Holiday Photography Set Design | Vintage Nordic
This year I had the absolute pleasure of working with Jamie, from Red Wagon Photography here in Edmonton, Alberta, to create the set design for her Simply Holiday Sessions. Her aesthetic features soft, muted tones and classic, natural decor – and of course: yummy light. She had a mantle and tree that she wanted to include, and the rest was left up to me. While I know this design is technically for a photography studio set, the elements are easily translatable into your own home holiday decor. Which is also why I’ve included links to the items that are currently available as of November 2021.
So here are the details of the set I created, which I’m calling “vintage nordic.”
Photo by Red Wagon Photography
It was important to me that the set had a warm and cozy vibe but also played with Jamie’s aesthetic. I also wanted the set to feel more broadly holiday than specifically Christmas, and to have options for various poses and seating arrangements for the families she’d be photographing. So in addition to what is shown in the main set, we also have some additional poufs, sheepskins and pillows on stand-by.
While most of the items are from my existing collection (either from my staging inventory or my own holiday decor) I did do a little bit of thrifting for additional elements – to pull in that vintage aspect to the clean, neutral, and cozy nordic vibe.
Main Elements
In addition to Jamie’s mantle and tree, I pulled in several items from my own staging inventory.
The Decor
As mentioned, the decor was a little of this and that. Some items are from my own holiday decor stash, a few items are new (and will be added to my stash after her sessions are complete) and then I thrifted and crafted a few vintage items to add some extra character.
The thrifted / crafted items included the candlestick holders and the frames for winter images. To ensure there wouldn’t be any glare making trouble during Jamie’s shoots, I removed all of the glass from the frames and had the images printed in a pearl finish. The images I used were sourced from North Prints on Etsy and hand-selected to further play up that cozy, vintage, nordic vibe.
All of the candlestick holders were actually glass (with the exception of one which was ceramic), so to make them all look similar I painted them with a mixture of white acrylic paint and baking soda. I really love how they turned out. All the candles were pre-burned to specific heights and given some extra “drippage” to, again, ensure the set felt lived-in and warm.
The mantle garland started with a new base garland (Home Depot) and then I added in lots of varying stems and sprays that I already had. I wanted it to feel more organic, so I purposefully made it asymmetrical, filling out some spots more than others.
Over at the tree, we decorated with some wood bead garland (Home Depot), wooden snowflake ornaments (Amazon) and a few felted grey and white baubles. Simple, subtle, yet effective. A simple basket (IKEA) acts as a bit of a collar for the tree base. Below the tree are a few presents wrapped in neutral paper (Crate and Barrel), simple white ribbon and a sprig of pine from one of the trees outside the studio.
We’re fully booked for the rest of 2021 but if you’re wanting to reserve a 2022 spot for a styling session (holiday or otherwise), please get in touch.
Photo by Red Wagon Photography