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'Tis the Season

4 festive Christmas tree alternatives that will spruce up your home

Erin Carlyle, Houzz
Dec 18, 2017 | 4:20 pm
Minimalist Christmas tree ladder
This treelike sculpture makes for lively conversation.
Photo courtesy of Lynn Martin Dotterer, Houzz

One of the unsung truths of the holiday season is that getting a big, expensive Christmas tree isn’t for everyone. There’s something so cheering and festive about a beautifully decorated tree, but for many reasons — perhaps you travel over the holidays, have a small living space, or simply consider yourself a minimalist — getting a large tree might not be appealing or even possible for you.

Nevertheless, you can still infuse your home with plenty of Christmas spirit. Here are four fun alternatives to a large, decorated cut tree.

1. Put a tree on your wall with ...
Chalk. To celebrate in style, you don’t have to get a real Christmas tree — or even an artificial one. A chalkboard wall can form a backdrop for a simple Christmas tree drawn in white chalk. If you are feeling ambitious, you could add more color with red and green chalk. If you don’t yet have a chalkboard wall, a can of chalkboard paint typically costs less than a large Christmas tree. Plus you’ll have a wall for drawing other festive holiday scenes year-round.

How to Make Your Own Chalkboard Paint

Washi tape.Use this simple tape to make a minimalist tree on your home or apartment wall. Tuck your wrapped presents beneath it for added cheer.

Cut branches. Houzz reader valesga crafted a creative wall tree of cut branches strung together with Christmas lights. You could create a similar arrangement with fallen branches from your backyard or a nearby park.

2. Create a treelike sculpture
“We are gone a lot of weekends in December and find it difficult to keep a fresh tree watered,” says Houzz reader Lynn Martin Dotterer. So instead of getting a live tree, they decorate a ladder. “This ‘tree’ makes for easy storage and is definitely a conversation piece,” Dotterer says.

3. Make it petite and sweet
A small tree can be a festive alternative to the classic large ones — plus you can typically find these trees potted with their roots in place, as opposed to cut. Depending on the type of tree you choose and the climate in your area, you may be able to plant the tree in your yard or even tend to it on your balcony. Perhaps your little tree can grow with you over the years.

That’s exactly what Houzz reader Garineh Dovletian did. “My husband brought this ‘tree’ home 17 years ago for my son’s first Christmas,” Dovletian said. “It was a tiny ‘Charlie Brown’ tree able to hold only one red ornament. The tree has grown with our son over the years and is very special to us.”

Another option is to choose a Norfolk pine, which looks similar to a Christmas tree but is actually a tropical houseplant.

Stylish Plant Stands to Hold Festive Foliage

4. Get a regular tree but keep decorations to a minimum
For those who would like a big, real tree but don’t want to fuss with (or purchase) all that tree decor, Houzz reader rachieleigh sets a great example. “Our tree is in the living room, very minimally decorated. I didn’t have a tree skirt and money is tight this year so I used an old Mexican blanket. I like it so much I plan to always use it in place of a tree skirt!”

Houzz reader Sarah BK faced a similar budgeting dilemma. “First year in our first house, so the budget is low,” she wrote last year. Dried orange slices and cranberries make for a festive, natural look for their tree. “Had to skip a popcorn strand because our pups would think it’s a snack tree.”

Tips for a Fuss-Free Holiday Decorating Season

A simple chalkboard tree.

Chalkboard Christmas tree
Photo courtesy of April and the Bear, Houzz
A simple chalkboard tree.
holidayshouzz
news/home-design

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Houston Astros reward beloved manager Dusty Baker with new contract

Texas' biggest Japanese festival jets into Houston for 2 days of anime, cars, food, music, sumo, and more

Ken Hoffman rallies Houston to shatter the 1 million-attendance mark for the downtown Astros parade

In the navy

Bludorn team's new Rice Village seafood restaurant sets anticipated opening date

Eric Sandler
Nov 11, 2022 | 1:15 pm
Bludorn team's new Rice Village seafood restaurant sets anticipated opening date
Photo by Michael Anthony

Navy Blue's Jerrod Zifchak, Aaron Bludorn, and Cherif Mbodji.

One of this year’s most eagerly anticipated restaurants will open next week. Navy Blue, the new seafood restaurant from the team behind Bludorn, begins dinner service on Friday, November 18.

