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A kitsch-forward guide to tricking out your home for the holidays

Deck the Halls

A kitsch-forward guide to tricking out your home for the holidays

By Toronto Life| Photograph by Thomas van der Zaag

| December 3, 2019

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A kitsch-forward guide to tricking out your home for the holidays — 1. Wooden advent calendar: The countdown to Christmas Day is all the more gleeful with this retro calendar by Glitterville featuring tiny drawers for gift stashing and LED lights to heighten the effect. $100. Indigo.

A kitsch-forward guide to tricking out your home for the holidays — 2. Disco Santa gnome: Swedish minimalism meets Studio 54 with this unabashedly glittery folkloric friend handmade by husband-and-wife design duo Robert and Cortney Novogratz. $189. CB2, 651 Queen St. W., 416-366-2828.

A kitsch-forward guide to tricking out your home for the holidays — 3. TV set dioramas: Here’s a way to watch Christmas specials 24/7—well, sort of. These vintage TV sets are retrofitted with old-timey holiday scenes. $180-$1,950. Teatro Verde, 136 Yorkville Ave., 416-966-2227.

A kitsch-forward guide to tricking out your home for the holidays — 4. Reindeer place-setting cards: These festive place cards break up the usual dinner party cliques with cheek. (Holiday hack: they also work to ID food dishes.) $3.99 for a dozen. Moss, 544 Danforth Ave., 416-462-9898.

A kitsch-forward guide to tricking out your home for the holidays — 5. TTC tea towel: Tea towels with prints by Toronto graphic designer Wendy Tancock infuse local iconography with a touch of holiday cheer—and take a bit of the yuck out of post-dinner cleanup. $9.99. Moss, 544 Danforth Ave., 416-462-9898.

A kitsch-forward guide to tricking out your home for the holidays — 6. Bagel menorah: The design of the Nosh Menorah is inspired by the humblest of cultural cuisine artifacts: a half bagel. Seen here in brass, it’s also available in rose gold and chrome. (Matches and prayer card, but not candles, included.) $200. The Jewish Museum.

A kitsch-forward guide to tricking out your home for the holidays — 7. Rowanberry tablecloth: Are rowanberries the new holly? We think so. This printed, woven cotton tablecloth is an ideal berry-bedecked accent for your holiday dinner party. (Bonus: matching table runner and napkins are also available.) $30. H&M.

A kitsch-forward guide to tricking out your home for the holidays — 8. Moroccan tea glasses: Multicoloured Moroccan tea glasses make every beverage—hot or cold—look festive. They multitask brilliantly for eggnog, mulled wine and hot apple cider. $10.95 per cup. Twang and Pearl.

A kitsch-forward guide to tricking out your home for the holidays — Tree incense Individual incense sticks will make the whole house smell delightfully coniferous. Fifty sticks come with a wooden holder. Display it—or hide it so that everyone thinks your tree smells that good. $12. Easy Tiger, 1447 Dundas St. W., 647-748-6161.

A kitsch-forward guide to tricking out your home for the holidays — 10. Llama garland: Deck the halls with lots of llamas. These colourful, pom-pom accented garlands work on or off the tree—a hipster- and eco-friendly alternative to traditional tinsel. $23. Scout, 405 Roncesvalles Ave., 416-546-6922.

A kitsch-forward guide to tricking out your home for the holidays — 11. Brass deer snow globe: It’s the season of silver and gold, and any mantel will sparkle and shimmer with this classic, glitter-filled accessory featuring a couple of Santa’s best sleigh drivers. $40. West Elm.

A kitsch-forward guide to tricking out your home for the holidays — 12. Art deco holiday trees: These glass trees are a stylish and subtle nod to the season—available in colours that can stick around into the new year. $30-$45. CB2, 651 Queen St. W., 416-366-2828.

A kitsch-forward guide to tricking out your home for the holidays — 13. Snowman S&P set: Carved from sustainable maple and hand-painted, the Frosty and friend shaker set have plenty of vintage charm. $105. Williams-Sonoma, Eaton Centre, 416-260-1255; Yorkdale, 416-789-1904; and other GTA locations.

A kitsch-forward guide to tricking out your home for the holidays — 14. Ornamental wreath: This glam, rainbow-hued door dresser pooh-poohs the whole red and green tradition—and it won’t wilt halfway through December. $84. Absolutely Inc., 1236 Yonge St., 416-922-6784.

A kitsch-forward guide to tricking out your home for the holidays — 15. 1948 canapé set: Named for the temperature at which gold melts, this set of stylish (and dishwasher-safe) party plates by mid-mod design god Jonathan Adler are perfect for petite eats. $99. Black Rooster, 1075 Queen St E., 416-465-7778.

A kitsch-forward guide to tricking out your home for the holidays — 16. Deer doormat: For a winter welcome mat with a Midsommar aesthetic—minus all that pagan cult business—these coconut fibre mats are just the thing. $50. Anthropologie, 761 Queen St. W., 416-603-0445.

A kitsch-forward guide to tricking out your home for the holidays — 17. Stag antler candelabra: No Rudolphs were harmed in the creation of this candelabra, made with an ethically sourced Scottish red deer antler (they shed them once a year). Available in a range of natural hues, every piece is one of a kind. $285. Hopson Grace, 1120 Yonge St., 416-926-1120.

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