Christmas Decorations 2018: Flock

Written by NDA senior tutor, Vicky McClymont

Whether we want to believe it or not, Christmas is only a few mere weeks away, and whilst some of us have already started (or even finished!) the Christmas shopping, another area we must pay attention to is the design and decoration trends for 2018.

In this series of blogs, we’ll be taking a look at some of the more traditional and somewhat unusual decorating trends around. After all, if you can’t bear the thought of hitting the shops just yet, take some time to discover how you could decorate your home this coming festive season.

Flocking

Flocking is a bit of a ‘Marmite’ trend in interiors; you either love it, or you hate it. For some, the surface texture of flock can send shivers up the spine and for some, the aesthetic just doesn’t appeal. Traditionally, flock has been used on elaborate wallpapers to give a sense of opulence, as well as being widely used in the photographic and motorsports industries to help reduce the reflectivity on a number of surfaces.

As stated by The V&A Museum, “Flock wallpaper was originally invented to imitate expensive cut-velvet hangings. Traditionally it was created by adding ‘flock’ – a waste product of the woollen cloth industry, which came in powdered form – to an adhesive coated cloth to create a raised velvet-like textured pattern or design. Today ‘flock’ has been replaced by man-made fibres such as polyester, nylon or rayon”

(Top: Red flock reindeer, Postbox Party £10; Middle: Flocked berries, Atlas Flowers £32; Bottom: Flocked pine wreaths, CB2 £32.50)

As long as the surface is prepared correctly, flock can be applied to almost any suitable surface, and this is just one reason why we’re seeing flock becoming a trend for Christmas decorations this year. The products sourced below demonstrate how flock can bring a great, subtle quality to decorations, almost referencing quite a minimalist and Scandinavian aesthetic and bringing a contrast to the typical shiny and glitzy decorations that usually adorn Christmas trees.

(Top Row: Grey Flock by Design Vintage, £3.50; Flocked Christmas tree and doves – NA; Middle Row: Burgundy Flock by April and The Bear, £5; Grey Flock by Design Vintage, £3.50; Bottom Row: Green Artichoke by Maisons Du Monde, £4.70; White Flock by Conran, £4.50)

Stay tuned for our next write-up of this year’s hottest Christmas decoration trends!