Located in the former Politan Row space in Rice Village (2445 Times Blvd.), Navy Blue applies Bludorn’s template of French-influenced, contemporary cuisine to a menu grounded in fish and shellfish. Developed by chef-owner Aaron Bludorn and executive chef Jerrod Zifchak, diners will find an eclectic array of dishes that can be shared or not.

“With Bludorn, we found that the ultimate luxury was the ability to choose your own dining experience and we plan to emphasize that even more at Navy Blue,” Bludorn said in a statement. “The ability to come in and enjoy the restaurant without feeling the need to dress up or to feel pressure to adhere to traditional standards of a fine dining restaurant is what we strived to achieve at the first concept and what we will strive to cultivate once Navy Blue launches.”

Just as meals at Bludorn may begin with oysters three ways — raw, baked, and fried — Navy Blue offers diners multiple preparations of oysters; clams (casino, fried, or steamed); and shrimp (cocktail, fried, or BBQ). Other starters include three varieties of caviar, tuna crudo, and crab cakes.

The trio theme continues in the entree section with the ability to order whole Dover sole as almondine, Oscar, or Provencal and lobster as boiled, grilled, or Thermidore. Other entrees include blackened snapper; swordfish au poivre; and salmon with sauce grenobloise (browned butter, capers, parsley, and lemon). Non-seafood eaters will find roast chicken and steak with chimichurri.

In between, diners can enhance their meals with soups and salads like gumbo, mussel bisque, and a Caesar with boquerones. Seafood pastas like linguine vongole, lobster ravioli, and risotto with lobster and cuttlefish round out the offerings.

“We wanted to create a menu with plenty of options and the same kind of approachability that guests love at Bludorn,” Bludorn said. “What oysters are to Bludorn, which are done 3 ways — fried, baked, and raw — clams, shrimp, and Dover sole are to Navy Blue. We’ll also have a running rotation of fresh fish with preparation suggestions, but guests can swap it out however they want. We are nothing if not flexible when it comes to putting our guests’ tastes first — that’s why we are here, and we love what we do.”

Diners can have confidence in the kitchen. Not only did Zifchak succeed Bludorn as executive chef at New York’s Cafe Boulud, he also worked at Le Bernadin, New York’s three-star Michelin restaurant that’s among the country’s top destinations for seafood.

Jerrod Zifchak Navy Blue restaurantExecutive chef Jerrod Zifchak. Photo by Michael Anthony

Beverage options start with a seafood-friendly wine list that contains selections from France, Greece, Italy, Spain, America, and more. Cocktails include a range of martinis along with a few tiki-inspired libations.

Inside, Bludorn, his wife Victoria Pappas Bludorn, and partner Cherif Mbodji worked with Austin-based Föda Studios, Courtney Hill Interiors, and Gensler to transform the 7,100-square-foot-space into Navy Blue. Details include tables separated by white oak partitions, a steel and driftwood installation in the bar, and a 40 seat private dining room.

"There's not a lot seafood restaurants across the country that have gained any national notoriety. People are seeing an opportunity," Bludorn said on a recent episode of CultureMap’s “What’s Eric Eating” podcast. "Joshua Skenes did Angler, Fermín Núñez just opened Este. I think, where better than Houston to be the next one of those restaurants that opens and focuses on American seafood."

Navy Blue restaurant Jerrod Zifchak Aaron Bludorn Cherif Mbodji

Photo by Michael Anthony

Navy Blue's Jerrod Zifchak, Aaron Bludorn, and Cherif Mbodji.

openingschefsrice-villagenews-you-can-eat
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most read posts

Houston Astros reward beloved manager Dusty Baker with new contract

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best november art

11 eye-catching November openings no Houston art fan should miss

Tarra Gaines
Nov 11, 2022 | 12:30 pm
11 eye-catching November openings no Houston art fan should miss
Photo courtesy of The Gordon Parks Foundation
Gordon Parks, Alberto Giacometti in His Studio, c. 1951, silver print on paper, Archives, Fondation Giacometti.

If you’re wondering what to do with all those visiting friends and family for the holidays once the last pie has been eaten, you can be thankful for a cornucopia of art on view this month.

From golden treasures to immersive and kid-friendly art in the park, from modernist masters to underground contemporary light art, Houston has visual (and sound) art treat for every family member this month.

"A Blissful Abyss” at Sawyer Yards (now through January 15, 2023)

In this Winter edition of the tenant exhibition at Sabine Street Studios, the artists respond to the poetic context of "Emptiness is nothingness, yet inspires dreams.” The themes range from expressive figurative works to winter landscapes, from colorful abstractions to monochromatic Malevichian experiments.

