Looking for more distinct lines? Rectangles and squares, which suggest a sense of order and uniformity, abound throughout our Gardens. You’ll find them in our exquisitely wrapped presents beneath our Ballroom Tree … to the scrumptious pastel marshmallows in the Music Room’s apothecary jars … to the rectangular tokonoma scrolls in our Bonsai Display.
If you’re looking for twisting, spiraling shapes that evoke a sense of rhythm … you won’t have to look far. For one, our Fern Floor is outfitted in three massive undulating ribbons constructed out of Italian bending poplar and mahogany wood. These gilded forms originate from the 22-foot Exhibition Stage tree and tumble out throughout the iconic Fern Floor space.
We can’t celebrate the shapes of the season without recognizing the beautiful teardrop-shaped crystals in our Ballroom. Dripping in crystal ornaments, our glistening Ballroom Tree playfully complements the Ballroom’s sense of glamour.
A geometric take on shapes can be found in the ornaments adorning our Peirce-du Pont House Conservatory tree and our Canopy Cathedral Treehouse.
Circles are everywhere this season and for good reason … their harmonious shape helps bring focus to the elements around them. You can find circles in the form of suspended glass balls in our Tropical Terrace … oversized ornaments nestled among the ribbon on our Fern Floor … luminous glowing orbs in our Meadow Garden along Flower Garden Drive … and whimsical lollipops above the mantel in our Music Room … among many, many other delights.
No matter the shape you’re looking for, you’ll find it—and more—during A Longwood Christmas, on view now through January 5.
