For Adam Floyd, the holidays are more than just a season. As one of the most sought-after holiday designers in the southeastern United States, Floyd’s calendar starts filling up almost immediately after last year’s decorations are removed in January. Initial calls with clients begin as early as March, installation dates are reserved by July, and Floyd starts making site visits to take measurements and discuss color schemes in August. “I have February to kind of unwind,” Floyd says. “But then it all starts back up again.”
With outposts in Atlanta and Nashville, his firm, Adam Floyd Design, expanded to Miami when Floyd moved to the Magic City in 2019. Since then, he has been charged with crafting some of the area’s most iconic displays, including at the St. Regis Bal Harbour Resort, the Carillon Miami Wellness Resort, and the Conrad Fort Lauderdale Beach. Though the holiday season seems rooted in red and green, Floyd’s Miami move led him to experiment with a whole new color palette.
“Miami is much more on the modern side of things compared to the northern cities,” Floyd explains. “In Atlanta and Nashville, you’re going to see a lot more of the traditional reds and greens, whereas in Miami we use a lot of white and do pops of color.”
Floyd looks to the fashion industry for color inspiration. If he notices a particular hue dominating the runways, he’ll try to incorporate it within his displays. Floyd suggests taking a home’s accent colors and art into account, and then experimenting with shades that complement them. For those looking to update their traditional red and green decor, he recommends inserting royal blue into the mix. But no color is off-limits, Floyd says, including black, which he has previously paired with various finishes for more daring clients.
“It doesn’t have to be all red and green,” Floyd stresses. “You can be fun and playful with it.”
There is perhaps nothing more playful than what Floyd refers to as a bubblegum tree. “I get whatever colors that are available—pinks, purples, greens, and oranges—and [pair them] with clear, iridescent lights.”
The trees, too, don’t have to be traditional balsam firs. “I use a lot of white, silver, and champagne-colored trees,” Floyd says. “They sparkle and catch the light sometimes better than a regular green tree.”
For Floyd’s Jewish clients, he often utilizes 6-foot-tall menorahs and 3-foot-tall dreidels. “There’s big, fun things we can play with when I’m decorating for Hanukkah,” he says. “I don’t do a lot of blue and white, but I do a lot of silver and white.”
To give a space a cohesive look, Floyd suggests picking an element from the tree or leading Hanukkah decoration and then incorporating it into your centerpiece, mantel, garlands, and wreaths. He recommends toying with scale by sprinkling in larger ornaments to serve as focal points, and not to overlook the longer, icicle-shaped ornaments to add geometric diversity.
And Floyd’s verdict on multicolored string lights? “Love them!”
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