Negative Women: Four Photographers Questioning Boundaries at Houston Museum of African American Culture (now through January 27, 2023)

Featuring the work of Letitia Huckaby, Tanya Habjouqa, Mari Hernandez and Ciara Elle Bryant, the exhibition will highlight how these award-winning photographers push against accepted narratives, and tell complete histories. Huckaby’s recent work focuses on Africatown and the last slaving vessel to reach the shores of America. Hernandez creates narrative photos that explore the boundaries of gender and history.

“Paul Anthony Smith: Standing In” at Blaffer Art Museum (now through March 12, 2023)

This new exhibition highlight’s the Jamaica-born, New York-based artist resistance to some of the violent implications of the word “shooting” when it comes to photography. Smith creates photo-based works that push back against the medium’s inherently aggressive dimensions while simultaneously introducing new added layers to the act. The Blaffer explains that Smith employs his previous training in ceramics to disturb and modify the pictorial surface, using a series of sculptural picks to simultaneously dismantle the image and thicken its meaning.

“Golden Worlds: The Portable Universe of Indigenous Colombia” at Museum of Fine Arts (now through April 23, 2023)

Time travel a 1000 years into Columbian art history, with guidance from contemporary Indigenous collaborators, in this exhibition of 400 works of figurative ceramics, ceremonial and ritual items, feather works, textiles, metal works and historical documents, and yes lots of gold. Co-organized by the MFAH, Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA) and the Museo del Oro of Banco de la Republica, Bogotâ, Golden Worlds really holds a vast world of art as it focuses on the history and splendor of the indigenous peoples and cultures of Colombia.

“The Collective Hive” and “Exploración Orgánica” at The Ion (now through May, 2023)

The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston presents "Alberto Giacometti: Toward the Ultimate Figure"
Photo courtesy of The Gordon Parks Foundation
Gordon Parks, Alberto Giacometti in His Studio, c. 1951, silver print on paper, Archives, Fondation Giacometti.
The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston presents "Alberto Giacometti: Toward the Ultimate Figure"

As the Ion District continues to grow, so do the art initiatives. The next showcase window installations from the Ions’s EyeOnArt program will set art-lovers a buzzing with artists Lisa Morales and Stacy Gresell “Hive” project designed as an amalgamation of “found object” bees ranging in size from 12” to 4’, each with plexiglass wings. As Morales and Gresell asked the broader Ion community to donate old odds and ends that the artists then used as materials for the bees’ bodies. The second winter window installation, “Exploración Orgánica” comes from a creative team lead by Maria Rodriguez. The installation stimulate each individual’s “own visual experimentation” as the contents inside the window shift their visual appearance from the continuous projection of micro footage of the chemical interactions from mixing oils, acrylic paint, ink, alcohol, milk, and water

“Solstice” at Discovery Green (November 11-February 14, 2023)

The latest art installation commissioned by Discovery Green Conservancy places the audience in a space of ever-changing colors and soundscapes created by frames, mirrors, and a central sun. Perfect for Winter, the interactive work from Studio Iregular is comprised of a series of mirrored and LED arches. Together, the piece reflects the transformation of Earth when the sun is at its closest and furthest from the equator. Guests will be able to experience the longest day of the year to the shortest in an explorative and interactive format. The immersive experience even gives park-goers a chance to harness the power of the sun, or at least feel like they can, as interacting with the piece can influence the changing of sound and colors.

“(w)Hole" at Jung Center (November 12-December 20)

For this audio-visual exhibition investigating grief, apology, and healing, the Jung Center brought together six artists, an audio producer, a writing teacher, seven actors providing voice recordings to create 18 original written works in collaboration with 18 works of visual art. Visitors can cross visual art boundaries by bringing their phones, personal earbuds, or earphones to the gallery, scan a QR code located next to each work of art, and sink into a painting while the voice of a performer tells a story.

“Alberto Giacometti: Toward the Ultimate Figure” at Museum of Fine Arts (November 13-February 12, 2023)

One of the most important 20th century sculptors takes the spotlight in this exhibition featuring 60 masterpieces highlighting the Giacometti’s major achievements of the postwar years (1945-66). The MFAH notes that the modernism giant reasserted figural representation in art during a time when the abstract dominated the art world. His elongated, sometimes seen as emaciated, figures became associated with existentialism, evoking fear and uncertainty. Along with galleries organized around Giacometti’s head sculptures, his innovative use of space and bases, the exhibition will offer how other artists perceived Giacometti, including photographers like Irving Penn, Richard Avedon and Ernst Scheidegger.

