For the fourth year in a row, interior design members of ASID competed for the opportunity to provide holiday decorations for the Governor’s Residence at the Boettcher Mansion. “Colorado’s Home,” as the Residence is known, welcomes well over 5,000 guests during the holiday season to view the decorations. The creative inspiration for this year's decor is "Colorado's Kith and Kin," celebrating Colorado's Sister Cities.
The concept of sister cities was conceived after World War II and was intended to foster friendship and understanding between different cultures and between former foes as an act of peace and reconciliation. Each room in the mansion represents different cities in Colorado and their corresponding sister city. This year the Palm Room was designed by Erica Deam of Aspen Redesign and represents Denver and its sister city Takayama, Japan.
The Palm Room design is a celebration of nature, tradition and community intended to peak curiosity and exploration into the relationship between Denver and its sister city, Takayama. Both cities share a common geography, with Takayama located in the heart of the Japanese Alps and Denver at the base of the Rocky Mountains. The foundation of the design is centered on nature with arborous garland, frosted pinecones, twinkling lights and scents of spruce and cedar representing the deep connection these two cities have with their mountainous landscape.
Building on this natural foundation, the decoration and color palette will be influenced by traditional craftsmanship. Key inspiration embodying this are the large vibrant floats, or yatai, that parade the streets each year during the Takayama festival with their golden brown lacquering, detailed wood carving, decorative metal-work and elaborate embroidery.
Finally, in capturing the potential to involve our respective communities in the project, local students were invited to create ornamentation for the central tree. The end result is a layering of nature, tradition and community creating not just a Christmas display, but also celebrating our collaboration, our diversity and our common appreciation for rich and thoughtful design.
FREE HOLIDAY TOURS The Governor's Residence, Governor's Residence Preservation Fund, American Society of Interior Designers and Colorado Homes & Lifestyles welcomes the public to attend our FREE holiday tours offered Thursday, December 8 through Sunday, December 11 and again on Thursday, December 15 through Sunday, December 18 from 10 a.m. until 2 p.m. For more information visit coloradoshome.org
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