“Robert Motherwell Drawing: As Fast as the Mind Itself” at Menil Collection (November 18-March 12, 2023)

In what the Menil is calling the most comprehensive survey ever mounted of the Motherwell’s, the exhibition will showcase 100 works of the pioneering mark-making abstract expressionist. Spanning Motherwell’s career from the 1940s into the 80s, the survey will explore several aspects of Motherwell’s practice, including his dialogue between the geometric and organic, and his diverse approach to calligraphic mark-making.

“From early Surrealist works to the artist’s late gestural abstractions, this exhibition will provide an invaluable opportunity for visitors to experience the boldness and intensity of Motherwell’s extraordinary career,” describes Menil director Rebecca Rabinow.

“Cistern Illuminated” at the Buffalo Bayou Park Cistern (November 25-January 8, 2023)

The former 1920s underground drinking water reservoir, turned Houston’s most unique art space gets another special immersive art experience this time for the holidays. Designed by local artist and engineer Kelly O’Brien of Fenris, Cistern Illuminated is a custom temporary lighting installation that provides fresh perspective on this historic chamber. This new lighting experience, colors shift between warm white and muted oranges, reds, and yellows, evoking flickering candlelight and the way embers flare up and fade on a dark winter’s night. During the “Cistern Illuminated” run look for scheduled concerts by the Schola Cantorum of the Co-Cathedral of the Sacred Heart. featuring works of Hildegard van Bingen, Guillaume Dufay, Elizabeth Poston, Arvo Pärt, Ola Gjeilo, Crista Miller.

Art on the Avenue at Winter Street Studios (December 1-3)

Yes, technically this is a December art event, but we’re putting one of Houston art lovers favorite parties and art-buying extravaganzas on our calendar early. This usually November silent auction and art moves its is weekend of collecting and reviewing opportunities a few weeks later this year and we don’t want to miss it. Featuring artwork from more than 250 local Houston artists each year, the event benefits Avenue’s work to build and preserve affordable housing, revitalize distressed neighborhoods, while supporting local artists. The event kicks off with a preview party on Thursday, and the opportunity to buy those works that catch your eyes early. Saturday brings open exhibition hours in the day and then the party and auction fun begins Saturday evening.

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Luxe, new-build River Oaks home hits market for $12.5 million

Holly Beretto
Nov 11, 2022 | 11:30 am
Luxe, new-build River Oaks home hits market for $12.5 million
Photo by Josh Gremillion for Douglas Elliman Realty

The home is located in the heart of River Oaks.

If River Oaks is one of Houston's most exclusive enclaves, Del Monte Drive is one of River Oaks' most exclusive streets. Now, there's a new kid on that exclusive block.

Meet 3315 Del Monte Dr., a brand-new, 12,000-plus-square-foot estate sitting on half an acre in that most mythic of Bayou City neighborhoods. It's listed at $12.5 million, represented by David Gross of Douglas Elliman.

Built by Layne Kelly and JD Bartell Designs, the custom creation features five bedrooms, seven full baths, and three half baths. Large living spaces throughout the home make it perfect for entertaining. The temperature-controlled wine room is sure to be a conversation piece, as are the impeccable wood details in the primary sitting area.

3315 Del Monte Drive offers a classic look and feel that blends with River Oaks' history, while the home's interior is unapologetically modern, with soaring windows, blonde and light woods, and bright white marble. The kitchen sports L'Atelier Paris and Gaggenau appliances, making it a home cook's dream space.

The outdoor, summer kitchen makes for a perfect gathering space, as does the pool and spa area.

In the primary suite, oversized closets and dressing rooms contribute to the overall feel of a true luxury dwelling. Stunning views throughout the home offer a sense of being in an oasis, even as 3315 Del Monte Drive is close to everything Houston has to offer.

It's ready and waiting for its new owners.

3315 Del Monte River Oaks

Photo by Josh Gremillion for Douglas Elliman Realty

The home is located in the heart of River Oaks.

news/home-design

CultureMap Emails Are Awesome
Get Houston intel delivered daily.

We will not share or sell your email address.

most read posts

Houston Astros reward beloved manager Dusty Baker with new contract

Texas' biggest Japanese festival jets into Houston for 2 days of anime, cars, food, music, sumo, and more

Ken Hoffman rallies Houston to shatter the 1 million-attendance mark for the downtown Astros parade

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